Laide Raheem, Abeokuta

Ogun State Governor, Dapo Abiodun, has declared ‘no vanity project’ will feature in the 2020 budget being compiled for presentation to the House of Assembly.

He also said effort will be geared towards eliminating ‘White Elephant projects’ or any such project that would only boost the public perception of any political actor in the state.

Abiodun gave this declaration yesterday, while declaring open the 2020 Treasury Board Meeting, at the Oba’s Complex, Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta.

“We must realise that our responsibilities to the people or our state go beyond channelling efforts towards the routine patterns for the use of public resources of those in power. We must device a system of strategic allocation of resources which ensure politics is secondary. Projects and programmes of government in the first full budget that we are preparing would have impact on the people who are the real essence of government,” the governor said.

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He noted that public servants duties go beyond merely allocation of resources, but to programmes that make meaning to people’s lives.

He, however, challenged public servants to join him to devise ways of allocating resources to government policies, projects and programmes that have direct impact on the lives of the people and not those meant to message people’s ego.

“All the expenditures are going to be targeted at programmes and projects aimed at continued development of our state and creating more prosperity for the people. In doing this, we will be achieving the mission of our administration, as embodied in the building our future together agenda,” Abiodun said.

The governor pointed out that the meeting which was the first full budget of the present administration, was the climax of the planning process which involved sensitisation programme on the vision and focus of government as well as Town Hall meetings in the three senatorial districts.

Earlier, Consultant to the Governor on Budget and Planning, Olaolu Olabimtan, said the state, for the first time, has declared the Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF), noting “this would reduce the gap between the request of the ministries, department and aAgencies (MDAs) and improved estimates, while budget outcomes would be more predictable and the MDAs more confident in their planning.”