Ondo Spends Billions On Governor’s Car As Water And Health Budgets Suffer

Ondo State has set aside N2 billion in its 2025 budget for luxury vehicles, including an armoured car for Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa, raising concerns about spending priorities.

The breakdown of the budget shows that one armoured vehicle was earmarked for the governor, a Toyota Prado for the Secretary to the State Government, a GAC GS3 for the Acting Permanent Secretary of the General Administration Department, and ten Toyota Corolla cars for other officials.

Between January and June 2025, the state had already spent N450.9 million on vehicles. In comparison, the Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Agency received only N309 million in the same period for capital projects, despite poor access to clean water in rural communities.

The budget review also shows that while N2.3 billion was allocated to Amotekun, the state’s security network, no funds were released for its capital expenditure within the first six months of the year. This comes at a time when residents have expressed concerns over rising insecurity, including the abduction of nine surveyors in Akure South earlier in the year.

Similarly, the Ondo State Primary Healthcare Development Agency, which had a capital budget of N129.5 million, recorded no spending between January and June, leaving health infrastructure projects stalled.

This is not the first time the state’s budget allocations have drawn public criticism. Documents earlier revealed that the Deputy Governor’s office planned to spend N15 million on two executive chairs and N20 million on a table. The House of Assembly also set aside N200 million for telephone bills, which amounts to over N22,000 every hour.

In another section of the budget, N20 million was earmarked by the Office of the Accountant General for 40 executive chairs, putting the cost of each chair at half a million naira.

The 2025 budget performance document paints a picture of a state government prioritizing luxury spending while critical sectors such as security, water, and healthcare receive little or no funding.