Fashola proposes N489.69b for 2014

 

Lagos State Governor, Babatunde Fashola (SAN)

 

Lagos State Governor, Babatunde Fashola (SAN), has proposed a budget of N489.69 billion for the 2014 fiscal year to the House of Assembly.

Fashola, whose budget presentation yesterday, was before a large audience of stakeholders, ranging from party chieftains and captains of industries, amongst others, said the showed a slight drop of about N10billion from the N499.604billion of the year 2013 budget.

He said the budget has N234.665 billion as recurrent expenditure and N255.025 billion for capital expenditure.

The breakdown showed a Total Personnel Cost/Total Revenue of 19 per cent; Total Personnel Cost/IGR, of 27 per cent, and Personnel Cost as percentage of Recurrent Expenditure of 37 per cent, anchored on a zero deficit financing requirement, he said.

The sectoral breakdown is as follows: General Public Service, N100.215 billion; Public Order & Safety, N17.977 billion; Economic Affairs, N160.046 billion and Environmental Protection, N39.727 billion.

Also, N50.537 billion is allocated for Housing and Community Amenities; N37.8 billion goes to Health; N3.482 billion, is set aside for Recreation, Culture and Religion, while N77.423 billion and N2.466billion are devoted to Education and Social Protection, respectively.

Fashola, said because this is the last full year budget that his administration would implement, there’s a slight reduction in budget size when compared with the 2013 budget, stating that its focus is “to complete on-going projects, and consolidate on the gains we have made.”

He listed the sectoral highlights of the 2014 budget as; General Public Service, Pensions, Residents Registration and Issuance of permanent residents’ cards, implementation of Public Procurement Law, Public Order and Safety, Computerisation/Automation of Judicial procedures, including e-filing, Completion of on-going High/Magistrate Courts’ projects, Renovation/Rehabilitation of Court Rooms and Judges Chambers, and Improving Safety and Disaster Management.

He said the budget would also focus on implementation of various Independent Power Projects, development of Enterprise Zones in Gberigbe, Ikorodu and Upgrading of Yaba Industrial Park, advancement of Ten-Lane Lagos-Badagry Expressway/Blue Rail Line Corridor, completion of other on-going Road Construction Projects and pedestrian bridges, Agric-YES, Accelerated Food Expansion Program, Rice, Animal Husbandry and Root Crops, among others.

“One of our programmes that we will be paying attenition to is the Residents’ Registration exercise. As I said at the launch, it is for Residents of Lagos and no more. It seeks to register everybody who intends to live here for up to 6 (six) months and beyond, irrespective of where they come from,” he stressed, adding that “with effect from the 1st of December 2013, it will be a requirement in terms of information to be provided in order to enable us to provide service to you or process requests from you.”