Grassroots Input Key to 2026 Budgets, Says Oyebanji

Grassroots Input Key to 2026 Budgets, Says Oyebanji

 

 

 

Ekiti State Governor, Biodun Oyebanji, has said that grassroots participation is central to the preparation of the 2026 budgets at both state and local government levels, insisting that no council budget should be drawn up without citizens’ input.

 

Oyebanji, who spoke on Friday during town hall meetings held in Otun Ekiti, headquarters of Moba Local Government, and in Ijero Ekiti, Ijero Council area, directed all local government and local council development area (LCDA) chairmen to convene consultations with residents before compiling their fiscal proposals.

 

“The same way we (the state government) visit our people to ask for their requests to be included in the state budget, the local government chairmen should do the same,” he said. “They must sit with traditional rulers, community leaders, party leaders and representatives of interest groups, and submit reports of such meetings. This should also form part of the oversight functions of the House of Assembly.”

 

He warned that the 2026 budgets of local councils must not be prepared in isolation, stressing that development planning without citizens’ engagement would not reflect the real needs of the people.

 

During the session, representatives from 10 local government areas in Ekiti North and Ekiti Central Senatorial Districts presented their demands, which included township and inter-community roads, electricity, potable water, hospitals, schools, ambulances, palaces, security and empowerment initiatives.

 

Responding, Oyebanji promised that his administration would allocate a significant portion of the 2026 state budget to credit facilities for artisans and the informal sector to strengthen the grassroots economy. He, however, lamented that the state had been forced to repay more than N2 billion in unpaid micro-credit loans from past administrations because many beneficiaries failed to honour repayment obligations.

 

The governor also highlighted gains from the state’s agricultural investments, disclosing that young farmers in one of the clusters had earned over N1 million within three months. He added that expanding farmlands had not only boosted food production but also helped curb kidnapping and other security challenges.

 

Reiterating his commitment to inclusive governance, Oyebanji noted that the annual budget consultation exercise had delivered tangible outcomes, with many community requests already implemented.

 

“This shows that the meeting is not a waste. There is no budget year that we have not implemented one or two things requested by our communities,” he said. “You have a governor that listens, a governor that cares and a governor that knows where the shoe pinches. At the fullness of time, we will return to seek your mandate and point to what we have achieved together.”