Economy
Oyo Proposes to Spend N294.5bn in 2022, Targets N79.8bn IGR
By Aduragbemi Omiyale
On Wednesday, September 29, 2021, the Oyo State Governor, Mr Seyi Makinde, submitted the budget proposal for the 2022 fiscal year to the state’s House of Assembly in Ibadan, the state capital.
While presenting the document to the lawmakers, the Governor said his administration plans to spend a total of N294.5 billion in the financial year.
According to him, the N294.5 billion budget represents an 18.3 per cent reduction over the amended 2021 budget, noting that the capital expenditure stands at N156 billion, representing 52.97 per cent, while recurrent expenditure takes N138.5 billion, amounting to 47.03 per cent.
He said the budget, christened Budget of growth and opportunities, was put in place to move the state from poverty to prosperity, noting that funds for the 2022 budget would be sourced from internally generated revenue, statutory allocations, and capital receipts.
He said the state looks to generate N79.8 billion as IGR in the year, adding that though the projection was a tall order, his administration plans to achieve it without increasing tax.
However, he disclosed that the state intends to inject the sum of N156 billion into the economy through investments in infrastructure and by ensuring that “our people have higher purchasing power.”
“For the first time, our proposed capital expenditure at 52.97 per cent is more than our recurrent expenditure. A major project we will be carrying out in 2022 is 110km Ibadan Circular Road. This tolled road will be a major economic boost as it will create an alternate entry and exit point out of Ibadan and connect the new economic corridor and business district, we are building at Moniya,” he added.
Mr Makinde informed the state legislative arm of government that in the year, infrastructure will gulp N96.6 billion, amounting to 32.83 per cent of the fiscal spending, while the education sector will take N54.1 billion, amounting to 18.37 per cent.
He further disclosed that the health sector is to get the sum of N17.4 billion, amounting to 5.9 per cent, while agriculture will get N11.3 billion, representing 3.84 per cent.
He told the lawmakers that his administration last year promised to continue to invest in infrastructure, adding that such investments were not only evenly distributed, they also cut across the thematic aspects of his administration spanning the four-point service agenda.
“We have worked hard to ensure that infrastructural development is not restricted to just one zone of the state. In education, we have continued to make investments at all levels. At the primary level, we completed 26 model schools across all zones in Oyo State, built 57 classrooms, installed boreholes, and improved the sanitary condition of existing schools through the construction of toilets.
“We have also continued to improve the quality of education in Oyo State. We not only recruited teachers as reported, but we have also trained them on best practices. More recently we completed the recruitment of 692 education officers in the state,” he said.
“On Security, we have made provision to recruit more Amotekun Corps members and we will continue to make an investment in technology that supports our security architecture in Oyo State,” the Governor stated.
However, Governor Makinde admitted that, “There is still so much more that needs to be done. We are aware of the complaints of our people regarding roads in Oyo State.”
“We are determined to meet their yearnings for high-quality infrastructure in the state and that is why we continually embark on road rehabilitation and reconstruction. In the immediate, we are carrying out palliative works on these roads,” he assured.
While giving details of the performance of the 2021 budget, Mr Makinde said that budget performance had reached 60 per cent despite the fact that there are three more months to the end of the fiscal year, expressing hopes of raising the performance to 75 per cent.
In his remarks, the Speaker of the Oyo State House of Assembly, Mr Adebo Ogundoyin, said that the presentation of the 2022 budget will spur lawmakers to redouble their efforts in terms of oversight functions and project monitoring.
According to him, the timely presentation of the 2022 budget will also ensure that the legislature completes work on it well before the end of the 2021 fiscal year. He added that the development would help the state keep to the January to December Budget circle.
“Let me state categorically that the budget proposal is not new to us because we have been part of the process at all levels. We are equally convinced that the governor has articulated all the requests and demands of our people based on the outcome of the stakeholders’ consultative meetings on the 2022 budget, held across the State.
“Expectedly, the four cardinal pillars upon which this administration places its development agenda, viz: Education, Health, Economy (driven by Agribusiness), and Security are steadily being pursued and realised,” he said.
The Speaker commended the Governor for working to grow the IGR of the state, adding that the assembly would do everything possible to ensure the checks and balances crucial for achieving a transparent, accountable, and prudent government.
He also requested that the governor assents to the Legislative Fund Management Law which has been passed by the assembly, adding that states that have assented to the law include Adamawa, Sokoto, Zamfara, Plateau, Delta, Ekiti, and Ondo.
“Once it is assented to by you, we will be able to implement Consolidated Legislative Salary Structure (CONLESS) which is a uniform salary structure for all the State Houses of Assembly,” the Speaker said, adding that some states of the federation are already implementing the consolidated legislative salary structure.
“States like Rivers, Kaduna, Nasarawa, Plateau, Sokoto, Bayelsa, Delta, Adamawa, and Lagos are already paying their Legislative staff using CONLESS salary structure. In Oyo State, the Judiciary workers have also been enjoying their Consolidated Judiciary Salary Structure (CONJUSS). We do not want to be an exception,” he appealed.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The National Pension Commission (PenCom) has defended its decision to allow Pension Fund Administrators (PFAs) to invest in the parent companies of their custodians, insisting that adequate safeguards are in place to protect contributors’ funds.
