Vice-President Kashim Shettima says Ondo State received more than 22 per cent additional revenue from the Federation Account in the first nine months of 2026 compared with the same period in 2025, attributing the increase to President Bola Tinubu’s economic reforms.
Shettima made the disclosure on Wednesday at the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential campaign rally at the Akure Township Stadium, where he urged residents to support Tinubu’s re-election in the January 16, 2027 presidential election.
Representing the President at the rally, the Vice-President said the administration’s policies had strengthened state finances and enabled governments to invest more in infrastructure, agriculture, education, healthcare and power.
“Our promise to prioritise the welfare of Ondo State has been demonstrated through the increased revenue accruing to Ondo State. This has come with President Tinubu’s reforms. Even in the first nine months of this year, Ondo received over 22 per cent more from the Federation Account than it did in the same period last year,” he said.
He commended Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa for deploying the additional resources to development projects, adding that collaboration between the federal and state governments had helped address longstanding infrastructure challenges.
On rural development, Shettima said more than 386 kilometres of rural roads had been constructed, rehabilitated and maintained in partnership with the Ondo State Government and development partners to improve access to farms and markets.
“We are aware that a cocoa farmer in Idanre knows how much of his earnings a bad road can swallow. We have worked with your governor and our partners to build, repair and maintain more than 386 kilometres of rural roads,” he said.
The Vice-President also listed the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, which he said had reached Ajegeri in Ilaje, the revalidation of the Port Ondo licence and the completion of 48 kilometres of concrete pavement on the Sagamu-Ore Road among the projects benefiting the state.
He said the Ode-Erinje transmission line and substation had been completed and commissioned, while pipes had begun arriving for the Owena water supply project in Akure.
On education and healthcare, Shettima cited the operationalisation of the Federal University of Technology, Akure Teaching Hospital, five TETFund projects at Rufus Giwa Polytechnic, Owo, and support for 203 public health facilities through the Basic Health Care Provision Fund.
He added that the Nigerian Education Loan Fund, student hostel projects, small-business financing and grants were creating opportunities for students, traders, artisans and entrepreneurs.
On security, Shettima said the administration was committed to strengthening security institutions and improving personnel welfare. He also cited legislation providing statutory backing for the Police Training School in Oyin-Akoko.
“We inherited a compromised security system, no doubt, and Ondo State paid a regrettable price. But we overcame all the attacks on us because we stood together and declared that never shall we let the enemies of the state triumph,” he said.
The Vice-President maintained that the economy was now stable and urged voters to renew Tinubu’s mandate to enable the administration to consolidate its reforms and complete ongoing projects.
“Our economy is stable now. We have put the naysayers to shame. And the cause is not magic; it is your choice, your vote, your trust, your patience, your faith, and the leadership of His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu,” he said.
Earlier, Governor Aiyedatiwa pledged that Ondo residents would mobilise support for Tinubu’s re-election, describing the state as progressive and praising the President’s economic reforms.
He recalled that the state voted massively for Tinubu in 2023, saying the President had not disappointed its people.
“We voted for you because we believe in you, because we know what you can do, and because we know your track record as a former governor of Lagos State. Mr President, you have not disappointed us at all. You have also done well here in Ondo State by giving us three ministers,” the governor said.
Aiyedatiwa promised to mobilise residents across the state to campaign for the President ahead of the election.
APC National Chairman, Nentawe Yilwatda, described Tinubu as the most experienced and prepared among the 18 presidential candidates expected to contest the 2027 election.
He said the President had the experience, exposure and leadership qualities required to take Nigeria to the next level.
Also speaking, the Chairman of the Progressive Governors’ Forum and Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodimma, urged eligible voters in Ondo to collect their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) ahead of the election.
Uzodimma said Ondo had 2.4 million registered voters, but only 1.4 million had collected their PVCs.
“Without your PVCs, how would you support President Bola Ahmed Tinubu?” he asked, urging residents to visit Independent National Electoral Commission offices to collect their cards before election day.
The Director-General of the APC Presidential Campaign Council, Abdulaziz Yari, also called on residents to deliver millions of votes for Tinubu, rather than a narrow victory.
Yari praised the infrastructure projects in Ondo State and urged party leaders to sustain their mobilisation efforts.
He also called for unity among APC members, saying the party needed to work together to secure a decisive victory for the President.
