• Thursday, March 28, 2024
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BusinessDay

Sanwo-Olu signs N873.5bn 2019 budget

Lagos to partner FG on prison congestion

Babajide Sanwo-Olu, Lagos Governor, Monday signed the 2019 appropriation bill of N873.5 billion into law, five days after he assumed office.

The budget prepared by the immediate past administration, was presented to the 40-member state House of Assembly, by former Governor Akinwunmi Ambode, in February this year, but suffered undue delay with the lawmakers, who eventually passed it on April 24, but would not transmit it to the executive for Ambode’s assent.

It became obvious that the lawmakers would not have Ambode signed the budget, as they accused of constitutional breach of spending some funds without approval from the House, in what has its root in politics and politicking of the the ruling APC governorship primaries in which Ambode lost to the incumbent Governor Sanwo-Olu.

Unless the 2019 appropriation bill was signed into effect, Ambode could not draw from it, and so the lawmakers ensured he (Ambode) did not sign it until he left office on May 29.

With Ambode gone, it became apparent that the new governor would have to sign the budget to be able to draw funds, so as to avert a collapse of governance.

There was already a lull in governance in the state before Ambode’s exit, as checks in various ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) had indicated little or nothing was happening, as some programs peculiar to certain ministries, and planned for the first quarter of the year, were put on hold or cancelled.

Sanwo-Olu is seen to be hitting the ground running, as he has taken first steps towards addressing major challenges in the state, including waste management, traffic flow, collapsed roads, drainages, Apapa gridlock, among others.

The governor has so far visited Apapa, Olusosun dump site and undertook a tour of the abandoned Lagos-Badagry expressway, promising to take immediate actions around these areas in months.

 

Joshua Bassey