This allocation translates to a daily expenditure of approximately ₦219,178 on airtime by the lawmakers.
According to SaharaReporters, said that a review of the 2026 Ondo State budget reveals that the House of Assembly has earmarked ₦80 million for telephone calls.
This allocation translates to a daily expenditure of approximately ₦219,178 on airtime by the lawmakers.
This discovery follows an earlier report by SaharaReporters detailing the state's plan to spend ₦2.4 billion on luxury vehicles for the same legislators.
Details contained in the budget document published by the state government show that N2.16 billion is earmarked for the purchase of 27 units of Fortuner Jeeps for members of the House of Assembly and the Clerk of the House of Assembly.
An additional N245 million is allocated for SUVs meant for the Speaker, Deputy Speaker, and Majority Leader of the 10th Assembly. The state also plans to spend N85 million on vehicles meant for the Deputy Speaker of the House of Assembly.
In total, N2.4 billion is proposed for the purchase of luxurious vehicles for lawmakers.
Further review of the budget shows that N765 million is earmarked for the renovation of the Assembly Complex and lodge.
The renovation of the House of Assembly Complex alone is expected to gulp N485 million, while the renovation of the official lodge and residential quarters is estimated at N280 million, bringing the total to N765 million.
This luxurious budgeting development comes as the Ondo State government under Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa faces mounting criticism over what judiciary workers describe as poor welfare conditions, failed promises, and the refusal to grant financial autonomy to the state judiciary.
The crisis deepened since Monday after striking judiciary workers locked judges out of court facilities in Akure, the state capital, shutting down the Ondo State Judiciary Headquarters.
The situation worsened on Tuesday as the Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria (JUSUN) joined the strike.
Media had earlier reported that judicial activities across Ondo State were suspended following the commencement of an indefinite strike by magistrates, presidents of Grade ‘A’ customary courts, and legal research officers over unresolved issues bordering on judicial autonomy and welfare under the Aiyedatiwa administration.
According to the workers, the state government has failed to honour commitments made to address their welfare concerns and has continued to undermine the financial autonomy of the judiciary, despite repeated engagements.
Earlier, a ot was review of the Ondo State budget document for the 2025 fiscal year revealed that N2 billion was budgeted for luxurious vehicles.
According to the document, the funds were earmarked for the purchase of one armoured vehicle for Governor Aiyedatiwa; one Toyota Prado for the Secretary to the State Government; one GAC GS3 for the Acting Permanent Secretary of the General Administration Department; and 10 Toyota Corolla cars.
Further findings showed that between January and June 2025, the state had already spent N450.9 million on the purchase of vehicles.
Within the same period, the state budgeted N2.3 billion as capital expenditure for its local security outfit, Amotekun, but spent zero naira, representing a 0.0 per cent budget performance.
The state also spent only N309 million between January and June on the capital expenditure of its Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Agency. This indicates that more funds were spent on vehicles for the governor and the Secretary to the State Government than on rural water and sanitation projects during the same period.
Source SaharaReporters
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