Data Speak: Two Nigeria’s Southwest States Finance Govrt House with ₦10.733 billion in Six Years
The two States of Nigeria’s six in Southwest, Ondo and Ogun, spent a worth of ₦10.733 billion to finance their respective government houses in six years.
Data gathered via each State’s audited financial reports and approved budgetary allocations for its fiscal years found that the two States have been financing their government houses every year and have a budget for it. Meanwhile, insider information found that most of these government houses do not need the funds expended on them every year.
Read Also: For Three Years, Ondo Secures ₦3.3bn Car Loans for Sacked AG
Ondo, which is economically ravaged with its debts taking tolls, spent N8.7 billion total from 2019 to 2024 on its Government House. Ogun, on the other hand, has insecurity, cult clashes, crime, diseases and bad infrastructure, incumbent to its layers of governing problems, spent over N2.033bn to finance its Government House for five years since 2020.
In 2019, Ondo State Government spent N1.1bn for the Government House, while in 2020, a sum of N1.4bn was consecutively spent. Ogun’s 2019 fund for the Government House was not found, but its 2020 stood at N300 million, even when COVID-19 comatose all economic activities.
Read Also: FACT-CHECK: Ogun Governor Lied, #EndBadGovernance Protesters Demonstrate In Abeokuta
Ondo 2021 spent N1.3 billion on its Government House; N1.5 billion and N1.7bn were also expended in 2022 and 2023 for the same purpose.
Ogun State seems to be racing alongside Ondo, with its consecutive budget for its Government House. For example, both States are the only ones, out of the six Southwest States in Nigeria, with a consecutive budgetary fund specified for their Government House. The rest, like Oyo, Osun, Lagos and Ekiti, have their funds clandestinely entrenched in a clause named “Governor’s Office” with a sumptuous amount of funds dedicated to that.
For Ogun in 2021, N494 million is appropriate to spend on its Government House. In 2022 and 2023 the Government also moved ahead to allocate N299m and N374m for the same Government House.
The year 2024 is seeing both governments: Ondo State and Ogun State, planning to spend over N1.7 billion and N566 million on their Government Houses. These expenses total over N2.033 billion for Ogun State in five years and N8.7 billion for Ondo State in six years.
Read Also: From N1.75trn to N1.80trn, Southwest States Owe 4.4trn for both Domestic and External debts
