The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) is reportedly set to summon the leadership of the Ondo State House of Assembly to provide clarifications on the passage of the state’s 2025 budget.
Particular attention is being drawn to the N11.5 billion allocated to the Ministry of Finance as a security vote.
Vanguard reports that EFCC operatives have arrived in the state to scrutinise the budget details, with a focus on the controversial N11.5 billion security vote allocation.
The allocation, along with other financial provisions for the Finance Ministry, has raised questions about transparency and accountability in the state’s financial management.
The ministry’s 2025 budget also includes N250 million earmarked for honorarium and sitting allowances, alongside N1.5 billion for contingencies.
Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa had presented a N655 billion budget to the state Assembly on December 10, 2024. By December 30, 2024, the Assembly had increased the budget by N43.4 billion, raising the total to N698 billion, which the governor subsequently signed into law.
Meanwhile, the Nigerian Anti-Corruption Network (NACN) has condemned the inclusion of the N11.5 billion security vote. In a statement by its National President, Comrade Mike Aderosoye, the group criticised the allocation, describing it as an “affront to the sensibilities of Ondo State citizens.”
Aderosoye said, “It is unacceptable for a commissioner, who reports to the governor, to appropriate a security vote budget head when the governor is already receiving one.” He further alleged gross mismanagement and deliberate looting of public funds, criticising Governor Aiyedatiwa for neglecting governance priorities.
“It is shameful that a governor who has not commissioned a kilometre of road in the past year and has abandoned countless projects would allow his commissioner to insert such an outrageous sum into the budget for personal gain,” the group added.
The NACN has called on the EFCC to thoroughly investigate the matter and warned against any attempt to downplay the allegations. “The EFCC must prove its commitment to fighting corruption. We will not hesitate to seek legal redress if this case is abandoned,” it said.
The group urged the state government to redirect the N11.5 billion allocation to developmental projects such as roads, healthcare, and education. “This money belongs to the people of Ondo State and should be used to alleviate their suffering, not to fund dubious security votes,” it said.
A senior civil servant described the allocation as “strange,” while an EFCC source noted that the agency is investigating whether such an amount has been previously allocated to the ministry. “We are also interested in understanding the purpose of this allocation and how it will be spent, especially since the governor already receives a security vote package which is not disclosed,” the source added.
The source emphasised that the investigation is not a witch-hunt but an effort to uncover the truth. “Several anti-corruption bodies have made inquiries on the matter, just as you are doing now,” the source said.
Public concerns have also been raised over the allocation of N200 million to Assembly members for phone calls and N280 million for the Speaker’s phone expenses in the fiscal year. Other allocations for the Assembly include substantial amounts for travel and security.
Civil servants have criticised these allocations as misplaced priorities, highlighting the poor state of infrastructure and education in the constituencies of Assembly members.
One respondent remarked, “It’s a pity that we are where we are today. The state is the least developed in terms of infrastructure in the South-West, yet Assembly members are busy sharing the people’s commonwealth.”
The Finance Commissioner, R. S. Omowunmi Isaac, was unavailable for comment. However, a senior officer in the ministry defended the allocation, stating that it had been thoroughly scrutinised and approved by the Assembly.
Efforts to reach the Speaker, Rt Hon Olamide Oladiji, were unsuccessful. A lawmaker, speaking anonymously, said the Assembly members had no reason to fear the EFCC investigation. “The anti-graft agency officials are not lions. We’ll open our books for them to scrutinise. The budget is now a public document. There’s nothing to fear,” he said.
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