Governor Says Appropriation Will Deepen Infrastructure, Welfare Gains and Complete Ongoing Projects
Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, has signed the ₦723 billion 2026 Appropriation Bill into law, formally approving what will be the final budget of his first term in office.
The signing ceremony was held on Monday in Osogbo, with the Deputy Governor, Kola Adewusi, and members of the State Executive Council present.
The development was confirmed in a statement issued by the governor’s spokesperson, Malam Olawale Rasheed, who said the budget would serve as a consolidation framework for the administration’s development agenda.
Speaking at the signing, Governor Adeleke said the 2026 budget was designed to strengthen governance and expand service delivery across the state, in line with his administration’s five-point development agenda.
According to the governor, the spending plan will prioritise the completion of ongoing projects while also creating room for new initiatives aimed at improving the welfare of residents.
“Our administration has, in the last three budget years, laid a solid foundation for the sustainable development of our dear state,” Adeleke said.
He noted that his government had completed several abandoned projects, initiated new ones and addressed long-standing salary and pension liabilities.
“We paid billions of naira in pension and salary debts. We prioritised workers’ welfare, approved and implemented promotion arrears, and cleared allowances neglected by the previous administration,” the governor added.
Adeleke also said the outcomes of the budgets implemented since his assumption of office had been positive, stressing that fiscal discipline and targeted spending had delivered measurable results across key sectors.
In July, the Osun State Government announced that the state’s debt burden had been reduced by 43 per cent between 2022 and 2025, a development the governor attributed to prudent financial management.
The signing of the ₦723 billion budget signals the administration’s intention to consolidate earlier infrastructure and social-sector gains while preparing the state for a smooth transition at the end of Adeleke’s first term.
The budget was initially presented to the Osun State House of Assembly at ₦705 billion on November 12 but was later revised upward following legislative scrutiny. Lawmakers passed the adjusted figure of ₦723 billion on December 23.
According to the latest figures from the Debt Management Office (DMO) for the first quarter of 2025, Osun State’s total debt stock stands at ₦83.3 billion.
The DMO data also showed that the combined debt of the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory stood at ₦3.87 trillion, while Nigeria’s total public debt rose to ₦149.39 trillion as of March 31, 2025,an increase of 22.8 per cent year-on-year.
Earlier in May, Governor Adeleke approved a ₦4 billion bond to clear outstanding obligations owed to retirees under the contributory pension scheme, reaffirming his administration’s commitment to addressing legacy pension liabilities.
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