Five days after being sworn in as governor of Lagos State, Babajide Sanwo-Olu on Monday recorded a major first as he signed into law the state’s 2019 budget of N873,532,460,725 prepared by his predecessor, Akinwunmi Ambode, promising a speedy implementation.
The budget consists of N393,841,387 recurrent expenditure or 45 percent, and N479,691,730,705 capital expenditure, representing 55 percent of the total.
The 40-member state House of Assembly led by Mudashiru Obasa (speaker) had, after passing the budget in April, held back transmission of same to the executive for Ambode’s signature. No official reason was given by the legislature for its action.
However, it became obvious that the lawmakers would not have Ambode sign the budget as they had earlier accused him of breaching constitution by spending funds not approved by the House.
But pundits had linked the face-off between the lawmakers and Ambode to politics of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship primaries of October 2, 2018, in which Ambode, against the wish of the leaders of the party in Lagos, contested against the then anointed candidate and current governor, Sanwo-Olu.
Sanwo-Olu could, however, not have delayed the signing of the budget any further as the budgetary cycle terminates in May every year. This means that for the new administration to effectively function and draw from the state’s coffers without breaching the constitution, the 2019 budget needed to be signed into law.
Before Ambode’s exit on May 29, governance in the state had slowed significantly, as some ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) had some of their scheduled events put on hold or cancelled, in what was linked to lack of funds.
For example, the annual ministerial briefings of the Ministry of Information and Strategy and the Lagos Corporate Assembly (interface with the business community) were cancelled outright.
Sanwo-Olu, who assumed office last week, 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 dumpsite and undertaken a tour of the abandoned Lagos-Badagry Expressway, promising to take immediate actions around these areas in months.
“We will ensure speedy implementation of the budget by ensuring a quick distribution to all ministries and agencies so that Lagosians can enjoy the full benefits of it,” the governor said after signing the 2019 budget on Monday.
He expressed appreciation and applauded the efforts of the Lagos State House of Assembly in passing the law and three others which he assented to, describing them as laws to put the state on the path of progress.
Gbolahan Yishau, chairman of the House of Assembly Committee on Appropriation, who represented the speaker, said the budget would help the state government to handle some sensitive issues and consolidate on the gains of democracy in the state.
Also signed into law by the governor were two other bills: Domestic Staff Service Provider Bill, which makes it mandatory for providers of domestic staff to register with the state government. This will enable the government to collect and collate data of domestic staff in the state, monitor and control activities of domestic staff service providers, give access to their premises, sanction the providers and renew their certificates.
The other is bill is the one establishing the Lagos Neighbourhood Watch Agency. The law enables the Lagos Neighbourhood Service Corps to assist security agencies in providing security in the state.
JOSHUA BASSEY
