₦33.81bn Yearly: OSOPADEC Under Fire As Group Accuses Leadership Of Abandoning Core Mandate

The Ondo People’s Accountability Front, led by its President, Comr. Utanghan Education, has raised fresh concerns over what it describes as a widening disconnect between the mandate of the Ondo State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission (OSOPADEC) and its current project focus under the leadership of its Chairman, Prince Biyi Poroye, despite an estimated annual budget of ₦33.81 billion, averaging about ₦2.8 billion monthly.

The group alleged that instead of concentrating on critical intervention responsibilities, OSOPADEC appears to be giving increasing attention to real estate-related initiatives, including the Coastville Estate project, raising questions about the Commission’s developmental priorities.

OSOPADEC was established to address environmental degradation, infrastructure deficits, and socio-economic challenges in oil-producing communities across Ilaje and Ese-Odo Local Government Areas. Its core mandate includes shoreline protection, provision of basic infrastructure, healthcare support, educational development, environmental remediation, and economic empowerment.

However, the Accountability Front observed that many mandate communities continue to face persistent challenges such as failing road networks, inadequate healthcare facilities, deteriorating school infrastructure, flooding, coastal erosion, and limited livelihood opportunities.

According to Comr. Utanghan, the current direction under Prince Biyi Poroye reflects what he described as a “clear departure from the Commission’s founding objectives,” stressing that estate development projects do not directly respond to the urgent needs of affected communities.

The group further questioned how the Commission’s ₦33.81 billion annual allocation is being managed, insisting that public accountability requires transparent disclosure of project implementation, expenditure breakdown, and measurable impact in host communities.

“It is no longer sufficient to announce figures without clear evidence of tangible development in the communities for which these funds are allocated,” the statement noted.

It added that growing public concern across affected areas reflects dissatisfaction over what residents perceive as a mismatch between budget size and visible development outcomes.

The Accountability Front called for full disclosure regarding the Coastville Estate project, including procurement procedures, funding sources, cost structure, and its relevance to OSOPADEC’s statutory responsibilities.

It also urged anti-corruption agencies, civil society organisations, and relevant oversight institutions to intensify scrutiny of the Commission’s financial management and project implementation framework.

The group maintained that OSOPADEC’s performance should be assessed based on concrete improvements in living standards within oil-producing communities, not ventures perceived as commercially driven or secondary to its intervention mandate.

As of the time of filing this report, OSOPADEC management had not issued an official response to the issues raised regarding its budget utilisation and project priorities.