Viewing Ekiti in 2022 through the lens of budget

Recently, precisely on October 28, 2021, the governor of Ekiti State, Dr John Kayode Fayemi, presented a sum of N100.7 billion before the Ekiti State House of Assembly as budget estimates for the 2022 fiscal year. The budget presentation which came much earlier when compared to the preceding years of his administration, was meant, according to Governor Fayemi to seek the assembly’s ratification after perusing and scrutinizing the proposal.

From the breakdown of the budgetary proposal, it is found to be consisting of a sum of N60.70 billion earmarked as recurrent expenditure and N40.07 billion as capital expenditure. From inferences, one could easily discern that Governor Kayode Fayemi, through the budget, was angling to leave enduring legacy by expanding the scope of achievements in human and infrastructure capitals of the state. In actual fact, the2022 estimates was christened: “Budget of Legacy and Consolidation”, and this further accentuated the fact that laying enduring legacy for Ekiti after the expiration of his tenure next year remains a focus and a premium task to the governor.

One of the factors that make the budgetary estimate quite interesting is the fact that it captures the yearnings of Ekiti people in terms of infrastructure needs and improved welfare. This is premised on the fact that before the proposal was put together, the governor held town hall meetings with communities in the sixteen local government areas of the state. There, representatives of the over 150 autonomous towns and villages in Ekiti State presented their demands in documents that captured their respective needs in order of their preferences.

Some skeptics might, however, disagree with the fact that a sum of N100.7 billion is too paltry to turn around the fortunes of the state or serve as a stepping stone to realising that dream. One fact must be stressed here; reeling out bogus budgetary figures has been a bane of development in the country. The drivers of the economy fondly placed priority on unattainable figures at the expense of reality in terms of implementation. But the 2022 Ekiti budget estimate was a clear departure from this norm, which makes its actualization feasible and also position it to enjoy wider acceptability and have a good prognosis.

In 2021, the governor presented a sum of N124.4 billion and the downward trends in monies accruing to Ekiti from the federation accounts necessitated the reduction in the new proposal.

Apart from the compact nature of the budget proposal, the fact that Ekiti is now enjoying a gradual improvement in the level of internally-generated revenue has also buoyed citizens’ confidence in the realization of its target. In 2018, Governor Fayemi met internally-generated revenue that was oscillating between N400million and N450 million. But through ingenious and shrewd planning, it has soared to sum of N850 million with a target of N1.5 billion for next year by expanding the tax net that would reduce tax evasion in Ekiti State.

The 2022 budget is coming at a very critical time in the history of the state. It represents another year of transition, when there would be exchange of leadership baton. And laying of solid foundation for the coming government is expedient for smooth take off of the new government. Targeting critical areas like reduction of the rising unemployment in the system, propelling of industrial development, increased IGR, improved security architectures, fighting the scourge of covid19 pandemic and radical prosecution of road and other facilities have attracted wide applause and gave the citizens hope that the year ahead would be more profitable, comfortable and rewarding.

To propel industrial development, Governor Fayemi believed that the ongoing cargo airport project would be completed and inaugurated before he completes his tenure and exit office on October 16 next year. It is no gain-saying the fact that the global concept around aviation industry is to open a state to better exploration and business opportunities. And this was the intention behind this lofty project. Accessibility in terms of land transportation is also pivotal in this regard. This accounted for why the new Iyin road dual carriageway project is pivotal; the dual carriage Ado Ekiti – Ifaki project and over ten other road projects were captured in the 2022 proposal.

Realizing that the civil service is the engine room of government, a sum of N36.71 billion was budgeted for governance sector with that mission to ensure prompt payment of salaries, pensions and defraying of outstanding workers benefits inherited from the immediate past government. Infrastructure and industrial development is another sub-sector that would take N28.06 billion. Knowledge economy is to gulp N19.71 billion; social investment takes a share of N14.063 billion and agriculture was given a sum of N2.201 billion.

In recent time, flooding and erosion attacks had done incalculable damage to some towns and villages in the state, leading to loss of lives and destruction of prosperity. The government has made provisions to nip the sordid scenario in the bud. This is vigorously prosecuting ongoing projects under the New Erosion and Watershed Management Project (NEWMAP) in Irele, Oke Ako and Oye-Ekiti zealously to tackle ecological problems being suffered by people.

For all these to come to fruition, security of life and property must be always be guaranteed. The government and other state actors like the police, the military and sundry paramilitary agencies must raise the bar of security for government’s policies and programmes to be effectively implemented. The ordinary citizens have enormous roles to play here by promptly reporting strange occurrence to relevant agencies for swift and proactive action and by paying their requisite taxes to government authorised coffers as mandated by the laws of the land. We all owe a duty to protect our state as patriotic citizens.

Dalimore Aluko, a retired assistant Principal from Ikere-Ekiti can be reached on 08032712451 or 08066181583