Oyo Approves N4.3bn For 29 December Local Govt Election

Oyo State government has approved N4,278,000,000 for the conduct of the local government election slated for 29 December 2027.

The state’s Commissioner for Information, Prince Dotun Oyelade, in a statement on Tuesday disclosed that chairmanship and councillorship elections would be held across the state’s 33 local government areas.

He said the state’s executive council at its meeting, approved the release of counterpart funding to the Oyo State Independent Electoral Commission (OYSIEC) to commence preparations for the elections.

Oyelade said the elections would be jointly funded by the state government and the local government councils, with the councils contributing 60 per cent of the cost and the state providing the remaining 40 per cent.

According to Oyelade, the local government councils will contribute N2,566,800,000, while the state government will provide N1,711,200,000, bringing the total cost of the elections to N4,278,000,000.

The council also approved the release of 437,446,398.58 to meet the accreditation requirements of the Nursing Programme at Abiola Ajimobi Technical University.

“The funding is expected to support the university’s diversification drive from its traditional focus on science and technology and enable it to become financially self-sustaining.

“The university is currently undergoing the final stage of the accreditation process,” he said.

The council warned that failure to meet the deadline for professional accreditation of the nursing programme could put the substantial investment in the initiative at risk.

Oyelade said the administration of Governor Seyi Makinde had already spent more than ₦3bn on acquiring equipment for the programme’s take-off.

The council also approved the payment of counterpart funding for the construction, renovation and equipping of the Oyo Annex of Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH).

Oyelade noted that about 70 per cent of patients accessing services at the LAUTECH Teaching Hospital, Ogbomoso, were from Oyo and its environs.

“Consequently, the state government agreed to provide its 50 per cent counterpart funding of ₦6,744,379,570.28, while Oyo East Local Government Area would contribute the other half.

The total cost of the project is ₦13,488,759,140.56,” he added.

The council commended Makinde for his performance and sustained efforts towards the state’s development, despite the relatively short period remaining in his administration before May 2027.

It also praised the governor for his strategic cooperation with the state’s 33 local governments.