Governor Babatunde Fashola promises Lagosians a good year in 2010, but he will intensify tax drive to generate more money for the goodies

Since he came to power two years ago, Babatunde Fashola, governor of Lagos State, has initiated many projects. Most of these are still ongoing. But next year, Lagosians would begin to enjoy the goodies. The governor has promised to complete all major projects with the N429.596 billion budget he presented to the state House of Assembly on Tuesday, November 17, as the state’s 2010 budget.

 According to him, the budget, which he termed “a budget of consolidation,” would be used to complete and consolidate all projects and programmes already ongoing.

The 2010 Lagos appropriation bill represents a 5.3 percent increase on the 2009 budget of N405 billion. Of this amount, capital expenditure was allotted N250.778 billion representing 58 percent of the budget against N179.818 billion voted for recurrent expenditure, which represents 42 percent. Comparing this with the 2009 budget, the state’s recurrent budget will actually increase more than its capital expenditure. Capital expenditure for 2009 budget was N243 billion while the recurrent expenditure was N159 billion. 

        A breakdown of the budget proposal showed that economic affairs which include infrastructure, took the lion share of 33.7 percent, public service got 24.58 percent while the education sector got a boost with 13.98 percent compared to nine percent in 2009. The health sector got seven percent, environmental protection got 6.68 percent, housing, recreation, culture and religion got 8.8 percent and 2.9 percent respectively.

Fashola said in allocating the funds to the various sectors of the state’s economy, his administration was conscious of its commitment to ensuring that no project or programme was left abandoned as doing so would attract investors. “Lagos State will witness several public private partnerships. This is not because anybody is doing us a favour, but it is only normal that global finance moves to the area of profitable investment,” he said.

The governor said that the sustained investment in such agencies as Lagos Waste Management Agency, LAWMA; Lagos State Water Corporation, LSWC; and the Lagos State Advertising Agency, LASAA, has enhanced their capacity to run on their own strength and therefore, reduced overhead costs on them in the 2010 budget.

With a projected revenue of N307 billion, Fashola said aggressive revenue generation would be the topmost priority, hinting that a concerted tax drive would continue in the coming year. Other goals of the government include human capital reform, massive public infrastructural development and maintenance of existing ones, global warming, teachers’ welfare, vocational training, free health services, agriculture and expansion of water scheme.

On education, the governor said a lot of attention would be given to building the infrastructure of the mind through advocacy for attitudinal change. Another major focus would be through the building of massive public infrastructure which has been identified as the means of lifting the masses out of recession.

Adeyemi Ikuforiji, speaker of the state House of Assembly, solicited the co-operation of various ministries, departments and agencies of the state with the different committees of the house to ensure a speedy review of the appropriation bill.