Daud Olatunji
An investigation by PLATFORM TIMES has uncovered that Ogun State Governor, Dapo Abiodun, has allocated close to N1 billion for three non-existent ministries in the state’s 2024 budget.
The ministries in question—Energy, Mineral Resources, and Regional Integration—do not currently operate within the state’s 21 existing ministries.
Governor Abiodun signed the 2024 Appropriation Bill into law, marking a total budget of N703.028 billion under the theme, “Budget of Sustained Growth and Development.”
However, the investigation revealed that N922,169,997.11 has been allocated to the three phantom ministries in the budget uploaded on the open states.ng/Ogun by the state government.
…Budget Breakdown For Non-Existent Ministries
The Ministry of Energy, for instance, has been allocated a total of N598,395,489.58.
This includes N48,398,834.60 for personnel expenditure, N49,999,525.00 for other recurrent expenditure, N98,398,359.60 for total recurrent expenditure, and N499,997,129.98 for capital expenditure.
Similarly, the Ministry of Mineral Resources was allocated N285,691,660.12, with N148,306,473.24 for personnel expenditure, N37,853,090.70 for other recurrent expenditure, N186,159,563.94 for total recurrent expenditure, and N99,532,096.18 for capital expenditure.
In a further revelation, the Ministry of Regional Integration was budgeted N38,082,847.41.
This includes N9,999,999.86 for other recurrent expenditure, with no funds allocated for personnel and capital expenditure.
Notably, the Ogun-Lagos Joint Commission is listed under the Ministry of Regional Integration, with a significant budget allocation despite the ministry’s non-existent status.
PLATFORM TIMES gathered that Abiodun had in 2023 announced the plan to establish the Ministries of Mineral Resources, Information Communication Technology (ICT) and Digital Economy and Energy.
Abiodun said this during a meeting with Permanent Secretaries held at the Executive Chambers of the Governor’s Office, Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta last year.
Also, there were reports that three years after the establishment of the Lagos-Ogun Joint Development Commission, the economic alliance between the neighbouring states had yet to be formalised.
PLATFORM TIMES reports that in May 2021, Governors Babajide Sanwo-Olu and Dapo Abiodun of Lagos and Ogun states respectively,had signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) establishing the Joint Development Commission.
The initiative was due to the interconnected nature of the two states bonded by culture, language, geography and urbanisation challenges.
The collaborative approach centred on security, transportation, infrastructure, urban renewal and other economic drives in the two states.
At the MoU signing, Abiodun stressed that Ogun State has a larger percentage of the population over-spill from Lagos State as witnessed in many of the border communities like Ota, Akute, Alagbole, Lambe, Ojodu, Agbado, Mowe, Warewa, Isheri, and indeed, all the eight local government areas that share boundaries with Lagos State.
Sanwo-Olu on his part recalled the historical emergence of Lagos as a megacity with a population of over 22 million people and what the state government has done to realise its dream towards expediting action for greater synergy with other states, especially Ogun, for sustainable socio-economic development.
He, therefore, described the MoU as a “game-changer” that would transform the urban agglomeration that Lagos State had attained.
However, about three years after the signing of the MoU, the commission has not been formalised due to lack of a legal framework sealing the alliance.
PLATFORM TIMES reports that the discovery raises concerns about budgetary transparency and the proper allocation of state funds.
Some Critics who spoke with PLATFORM TIMES called for clarification from the Ogun State government, questioning why funds were allocated to ministries that do not exist within the state’s official structure.
The investigation by PLATFORM TIMES sheds light on the opaque budgetary practices and has sparked calls for more accountability in public financial management.
With N922.17 million unaccounted for in these ghost ministries, the revelation could fuel further scrutiny of the state’s 2024 budget and its impact on Ogun’s economy and governance.
The budget allocation to non-existent ministries in Ogun State raises red flags about governance and fiscal responsibility.
Stakeholders are demanding transparency and an explanation from Governor Abiodun’s administration on how such discrepancies made their way into the 2024 budget.
As public scrutiny intensifies, the focus now shifts to whether the state will address these gaps in its financial planning or if this will mark the beginning of deeper concerns over Ogun State’s budgetary integrity.
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