The director-general of the pension regulator, Ms Omolola Oloworaran, speaking on Tuesday during the Meet the Press Briefing at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, said the commission’s decision to relax the investment restriction followed a comprehensive risk assessment that found minimal conflict of interest.
She explained that under PenCom’s investment regulations, PFAs are only permitted to invest pension assets in carefully selected instruments that meet stringent criteria, including profitability, strong credit ratings and proven track records.
According to her, the commission regularly reviews its investment regulations, conducts routine examinations and spot checks on PFAs to ensure strict compliance with established risk management guidelines.
“PFAs cannot just go into the stock market and buy any kind of stock. There are strict guidelines. Companies must demonstrate profitability, have a proven track record and satisfy other criteria before pension funds can invest,” she said.
Ms Oloworaran noted that each PFA also operates under the oversight of a board, an investment committee and a risk management committee, providing additional layers of governance to safeguard contributors’ funds.
She said PenCom recently issued a circular allowing PFAs to invest in the parent companies of their custodians after determining that the potential conflict of interest was negligible.
The PenCom boss explained that the parent companies involved are largely Tier-1 banks, including First Bank, United Bank for Africa (UBA) and Zenith Bank, which she described as A-rated institutions with strong financial foundations.
She said the policy was intended to widen investment opportunities for pension funds without compromising safety.
Using Stanbic IBTC as an example, Ms Oloworaran explained that if its custodian is Zenith Bank, the previous restriction prevented the pension administrator from investing in Zenith Bank shares despite the bank’s strong performance.
“We reviewed the risks and any potential conflict of interest and found the risks to be very low. That is why we opened that investment window,” she said.
By Aduragbemi Omiyale
Analysts at Meristem Research have predicted that the inflation rate for June 2026 in Nigeria should marginally rise to 15.95 per cent on a year-on-year basis from the 15.93 per cent reported in May 2026.
The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) is expected to release inflation numbers for last month later today, Wednesday, July 15, 2026.
In its report sighted by Business Post, Meristem Research said it expects inflationary pressures to re-emerge across key economies in the near term, as the re-escalation of the US-Iran conflict has reignited upward pressure on global oil prices.
It disclosed that this marks a sharp reversal from most of June, when the ceasefire between the two countries helped drive oil prices lower, raising expectations of some relief on the inflation front.
With conflicts now flaring up again, oil prices are likely to increase again, and the anticipated easing in energy-driven inflation may not materialise as broadly as earlier envisaged.
“Nonetheless, some relief is likely from the food segment, where robust supply conditions across major producing regions and softening demand should continue to ease food price pressures,” it stated.
The team also explained that it projected a 15.95 per cent inflation rate because of the lingering effects of persistent food price pressures.
“However, we expect core inflation to moderate as the sharp reversal in energy prices begins to filter through to transportation, distribution, and other energy-related costs, easing underlying price pressures.
“On a month-on-month basis, the combined effect of lower petrol prices, a relatively stable Naira, and the gradual pass-through of reduced energy costs across the supply chain should exert further downward pressure on inflation.
“Based on our assessment, food inflation is expected to remain the key swing factor, as seasonal pre-harvest supply constraints are likely to offset some of the gains from lower logistics costs,” it said.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The duo of Central Securities Clearing System (CSCS) Plc and Afriland Properties Plc weakened the NASD Over-the-Counter (OTC) Securities Exchange by 1.61 per cent on Tuesday, July 14.
CSCS Plc saw its stock value drop N9.08 to close at N82.40 per share compared with the preceding session’s N91.48 per share, and Afriland Properties Plc slid by 17 Kobo to sell at N15.00 per unit versus N15.70 per unit.
The losses recorded by the two securities pulled back the market capitalisation by N41.64 billion to N2.546 trillion from N2.587 trillion, and cracked the NASD Security Index (NSI) by 69.36 points to 4,242.31 points from 4,311.67 points.
It was observed that the exchange witnessed two price advancers during the session, led by FrieslandCampina Wamco Nigeria Plc, which gained N1.37 to end at N151.37 per share compared with the previous day’s N150.00 per share, and Food Concepts Plc chalked up 5 Kobo to settle at N2.50 per unit versus N2.45 per unit.
The volume of securities traded by market participants surged by 50.7 per cent to 13.7 million units from the previous 9.1 million units, while the value of securities went down by 79.7 per cent to N65.2 million from N320.4 million, and the number of deals crashed by 3.6 per cent to 27 deals from the previous session’s 28 deals.
At the close of transactions, Great Nigeria Insurance (GNI) Plc remained the most traded stock by value on a year-to-date basis, with the sale of 3.4 billion units for N8.4 billion, trailed by Infrastructure Credit Guarantee (Infracredit) Plc, which exchanged 2.3 billion units valued at N6.5 billion, and CSCS Plc with 73.9 million units transacted for N5.2 billion.
GNI Plc also closed the trading day as the most traded stock by volume on a year-to-date basis, with 3.4 billion units worth N8.4 billion, followed by Infracredit Plc with 2.3 billion units traded for N6.5 billion, and Resourcery Plc with 1.1 billion units valued at N415.7 million.
