Ondo state governor, Mr Rotimi Akeredolu SAN will present the 2018 budget before the state House of Assembly, SUNSHINE HERALD can confirm.
In a chat with SUNSHINE HERALD, Information Commissioner, Yemi Olowolabi said the budget is ready for presentation.
"We will do it next week, we are ready," he said.
With just 13 days to the end of the year, the House of Assembly will have to speed up action if it still hopes to approve the budget this year.
Asides Ondo state, there are 14 other states in the nation that are yet to present the 2018 budget proposals before their state houses of assembly.
The states are Abia, Bauchi, Bayelsa, Borno, Ebonyi, Gombe, Kebbi, Kogi, Osun, Plateau, Rivers, Sokoto, and Taraba.
On the effect not having a budget will have on a state, financial expert, Philip Anegbe said no serious person or investor will want to do business with a goverment without a running budget.
He said: "If you don't have a budget, that means there is a lack of direction, when there is no direction, companies that want to do business with the state will be unsure, they will not be willing to expand operations because of that uncertainty.
"Beyond those who are already doing business with the state, would be investors, people that would have ordinarily loved to come in may hold on for a while, because they are not sure what the next policy direction will be, and how that will affect their business. So it is broadly negative when that happens.
When contacted the Majority Leader of the House of Assembly, Hon. Olugbenga Araoyinbo confirmed the readiness of the House to work on the document immediately it is presented before it.
"We have not seen the budget, it is until we see the budget before we know exactly what we are going to do," he said.
On the Assembly playing its part by ensuring proper implementation of the 2017 budget, Araoyinbo said, "We have been doing our best, we have been doing oversight assignments, we have been going round to make sure that we monitor the implementation of the budget.
"We have been witnessing a lot of lapses, in the next one, definitely corrective measures will be put in place."
