By Adeleke Maria   Governor of Oyo State, ‘Seyi Makinde, said on Wednesday that his government had taken several actions to lessen the burden of the residents of the state amid economic challenges facing the people. He added that through these actions and his administration’s engagements with residents of the state, which enable them to have inputs in the state’s budgets, the economic landscape of the state has changed drastically over the last five years. The governor stated this at the Stakeholders’ Consultative Meeting on the 2025 Budget and the unveiling of the Oyo State Agenda 2040, held at the International Conference Centre, University of Ibadan, Ibadan. He equally unveiled the Agenda 2040 for Oyo State and the Five Years Medium Term Development Plan 2023-2027, which were driven by the Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning, with the support of DFID/PERL, DAWN Commission, UNICEF and the University of Ibadan Ventures Limited (Consultancy Service Unit). He maintained that with the agenda, his administration’s strategy is to focus on avenues that can add value and create a conducive environment for creating decent jobs for the people. According to the governor, the state government has had to grapple with the fallouts of the removal of fuel subsidy and the peg on Naira to dollar exchange rate, a development that led to it taking conscious actions to mitigate the hardship facing the people. Makinde, who maintained that the 2024 Budget had been implemented up to 53 per cent, said he was looking forward to 90 per cent implementation by the end of the year. He said: “This is the first in the consultative and town hall meetings that will happen in preparation for the 2025 budget. This is the sixth series we are holding since we assumed office in 2019. “We are not just engaging and talking. When we came in, our budget performance used to be around 35 per cent. But because our stakeholders have taken ownership of this process, we take feedback from what you are telling us while you take ownership of this, and we monitor its implementation, we have raised that bar.” The governor added, “You would agree with me that the economic landscape has changed drastically in the last five years. More recently, we are all still grappling with the fallouts of the partial removal of the fuel subsidy and the peg on Naira to dollar exchange rate. As a subnational operating within this system, we have taken actions to lessen the burden on our people. “So, we have come to you again to request your input into the 2025 budget. I have always said to people that we don’t know it all. When we come to you, we expect to understand your pains and how best to use the budget to alleviate those pains. As I always say, this is your government and we will always act in your best interest. “I am a strong believer in using the available data, coupled with logic and science to solve problems. In addition, I acknowledge that proper documentation plays a key role in strategic problem-solving. And this is why this event also doubles as the unveiling agenda of 2040 and medium-term plan for Oyo State. “We are living in very tough economic times and it’s a time that calls for strong leadership and tough decisions but we must remain sympathetic to the plight of our people. This is why we are always looking for ways and means to make things easier for our people.” The governor informed the gathering that the state government had invested a lot of money on the Ibadan Circular Road named after former Governor Rashidi Ladoja, which is why it was planned that the resources should bring economic benefits to the state by putting in place a corridor for such benefits. He declared that 32kilometres East Wing Section of the project spanning Lagos-Ibadan Expressway to Badeku Village on Ibadan-Ile Ife Road would be ready in 2025 and it would be the first freeway in Nigeria. The governor emphasised that no matter the challenges, the coming year will see his government driving a hard bargain for development. He promised to work with the private sector to drive more inclusive agribusiness programmes and youth training and also continue to support small holder farmers. Governor Makinde added that the support for the Youth Entrepreneurship in Agribusiness Project (YEAP) beneficiaries would soon be ready. Earlier, Commissioner for Budget and Economic Planning, Prof Musbau Babatunde, said Oyo State budgets have, over the last five years, turned out well and worked in the interest of the people because of the bottom-up approach to its preparation. He lauded Governor Makinde, noting that the state’s budget performance had been increasing on a yearly basis. The commissioner also hailed the governor over the Agenda 2040, just as he commended the development partners including UNICEF, DAWN Commission as well as individuals who worked to make the document a reality, noting that the state now has an inclusive development plan that partners can key into to work with the state. Similarly, the Chairman of the House of Assembly Committee on Budget, Public Accounts, Finance and Appropriation, Hon Sunkanmi Babalola, assured residents of the state of the readiness of the House of Assembly to see to the equitable implementation of the budget. Representatives of development partners, community associations, market groups and other stakeholders who spoke at the event lauded the inclusive approach to budgeting, expressing the confidence that the 2025 budget will be people-oriented.