….Say “We’ve the Best Brains in Civil Service but with low productivity.”
By: Abraham Chung
Finance and economic experts including an industrialist, Chief (Dr) Alex Ajipe, have expressed divergent views on the capacity of Ondo State government to effectively implement the 2025 budget recently signed into law by Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa.
The Experts spoke in Akure at a symposium organized by the Akure & District Society of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN) themed: “Budget of Recovery: Opportunities, Prospects, and Key Issues Towards Actualization.”
However, speaking at a symposium organized by the Akure & District Society of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN) themed: “Budget of Recovery: Opportunities, Prospects, and Key Issues Towards Actualization.” pundits including Prof. Festus Oladipupo Oloaye, Head of the Department of Accounting, Ekiti State University; and Chief (Dr.) Alex Ajipe, Managing Director, Klick Konnect Networks; among others
On his part, the Managing Director, Klick Konnect Networks, Chief Alex Ajipe, who is one of the discussants said Budgets should be customized in such a way that will reflect productivity.
Ajipe who is also a Bigwig in Ondo State APC, stressed that budget must also be inclusive, thereby considering the needs of all stakeholders, including the poor masses.
The APC Chieftain, noted that “It goes beyond recurrent expenditure or capital expenditure. We need a budget that works for us. Between 1978-1979, we have a kind of economic system in Ondo State. We had over 95 percent of industries owned by the state.
“Most people working there were state workers. So, when you are preparing such budget, we might likely have huge recurrent expenditure and productivity will increase. But, as time goes by, private sectors started emerging.
“The productivity from the civil servants have reduced. If you look at the number of Professors we have in Ondo and Ekiti states, teaching, we’re not supposed to be hungry but the truth of the matter is that we’re still hungry,” he said.
Ajipe stressed that, “the larger chunk of money government uses for training is for the civil servants, not the private sector but what is the productivity of average civil servants? What are they bringing back?
“You discover that the best brains are in the civil service but we’re not getting anything from them. It is easy for us to blame the FG and state governments, but as an individual, what are you contributing to economic sector?”, Ajipe questioned.
The Expert expressed divergent opinions and provided insights into the 2025 Ondo State Budget with a focus on economic revitalization, sustainable fiscal policies, and investment opportunities.
In his presentation, the lead speaker, Prof. Festus Oladipupo, Head of the Department of Accounting, Ekiti State University observed that the downward trend of IGR-TOTAL revenue ratio is enslavement to additional borrowing and federal allocation with consistent growth in total annual spending.
He however said the steady and consistent growth in allocation to capital expenditure over recurrent is noticeable in Ondo State budget and commendable, and should be sustained.
Earlier, Hon. Idowu Otetubi, ICAN Chairman, Akure & District Society said the symposium was organized to provide insights into the 2025 Ondo State Budget with a focus on economic revitalization, sustainable fiscal policies, and investment opportunities.
Recall that Aiyedatiwa, had on 30th December, 2024 signed the 2025 Appropriation Bill totaling N698.659bn into law tagged “Budget of recovery”. The budget was increased by N43,429,496,000 above the N655,230bn initially proposed by Aiyedatiwa when he presented it to the Assembly.
The budget allocates N433b (62.06%) to capital expenditure, N265b (37.94%) to recurrent expenditure.
