Lagos State governor, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu, on Tuesday signed the state’s N1.168 Trillion 2020 Budget into law, assuring that the state would be open and accountable in the implementation of the budget which he described as a “New Year present” to all residents of Lagos.
Sanwo-Olu assented to the Appropriation Bill at a short ceremony held in Alausa and attended by members of the Executive Council and the State House of Assembly.
The governor, while describing the ratified budget as a “New Year present” to all Lagosians, said his administration’s efforts to deliver a “Greater Lagos” had gained additional momentum.
“Now is the time for members of the State’s Executive Council who will be implementing this budget to demonstrate their tenacity to the vision of achieving Lagos of our dreams. We must display the conviction that we can do the job given to us by all residents of Lagos.
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“With the speedy passage of the budget, the responsibilities cut out for us have gained additional momentum and the effort to achieve our development agenda has just started because this is the first budget this administration will be implementing in full cycle. We are hopeful that we would have improved the quality of life of residents at the end of the budget year,” Sanwo-Olu said.
He assured that there would be accountability and transparency in the implementation of the approved financial plan, pledging that his administration would deploy the state’s resources responsibly to ensure the budget was implemented up to about 100 per cent performance.
Sanwo-Olu lauded members of the Assembly for accelerated passage of the budget, saying the lawmakers, by their action, aligned themselves with the overall interest of residents.
“The happiness of the speedy passage of the budget is not for all of us in government, but for all the 22 million Lagosians on whose behalf we act and take the decision to make the state habitable and developed.
“When we fix the road, when we make the drainage flow better, when we turn around the services of our hospitals for good, when we ensure Lagos becomes a choice destination for investments and tourism, when we fully implement the budget, we would have given the people the voice to express their happiness,” the governor said.
The Speaker, Rt. Hon Mudashiru Obasa, in his remark, hailed Governor Sanwo-Olu and his team for timely transmission of the budget to the House for legislative scrutiny.
Obasa noted that the Assembly was thorough in the process of scrutinising the budget, adding that it did not substantially cut down the expenses contained in the original document, because “the budget cuts across all sectors of the State’s economy.”
The speaker pleaded with members of the executive to leave no stone unturned in the implementation of the budget, saying the expenditure must touch the lives of the people.
Chairman of the House Committee on Appropriation, Hon Gbolahan Yishawu said members worked round the clock to ensure passage of the budget in line with the directive of the speaker.
“During the budget defence, members of the cabinet were cooperative and provided required insights that led to the speedy completion of the work. The details of the budget spoke the heart of the governor’s development agenda,” he said.
Commissioner for Economic Planning and Budget, Mr Sam Egube, observed that speedy passage of the budget document was not without challenges and disagreements, but said the acceleration of the process indicated “cooperation and smooth working relationship” between the executive and the legislature.
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