Oyetola Avoids Open Presentation, Sends 2023 Budget To Osun Assembly

 

Ismaeel Uthman

GOVERNOR Adegboyega Oyetola has silently presented a N136bn 2023 budget estimate to the State of Osun House of Assembly. 

Christened ‘Budget of Consolidation’, the 2023 appropriation bill was sent to the assembly with a cover letter dated September 29, 2022, OSUN DEFENDER gathered. 

The budget has N96,377,740,930 for Recurrent Expenditure while capital expenditure has N39,888,247,710, making a total of N136,265,988,140.

The 2023 budget estimate is about N6,509bn higher than the 2022.

This is the first time, since 2019, that Oyetola will avoid public presentation of budget for each fiscal year. 

Oyetola has always been personally presenting the budget to the assembly with funfair.

Some political analysts have commented that the outcome of the July 16, 2022 governorship election humbled the governor and deterred him from appearing before the house. 

However, the appropriation bill scaled through the second reading at the floor of the Assembly on Tuesday.

The Speaker of the Assembly, Rt. Hon Timothy Owoeye, stated that the budget estimate for 2023 had gone through some considerations at the parliamentary processes where it was agreed to be brought to the floor for the policy trust and second reading.

Owoeye said: “The consideration of year 2023 budget has nothing to do with politics, the Governor should be commended for his courage to meet up with the January to December budget cycle.

“This year’s budget presentation should not carry any political baggage because the bilateral consideration of the budget had been on before now and had since been concluded by the state executive council.”

The Speaker directed that all ministries, departments and agencies of government including tertiary institutions should submit 35 copies of their draft budget to the House on or before today, Friday, October 28 for further consideration.

Osun Assembly Has Constitutional Duty To Perform – Adeleke

Reacting to the budget, the Governor-elect, Sen. Ademola Adeleke, defended the State House of Assembly on the processing of 2023 budget proposal, declaring that the House of Assembly has a constitutional duty to perform.

Responding to enquiries in a statement by his spokesperson, Mallam Olawale Rasheed, Adeleke posited that the legislators were elected to treat and process bills, including appropriation bill from the executive arm of government.

He said: “As a former lawmaker, I support the legislature as an arm of government that is independent and must be allowed to do its job of legislation and appropriation. So, there is nothing unusual if the House of Assembly is processing budget 2023 proposal.

“The legislative process provides for supplementary budgetary action, including executive bill proposing amendments to any Appropriation Act. So, we are not worried at all. If anything, we want to encourage the Assembly to continue the processing of subsisting bills.”