…approves N13.49bn for LAUTECH annex

By Adeola Badru

Oyo State Government has fixed December 29, 2026, for chairmanship and councillorship elections across the state’s 33 local government areas, while approving billions of naira in funding for electoral preparations, nursing education and healthcare infrastructure.

The Commissioner for Information, Mr. Dotun Oyelade, disclosed this in a statement issued on Tuesday following the State Executive Council meeting, which approved the release of the government’s counterpart funding to the Oyo State Independent Electoral Commission (OYSIEC) to commence preparations for the local government elections.

According to the statement, the elections will be jointly funded by the state government and the 33 local government councils, with the councils contributing 60 per cent of the total cost and the state providing the remaining 40 per cent.

The local government councils are expected to contribute N2,566,800,000, while the state government will provide N1,711,200,000, bringing the total funding for the elections to N4,278,000,000.

The statement said the Executive Council had approved the counterpart funding to ensure that OYSIEC could begin preparations for the polls scheduled for December 29.

In another major decision, the council approved N437,446,398.58 for the accreditation requirements of the Nursing Programme at Abiola Ajimobi Technical University, as the institution seeks to expand its academic offerings beyond science and technology.

Explaining the rationale for the funding, Oyelade said the intervention would support the university’s diversification strategy and strengthen its capacity to operate sustainably.

According to him, the funding “will assist the university’s diversification drive from being solely a science and technology-oriented institution.”

He added that the investment would also “enable the university to become self-sustaining.”

The commissioner disclosed that the university was at the final stage of the accreditation process, warning that failure to meet the professional accreditation deadline could put the investment already made in the programme at risk.

“The University is currently in the final accreditation process and failure to meet the Nursing professional Accreditation deadline will put the huge investment on the University at risk,” the statement said.

Oyelade further disclosed that the Makinde administration had already invested more than N3 billion in equipment for the commencement of the Nursing Programme.

“The Seyi Makinde administration has already spent over N3 billion on the acquisition of equipment for the Programme take-off,” he said.

The council also approved counterpart funding for the construction, renovation and equipping of the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH) Oyo Annex, in a move aimed at strengthening healthcare delivery and expanding access to medical services.

Giving reasons for the investment, the council observed that a substantial proportion of patients receiving treatment at the LAUTECH Teaching Hospital, Ogbomoso, came from Oyo and neighbouring communities.

“The Council observed that since about 70 per cent of patients accessing services at the LAUTECH Teaching Hospital, Ogbomoso, are from Oyo and its environs, the government is ready to pay its own 50 per cent counterpart funding,” the statement said.

The state government’s contribution to the project is N6,744,379,570.28, while Oyo East Local Government Area is expected to provide an equal amount.

The total cost of the project stands at N13,488,759,140.56.

The council said the funding would support the construction, renovation and equipping of the LAUTECH Oyo Annex, reflecting the administration’s commitment to expanding healthcare infrastructure and improving access to services.

The Executive Council also commended Governor Makinde for his development initiatives and cooperation with the state’s 33 local government councils.

It praised what it described as the governor’s “consistent exemplary performance” and his efforts to advance the development of the state, despite the limited period remaining in his administration before May 2027.

The council particularly singled out the governor for “his strategic cooperation with the 33 local government councils in the state.”