Ondo State’s administration announced on Monday that it will invest N3.2 billion in security this year. In Akure, the state capital, Mr. Emmanuel Igbasan, the state commissioner for economic planning and budget, said the amount of N2 billion was set aside to supply security gear for the Ondo State Security Network Agency, commonly known as Amotekun.
Rotimi Akeredolu, the state’s governor, presented a total budget request of N272.73 billion to the state House of Assembly on December 5, 2022, but the legislators approved N275.98 billion, which he signed into law in December.
The commissioner said, “Provision of security hardware for Amotekun, N2bn; procurement of security vehicles, N500m; provision of security equipment/infrastructure, N700m and purchase of 10 motorcycles for bailiff and security personnel and other courts’ staff, N5m.
He said that input from the nine federal constituencies’ town hall meetings was used to construct the budget.
Igbasan claimed that among the groups consulted before the budget was put together were farmers, women’s organizations, youth organizations, artisan unions, professional bodies, people with disabilities, and organized corporate sectors.
He said, “Ondo State recently ranked the least in multi-dimensional poverty index in the country in a survey conducted by the National Bureau of Statistics in conjunction with UNICEF and others. This feat is occasioned by people-oriented programmes embarked upon by this administration which paid due attention to economic drivers and enablers during the year.
“There is the need to deepen the economic impact of various programmes which earn the state this recognition. The next step will be to ensure that more people are enlisted in the production loop and taken out of poverty.
“Mr Governor has, therefore, approved that programmes that will affect the majority of our people be prioritised in the year. Hence, the budget is titled a ‘Budget of shred prosperity’.”
