Source: www.guardiannewsngr.com

Fashola presents N430b budget, House urges gov to be wary of flattery
By Kamal Tayo Oropo

LAGOS State Governor Babatunde Fashola yesterday presented the 2010 Appropriation Estimates of N429.596 billion to the State House of Assembly.

If approved as presented, the budget would be an increase of 5.3 per cent over the current Appropriation.

The budget presentation ceremony was also an occasion for the state's leadership to presumably critique its performance with the Speaker, Adeyemi Ikuforiji, asking Governor Fashola to concentrate on his assignment and not be distracted by sycophants or "noise makers."

He added: "You will be judged by the amount of resources at your disposal and the prevailing conditions and environment under which your government operated and what you make of those resources."

Presenting the budget at the Assembly, Fashola disclosed that the state, through the half-year appraisal, was able to achieve about 70 per cent implementation of the 2009 appropriation.

He said the 2010 budget would ensure the completion of all on-going projects and programmes, while only new initiatives will be undertaken on the basis of a Medium Term Expenditure Framework.

The governor added: "We remain optimistic and confident that despite the current dismal global economic scenario, Lagos is firmly on the path to becoming a major economic success story of our time and the Y2010 budget is a critical bridge to the attainment of this goal."

The budget breakdown is as follows: Total Revenue Projection, N307.027 billion; Capital Expenditure, N250.778 billion; Recurrent Expenditure, N178.818 billion; and Capital Receipts, N28.372 billion.

In his speech at the event, Adeyemi Ikuforiji, commended the executive "for keeping the ball of progress rolling in Lagos."

However, he asked the executive to implement the Assembly's Self Accounting Law "with effect from the New Year in order to ensure that each arm effectively and productively performs its roles without fear or favour."

Ikuforiji said while Lagosians in several constituencies commended the efforts of the state government so far, the House members had observed "some shortcomings and uneven spread in our developmental efforts."

His words: "Over-concentration of efforts at the centre at the expense of the upcountry tends to isolate a big percentage of our constituents to the extent that a simple mind will simply not agree that users of Aboru Road, Ire-Akari/Ilasamaja Road, Lagos-Ikorodu Road, Itoikin/Epe Road, Pen Cinema-Ishaga Road, are bonafide residents of our great state."

But at the end of the budget session, a brawl between former Deputy Speaker of the House, Mrs. Funmilayo Tejuosho (Mushin Constituency I) and another member who is the wife of Juju Maestro, King Sunny Ade, Mrs. Adeniyi Adeyeye (Amuwo Odofin Constituency I), was averted by the prompt intervention of other legislators and guests at the event. The reason for the altercation was unclear.

The Speaker debunked claims that the House was at loggerheads with the executive, charging Fashola to be wary of "latter-day political friends."

He added in a tone suggesting a need for soul-searching by all: "The real measure of your performance will be known after your exit from office. Most of those who claim to love you the most today, we remember, were those who nearly fought your predecessor and his loyalists to a standstill when it became clear that your predecessor gave his full support for you to succeed him. They threatened fire and brimstone if you were made the candidate of our great party, the Action Congress.

"Today, you are the toast and they will even tell the gullible that nothing was good before you got in as the governor. They will tell you nothing good happened to Lagos State before you became governor. They will flatter you to no end. They will like to isolate you from your roots. They will want you to believe that your administration is the first in the world to hit the ground running and achieve like no one else. But like Danny K. Davies (Jnr), a United States Congressman told us at the convention of Eko Club International last month in Chicago and I quote: 'Flattery is like a good perfume, it is to be smelt, not to be swallowed.'"