The Lagos State Government
on Sunday announced its readiness to massively reduce dependence on federal
allocation and increase the Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) to a target of
N30billion monthly in 2017 and N50billion monthly in 2018 as well as a yearly
budget size of N1 trillion by 2018.
Rising from a four-day
retreat for members of the State Executive Council, Body of Permanent
Secretaries and heads of government agencies and parastatals held at the VIP
Chalets in Badagry, with the theme “Reflect, Reappraise, Restrategise: Raising
the Bar of Governance", the State Government said it has resolved to scale
up and run efficient revenue collection machinery through the convergence of
the Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs') operations and utilization of
cutting edge technologies.
In a communiqué issued at
the end of the retreat and jointly read to journalists by the State's
Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr Steve Ayorinde; Commissioner for
Economic Planning and Budget, Mr Akinyemi Ashade and the Permanent Secretary in
the Ministry of Information, Mr. Fola Adeyemi, the government said participants
intensively deliberated on the six pillars of Lagos State Development Plan
(LSDP) which are infrastructural development, sustainable environment, finance,
economic development, social development and security and governance.
Speaking on the budget
plan, Ashade said though the target was ambitious, but that appropriate
measures were being adopted to achieve the plan.
He said: "Yes, it is
ambitious. It requires thinking and what we are going to do differently is to
ensure that we use technology to drive it in terms of automation and collection.
What we are also going to ensure is that the whole reform around consumption
taxes is really taken to another level.
The land administration system, the
EGIS also will support this our initiative and we believe that once we are
through with the automation of the processes, the reform in the consumption tax
administration in the State and blocking all loopholes, we believe we will have
the right funding to finance all these plans and we will not forget one
critical fact which is that all is about Public Private Partnership because we
are also going to use that to drive implementation of our plan," Ashade
said.
While reading the
communiqué, Ayorinde said participants reaffirmed the vision of the Ambode
administration to make life better and more meaningful for the people, as well
as recognized the role of government as the enabler and therefore resolved to
create the enabling environment for everybody and businesses to promote and
advance the wellbeing of Lagosians.
He said aside the fact that
participants agreed to achieve 100 percent budget performance with a 58 percent
to 42 percent ratio for capital and recurrent expenditure, it was also resolved
that efforts should be redoubled at reducing cost and blocking leakages, while
MDAs not yet integrated into the Treasury Single Account (TSA) be brought in
before the end of third quarter of 2016.
According to him:
"Participants pledged to ensure timely preparation of the Y2017 Budget and
its passage into law by the end of October, 2016. This will facilitate implementation
of the budget from 1st January, 2017.
"As a government of
inclusion, participants identified the need for partnership with persons and
organisations that would create positive value to enhance the quality of life
and standard of living of Lagosians."
On tourism, Ayorinde said
participants acknowledged its imperative and the need to invest more in the
sector with particular emphasis on improving the technological capacity of the
Lottery Board to create jobs and increase revenue generation.
Other key conclusions at
the retreat, Ayorinde said include the need to improve on the performance of
Lagos Water Corporation (LWC) in the production of water and collection of
water tariff as well as encouraging private sector investment in production and
supply of portable water, maping out strategies towards food security
especially by increasing rice production in order to reduce dependence on food
importation within the next three years.
Participants further agreed
on the need to benchmark and set roadmap for social development and security in
view of its impact on the people, as well as the need for a comprehensive
inter-modal public transportation system as obtainable in other developed
economy.
The State Government also
urged individuals and corporate organisations to take ownership of the Tree
Planting initiative of government to mitigate the effect of climate change by
nurturing and ensuring survival of trees.
Speaking on the significance of the
retreat taking place in Badagry, Ayorinde recalled the Town Hall Meeting and
the State Executive Council Meeting which held in Badagry the previous week as
well as the tour of government projects in the historic town, saying that it
was a demonstrable evidence of the readiness of the Ambode administration to develop
all parts of the State.
He said: "Nearly all parts of
Badagry are well lit courtesy of the Light Up Lagos Project, roads have been
fixed, developmental projects have been identified and Badagry has been
declared as the hub for tourism not only in Nigeria but in the whole of Africa.
“So, this shows the government is
fulfilling its promise of running a government of inclusion and more
importantly the Governor and the entire cabinet of the State finds every area
of the State save and secure enough for them to stay for a whole four days.
This is remarkable, commendable and it will continue as part of the features
and characteristics of this administration."
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