Adeleke’s govt under fire over Osun’s poor performance in BudgIT assessment

The Osun State Government has come under renewed criticism over its fiscal management after the state placed 32nd among 35 states in BudgIT’s 2026 State of States assessment.

The opposition Democratic Leadership Alliance, DLA, said the ranking raised questions about the management of public resources and the government’s ability to improve the state’s economic performance.

The party, in a statement issued on Thursday by its state chairman, Dr Tosin Odeyemi, attributed Osun’s position to what it described as poor financial management and the absence of a clear economic development strategy.

BudgIT, a Nigerian civic technology organisation, conducted the assessment to evaluate the fiscal performance of states across the country. Lagos, Enugu and Bayelsa emerged as the three highest-ranked states, while Cross River occupied the bottom position.

Reacting to the report, Odeyemi said Osun’s performance reflected the failure of Governor Ademola Adeleke’s administration to establish a sustainable economic direction despite the financial resources available to the state.

He said, “This ranking is not surprising to us. It only confirms what we have been saying, that Governor Ademola Adeleke has no economic blueprint for Osun.”

The DLA chairman also questioned why Osun performed below Kebbi, Jigawa and Katsina, which he said had demonstrated better resource management despite their respective economic circumstances.

“While states like Kebbi, Jigawa and Katsina are managing their resources prudently and ranking in the top 10, Osun, with all its potential, is ranked 32nd,” he stated.

Odeyemi alleged that government expenditure had failed to produce measurable improvements in the lives of residents, questioning the relationship between public spending and the state’s economic performance.

“How can a state that claims to be spending billions on paper be ranked among the worst in fiscal performance? It shows the government is only good at propaganda while the state’s economy is in shambles,” he said.

The opposition party also expressed concern over Osun’s internally generated revenue, alleging that the government had become overly dependent on allocations from the Federation Account Allocation Committee, FAAC.

“The table does not lie. It shows that Osun is being run on FAAC allocation alone with no effort to grow the Internally Generated Revenue,” the statement added.

The DLA urged Governor Adeleke to introduce measures aimed at improving the state’s economy, plugging financial leakages and directing public funds towards productive sectors rather than what it described as frivolous activities.

The party also called on Osun residents to demand greater accountability in the management of public resources, insisting that the BudgIT assessment should prompt the state government to address the financial and economic challenges highlighted by the ranking.