3RD QUARTER BUDGET REVIEW: Lagos Achieves 65 % Budget Performance

The Lagos State Government Friday announced a 65 percent performance of its 2011 Budget even as the State Governor, Mr. Babatunde Fashola (SAN) urged Lagosians to pay their taxes while also complying with the laws of the State.

The 3rd quarter performance which was announced by Governor Fashola while answering questions from Government House Correspondents at the Golden Tulip Hotel venue of a 3-Day Retreat for members of the State Executive Council and Body of Permanent Secretaries, represents an increase over the second quarter performance which stood at 57 percent.

While speaking on the performance, Governor Fashola said the performance for the 3rd Quarter was 82 percent adding, however, that when the performance from January to September is aggregated, the current overall performance would come to 65 percent.

The Governor, who said the Government was not yet satisfied by the performance, declared, “We think we can do more”, adding that “funding and financing have remained the singular biggest challenge we have in our effort to meet our budgetary expectations particularly our capital work has had some challenges because of the increases in recurrent expenditure as a result of wages and emoluments.

“But then we are trying to see where we can cut cost in the overheads because we are truly carrying too much in Personnel Cost now. More importantly, we have had the first comprehensive impact assessment of the work we have been doing since 2007 and it is very inspiring,” Governor Fashola said.

According to him, “the result shows that in critical sectors such as Health, Education, Environment, and Security, there are marked changes. In terms of literacy level, for example, the literacy level in the state is above the National Average. In terms of life expectancy, the life expectancy in Lagos State is above the National Average with much more advanced environment like Johannesburg.

“That makes for security, improved healthcare and quality of life. The number of patients to doctors is also improving and you can see that also in life expectancy. The number of still births and deaths that we see daily monitored across sectors is also gradually reducing. We had some system shocks for 2010 and we are trying to localise that within the three months doctors’ strike that we had. But otherwise we have seen a sustained impact of the taxpayers’ money, the exertion of public servants’ time, skill and energy; clearly we are on a very inspiring clime,” the Governor said.

Governor Fashola said the main challenges facing the administration in the implementation of the 2011 Budget were both human and financial, adding that the financial aspect came about as a result of paucity of funds to finance the projects on ground.

“We have planned the projects, we are ready to go; our big challenge now is funding, the financing to deliver on those projects and in expeditious time also. If we have a trillion naira today in Lagos, we have the capacity to implement a trillion naira budget. But, sadly, we cannot raise a trillion naira in one budget year. So, we have to cut down, mindful also of expectations,” he said.

Urging Lagosians to be more up and doing in the payment of their taxes, the Governor promised that the more money received by the administration, the more projects and the more development programmes to be accomplished by it.

On the human challenges, Governor Fashola, who said they are both behavioral and attitudinal, expressed regrets that people still refuse to comply with laws of the state, “acting as if they are not subject to the law”, adding that this has tended to increase the cost of running government in many ways.

“Compulsory compliance which they will not accede to, leaves us spending more money on law enforcement than we probably would have; people driving against traffic, people not managing their refuse properly, refusing to use the PSP and patronising cart pushers who are not registered to operate here and so many other unwholesome behaviours”, the Governor said.

He also decried the bahaviour of Okada riders who insist on riding against traffic and causing avoidable accidents and loss of lives sometimes while also refusing to comply with the prohibitions “made solely in aid of security”, adding, “we are going out to enforce and we will be uncompromising in our enforcement”.

On attitudinal challenges, Governor Fashola said they manifest in the frequent “start and stop” cycle in production arising from disputes, expressing regrets that even issues that are not industrial disputes are now being used as weapon for declaring industrial disputes and strikes by workers.

”We cannot continue like this. We have to put all hands on the plough so that we can continue to work. Yes, there will be disagreements, but it does not lie in the hands of one side all the time to say ‘we are downing tools’. It lies on both sides to say ‘yes, there is problem here, let’s talk about it. But while we are talking about it; while we are finding solution to it, work continues.’ The production side must continue.

“It sounds like blackmail to say ‘the next thing we will do is go on strike’. Whether it is issue of salaries, and in many instances, people are not being owed salaries, There are procedural issues to deal with it, there are policies to consider; that will not be acceptable and it is not the way to run any economy”, the Governor said.

Giving more details of the 3rd Quarter Budget performance later, the Commissioner for Budget and Economic Planning, Mr. Ben Akabueze, said although there have been challenges of funding and financing of projects, the result of the impact assessment for activities of the administration in the last four years has been very inspiring.

He added that with the availability of financial resources, the administration would accomplish its objective of taking Lagos to the next level.

Urging Lagosians to provide the financial resources, Akabueze declared: “we have demonstrated capacity to implement projects. We have got less than a fair share of Federal Government allocation. That point we have continued to make, that Lagos being the nerve centre of Nigeria’s economy, it deserves a better treatment. It should be seen, not just as a state,” he said.

Reiterating that the successes of the state has created economic problems for it, Akabueze further declared: “as we offer better security, healthcare, education, people troop into the state and the population soars. The volume of cargoes that go from the ports also put pressure on our infrastructure.”

He advised the people to speak up whenever they notice any anomaly in the implementation of projects in their localities.

“The projects in their localities are their projects so they should monitor them. Our lines are open and we are ready to explain in any case or take actions where necessary.

“Finally, they must take seriously the payment of their taxes. We cannot print money. Ours is to demonstrate to them that their taxes are being judiciously utilised. This we have done and we will continue to do as the funds are available,” the commissioner said.

Also answering questions at the venue, the British Deputy High Commissioner in Nigeria, Mr. Robin Gwynn, commended the state government for its steadfastness in implementing people oriented projects that have clearly raised the quality of life in the state.

He added that the British Government was ready to partner with the state government to achieve its objectives for the people.

Recalling the visit of the British Prime Minister, Mr. David Cameron to Lagos recently, the Deputy High Commissioner said at least eight high officials of the British Government, including the Lord Mayor of London, have made such visits this year, demonstrating the interest of the United Kingdom in doing business with Lagos.

Also present at the occasion were the Deputy Governor, Princess Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire, commissioners, Head of Service, Prince Adesegun Ogunlewe, other members of the State Executive Council, members of the Body of Permanent Secretaries as well as other top government officials.