The applause was thunderous each time and the ovation unprecedented for Governor Akinwunmi Ambode as he stepped into the chambers of the Lagos House of Assembly and presented the Golden Budget of the state for 2017 with absolute confidence.
At exactly 11a.m on Tuesday, November 29, 2016, Governor Ambode walked into the main chambers of the House of Assembly, radiating hope and exuding confidence as he got set to present the N813billion budget of the state of excellence, the highest by any state of the federation.
As expected, the hall was filled to capacity with legislators, political leaders, market men and women, captains of all industry, community leaders, etc, eager to hear what the pilot of the state had in store for Lagosians.
The humble Governor, whose strategic mastery of financial accounting and administration is unparalled, was highly anticipated by an anxious public to present a budget that will lift the spirit of Lagosian this period of recession.
Before he mounted the podium for the speech, he and his subjects were first thrilled by a cultural troupe. The Governor had sat comfortably beside the Speaker of the House, Rt Hon. Mudashiru Obasa. Both were full of smiles as the dancers performed to the delight of the audience. Both leaders of the executive and legislative arms shared jokes and spread the humour around them.
As a Lawyer, the House Speaker displayed intelligence in organizing the venue and ensuring that everything went perfectly and orderly. As the cultural entertainment progressed, the Speaker intermittently dropped jokes as if they were bombs and everyone around laughed hilariously. There was an obvious reflection of the harmony existing between the executive and legislative arms of government in the state.
Even after the budget, address it was cheers all the way, banters across the board and photos by officials of both arms of governance. The climax of this togetherness was when Ambode went round to shake the hands of all the legislators to portray the beautiful side of politics without bitterness.
In the same vein, he cracked jokes with party leaders present and other stakeholders in the Lagos project. The whole venue radiated love and friendship as an atmosphere of unity of purpose enveloped the arena.
The Governor was dressed in a white agbada. Having gone round the state in his town hall meetings since last year, he had felt the heartbeat of Lagosians and what they will expect from him in the new budget. He did not disappoint them at all. Conscious of the 50th Anniversary of the creation of Lagos State, which falls on May 2017, Ambode knew the strategic importance of the budget speech he was to deliver on this day. He exploited every opportunity to reaffirm the confidence the people have in his administration.
The budget focused on physical (infrastructural), social sector, especially on health and education, youths and social development. He told Lagosians that the administration will spend N353.5billion on recurrent heads, representing 37% of the budget while capital expenditure amounts to N512.46billion or 63%.
The town hall meetings at Agege, Lagos Island, Ikorodu, Badagry and Surulere, where the people of the state bared their minds to Ambode on their critical needs, manifested boldly in the budget allocations. The Governor remembered all the places he visited and the needs they presented on the five divisions of the state.
On the very important question of road construction, rehabilitation or maintenance, Ambode had promised to open up the hinterlands, improve connectivity in the state and reduce travel times.
For example, during the Town Hall meeting hosted by Ikorodu, Ambode had promised to construct Igbe road to Ijede. (This road is now provided for in the 2017 budget).
The Governor promised dualizing the Ikorodu – Itoikin – Agbowa – Epe road. This has also been captured in the Golden Jubillee budget.
Similarly, Ambode promised the Agric, Owutu, Ishawo to Arepo road also in Ikorodu Division, which is reflected in upcoming budget.
In the Agege sector, the Abule Egba and Pens Cinema flyovers are in the 2017 budget.
Ambode, a guru in Financial Management, a Chartered Accountant of the first order and an excellent administrator was greatly applauded by the guests for fulfilling his promises. It was cheers all the way as he read the budget speech in impeccable English and with amazing confidence.
The Itoikin to Epe road dualization and the dualization of international Airport Road to Oshodi will be by Public/Private Partnership arrangement, according to the Governor. The same goes for the Okokomaiko to Seme Badagry road.
The ovation was explosive, when the Governor read out that the second batch of 114 roads across the 57 councils in the state will be executed also in this budget as well as the construction of the 4th Mainland Bridge.
On transportation, he said that a Public Transport Board will be set up in 2017, while on health, a Medical Health Insurance Scheme will be fully implemented. He promised to upgrade all the state general hospitals including Ayinke House, Ikeja.
Another promise, which drew a vociferous reaction, was the construction of a stadium in each of the five divisions of the state.
He told Lagosian that after the budget speech ceremony, he would make its details available to journalists at a press conference, which he did. (See box for the detail of the budget).
He did not fail to announce that a Neighbourhood Safety Agency will be set up in the New Year to be separated from the local government. However, the new agency will still operate in all the local governments. The Board of the new agency was inaugurated recently. It was not clear the reason for the change.
He also mentioned the urbanization of Marina axis waterway.
The Governor, who was almost carried shoulder high, spent time after the ceremony with legislators, their officers and party chieftains, joking, throwing banters, hugging, shaking hands and taking photos. He moved from one floor to the other in the house having brief pleasantries with various cadres of officials. These all buttress the huge success of the event.
The government will embark on the urbanisation of the Marina axis, waterways channelisation, establishment of more parks and gardens as well as the community sports centres and stadia in various locations.
“We will fully implement the medical health insurance scheme and deploy e-health/e-insurance health service solutions; and complete the ongoing upgrading and extension work in the state general hospitals and Ayinke House in Ikeja. Work will begin on our medical park in the 2017 fiscal year.”
“With the aim of making Lagos State the next technology frontier in Africa, we will invest in digital libraries (e-libraries) as well as Code Lagos projects to prepare our younger ones to meet the new workforce demands, harness the benefits of technology and communicate in the language of the future.”
“Our administration is committed to various projects in the area of tourism. Our vision is to create a tourism hub around the Onikan-Lagos Marina Axis. We will also develop the Epe and Badagry marinas to harness the tourism potential of these areas.”
“We will establish Museum for Art and Culture in Ikeja, construct five Arts/Culture theatres in Alimosho, Badagry, Epe, Ikorodu and Ikeja, with a 400-seater hall in each of them.
“We will accelerate the food expansion programme, with a special focus on rice production, animal husbandry and root crops. We will intensify our collaboration with other states in the development of a commodity value chain, specifically for food commodities.”
“We will boost fish production by improving the production capacity of Ayobo Fish Farm Estate in Alimosho, in addition to providing jobs for the youth.”
“The Employment Trust Fund has begun financial support to our youths and entrepreneurs and this will be intensified throughout next year.”
“In the area of environment, we will improve water supply through Public Private Partnership (PPP) and increase the capacity utilization of water treatment plants; ensure efficient waste management system by increasing the number of transfer loading stations from three to 15; mitigate the effect of climate change through the conservation of the natural environment and promotion of biodiversity, as well as minimizing flood through effective erosion control.”
The Governor sought the cooperation and understanding of Lagosians in prompt payment of taxes and called for the support of Lagosians in the successful implementation of the budget.
“We have a huge responsibility to ensure that it succeeds as we cannot just afford to fail even at this critical period of recession,” Ambode said.
The Speaker, Mudashiru Obasa, praised the Governor for the successful implementation of the 2016 budget. He urged ministries, departments and agencies to provide the House with necessary documents to aid the quick passage of the budget.