news Lagos 37
Monday, January 12, 2015
Lagos Assembly Correspondents Honour Speaker, Others Members of the Lagos State House of Assembly Correspondents Association (LAHACA) have honoured the Speaker of the Assembly, Hon Adeyemi Ikuforiji and some other lawmakers for their outstanding performances. While Hon Ikuforiji got the awards for "Legislative Leadership" and as the "Best Speaker in Nigeria," the deputy speaker of the House, Hon. Musibau Kolawole Taiwo was honoured for his "Exceptional Legislative Services." Others, who were honored by the association, were a former member of the Assembly, who is now in the House of Reps, Hon. Adeola Olamilekan, who was honoured as an "Outstanding Ambassador of LAHA" and Hon. Gbolahan Yishawu as the "Best Lawmaker in Time Out With The Press," a forum designed by the association to interact with the lawmakers. Also honoured at the event, which was held at the lobby of Lateef Jakande Hall in the Assembly, were Hon. Ramotallahi Akinlola-Hassan as the "Most Media-Friendly Lawmaker (Female)," Hon. Segun Olulade as the "Most Media-Friendly Lawmaker (Male)." By Taiwo Ogunmola-Omilani, Lagos
I’m In The Race To Serve – Ambode
By George Okojie , Lagos
The governorship candidate of the All Progressive Congress (APC) in Lagos State, Mr. Akinwumi Ambode, has reiterated the core reason for putting himself forward for the highest job in Lagos State – service to humanity. In his campaign across different areas of the state, the APC candidate used the whole of the weekend to reassure
supporters and stakeholders as well as woo undecided voters that he is in the race to serve and lead by example. In a press release signed by his director of Media and Communications, Mr. Steve Ayorinde, Ambode said Lagos had witnessed a record of excellence service in the past 15 years and the more than 17 million people living and working in this Africa’s largest city-state “deserves a tested hand who will continue in
that tradition of excellence. “The governor that Lagos State deserves at this period of our continued growth and development is a man with a track record of performance and excellence; a man who is tested, who understands governance and is an experienced administrator who will not experiment with the resources and growth template of this state. "I, Akinwunmi, Ambode, is that man,” he announced at different
for a over the weekend. His message of selfless service and leadership by example, according to the release, was the focal point of his eventful weekend. This was the message he delivered at the MUSON Centre, Onikan where he was the special guest at the 3rd Annual Lecture of the January 9 Collective (J9C), where he spoke to the topic, '2015 General Polls: Beyond the Rhetorics of Credible Elections.'
Nigeria Must Not Disintegrate, LP Warns Politicians Barely 34 days to the commencement of the nation's general election, Labour Party (LP) has warned politicians in the country to desist from acts that would disintegrate the country. The national secretary of Labour Party, Barrister Kayode Ajulo, who gave the warning at the City People monthly lecture held in Lagos yesterday, noted that the ongoing political campaigns in the country were not issues- based but full of blame-game and attacks on individuals. Ajulo said the inflammatory statements being made by political gladiators can cause violence in the country, counselling them to tell Nigerians how they would improve their living conditions. He said, "It would interest you that, today, in Nigeria our party is the only ideological party and which is evidently committed to uplifting the condition of the ordinary people, especially the working people, youth and women. "True to our ideological perspective, it is our believe that whereas the political arena is the place where the fate of the people is decide and what society produces shared amongst the people, politics rests on economy and derives its strength or weakness, as the case maybe from how studious, robust and enduring the economy is." By George Okojie, Lagos
L-R: Lagos State commissioner for Economic Planning and Budget, Mr Ben Akabueze; Lagos State governor Babatunde Fashola; deputy governor Mrs Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire and commissioner for finance, Mr Ayo Gbeleyi, during Fashola's signing of 2015 budget into law, yesterday. PHOTO BY NAN
Fashola Signs N489.69 Billion Budget Into Law By George Okojie, Lagos
Lagos State governor, Babatunde Fashola yesterday signed the 2015 budget of N489.69 into law. Probably to speed things up in view of the rev in politicking r this is the first time the governor in his two tenures as the state's helmsman is signing the budget into law outside the office and in an unofficial period at his State House residence in Marina. Speaking at the brief ceremony, Fashola said the occasion was meant for Monday but that he had to call it forward to enable him attend a national meeting fixed for tomorrow in Abuja by the All Progressives Congress (APC), so that Ministries, Departments and Agencies, MDAs, could continue with work while he is in Abuja. He said, “We are a government that is open to planning;, part of the planning is for government to set the budget for the beginning of the year. Lagos is the second state to sign the document
after Ogun State, which is also an APC State. “When we presented the budget, there were financial challenges but as you know, our revenue has been based largely on our common contribution; that is how we build our common wealth here. “We need to be innovative, inventive and hard-working; that is what we have given in the last eight years and we won't give anything less with the support of the people of Lagos. They are the owners of this government and all of its service delivery programmes and I think, as difficult and challenging as the revenue issue may be, we will consolidate and finish as many project as we possible.” Also speaking , the Commissioner for Economic Planning and Budget, Mr Ben Akabueze said the oil slump in the international market had been factored into the budget and expressed hope that the price would rise as the
year progresses. Akabueze said over 70 percent of the state’s budget was sourced through internally generated revenue, and that much of the oil fall impact would not affect the budget sharply. The budget size of N489.69 billion is the same as that of 2014, but with a slight difference in the capital to recurrent ratio. In 2014, the capital to recurrent ratio stood at 52:48. The 2015 budget proposal has a capital to recurrent ratio of 51:49. The 2015 budget is made up of capital expenditure of N249.7419 billion and a recurrent expenditure of N239.948 billion in the ratio of 51:49 respectively. While there is an increase in recurrent expenditure and a slight decrease in capital expenditure, compared to the 2014 budget, the state government is going to spend more money in settling contractors’ liabilities, which the governor ascribed to in his budget presentation.
The exciting aspect of budget is maintaining zero deficit in order to ensure that the next government does not inherit a deficit. This, the governor explained, would give the incoming administration room to start off very quickly when their programmes began to crystallise and might need to raise funds in order to start off. A breakdown of the budget showed that economic Affairs has the highest allocation of N146.305 billion, followed by general service, N107.69 billion, and education, N82.14 billion. Housing and Community Amenities, N49.033 billion, Health, N44.619 billion and Environmental Protection, N34.953 billion. Others are: Public Safety and Order, N15.547 billion; Recreation, Culture and Religion, N3.118 billion; Social Protection, N1.589 billion, Planning Reserve, N2.26 billion and Contingency, N2.448 billion.