Lagos Earmarks N100bn for Road Project

Lagos State Government Wednesday  set aside the sum of N100 billion for road construction and infrastructure renewal as indicated under the 2013 fiscal appropriation regime, which became effective January 1.

Similarly, the state government also charged public servants in its employment to be abreast of the development globally as a way of deepening reforms currently being instituted for effective service delivery.

But the state government in this year’s approved budget omnibus, which THISDAY obtained from the state House of Assembly, earmarked the sum of N28.62 billion for the Ministry of Environment to carry out such projects as drainage construction, beautification as well as landscaping among others.

At a recent forum, Commissioner for Works and Infrastructure, Dr. Obafemi Hamzat, said about 70 percent of the fund “will be use in completing ongoing road projects across the state while the rest will be used for other infrastructural projects, construction of new roads and rehabilitation of other dilapidated roads.”

With this amount budgeted for works as capital expenditure in the budget, Hamzat said the state government would lay more emphasis on completion of already awarded road contracts and awarding of few other road projects.

Asides the N100 billion for roads and other infrastructure, the budget summary revealed that about N4.5 billion had also been allocated to the Ministry of Works and Infrastructure as subvention for the year 2013.

The summary also showed that environmental protection “is the second top priority in Governor Babatunde Fashola’s budget as it is expected to spend N28.6 billion on capital project, while the ministry also has a subvention of N8.1 billion.

Meanwhile, the state Head of Service, Mr. Adesegun Ogunlewe, who spoke at a prayer session held at the state secretariat, Alausa, charged the state public servants to rededicate themselves to serve the people of the state in the New Year.

Ogunlewe, who addressed top state officials, including commissioners, permanent secretaries and directors among others, commended the workers for their dedication, diligence and selflessness last year.

He urged the public servants “to deploy their experiences in the state service. We believethere is always room for improvement. Therefore, as public officers, we need to be better informed, especially about the series of reforms being instituted by government. The state government demanded more from them this year.”

According to him, “I further enjoin you to renew and redouble your efforts in the onerous task of serving God and humanity from our divergent schedules, which are ultimately intended to improve the quality of life of the populace.”

Education has a capital expenditure of N11.79 billion and a subvention of N12.19 billion; while Housing has a capital expenditure of N10 billion and Health, N8.9 billion capital expenditure and a subvention of N2 billion.

The Lands Bureau too will execute projects worth N7.98 billion; Ministry of Science and Technology will execute projects worth N5.28 billion just as the Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Development will execute projects worth N4.6 billion.
He, therefore, remanded them of the need to be effective and efficient in order to ensure service delivery, which he said, could be only be guaranteed and sustained through appraisals and reviews of the ways and means of doing government business.

He said: “We are in a dynamic world, where relevance is assured through ability to keep oneself abreast with the developments as occasioned by change. Let us, in the usual tradition of the ideal public service, be at our different desks, punctually and ensure that we make judicious use of time and resources to doing the work for which we earn our monthly salaries and allowances.”