To sustain the fight against the dreaded COVID-19, Ogun State Government says it has earmarked 20 percent of its Revised 2020 Budget to the health sector, just as provision had also been made for some critical sectors like education, Infrastructure, environment and security, to reduce the socio-economic effects of the pandemic.
The State Governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun stated this at the Virtual Consultative Meeting on Year 2020 Revised Budget, held at the Ministry of Budget and Planning, Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta.
Governor Abiodun noted that the pandemic has brought about its attendant implications, hence government needed to work through it and come up with a realistic budget that would serve the interest of the people.
“Let me reiterate that government shall continue to focus more attention towards the control and management of COVID-19, as it has earmarked about 20 percent of the revised 2020 budget to the health sector, to fight the deadly virus’’, the Governor said.
The meeting, Prince Abiodun noted, was necessitated by the current review of the 2020 budget, occasioned by the pandemic, adding that expenditure such as personnel, emoluments, monthly running cost and other related expenses could not be waived by the government.
He said the State in its efforts at curbing Coronavirus, had incurred expenses by establishing three Isolation Centres at Ikenne, Abeokuta and Sagamu, also trained 426 public health workers, while public buildings were decontaminated, among other interventions.
The State helmsman said, as a government, committed to inclusiveness, openness, accountability and transparency, a change in the pattern of expenditure from a collective agreement was inevitable, pledging to continue implementing the items on the contract between government and the governed.
