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 N30 billion
monthly in 2017 and N50 billion 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.
“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.
“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.” He
said
pmnewsnigeria.com
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