Assume that you have recently finished your first year as mayor of your city.

At the end of the year there is $1 Million dollars left in the budget.

You must spend this money within your community.


What would you spend it on and why?

a million dolls?
mayor of surulere local govt?
a low-cost housing estate contract awarded to my construction company
why? - a lot of homeless peeps out there.
i'v just spent the money on the community - and putting profit in my pocket thru my company

$1million is about N140million. I don't know what that would get you, but I would do this for the pple of Uyo, Akwa Ibom State (based on my last visit there in 2004):

- pay civil servants that are owed in arrears

- refurbish govt buildings that are still in use.

Now, if it were N1billion, I would do the following:

- commission independent power and water plants: this brings in foreign direct investment (FDI)

- fix major roads

- start up an IT academy so that jobs outsourced to India and China, are brought into the state.

- pay civil servants that are owed in arrears

No, you can't claim to have a budget surplus of $1 million of you are owing civil servants' salaries!

What would I do with $1 million as a public servant? Security, electricity, education in that order

Nwoke,

But it happens in Naija everyday

If not, then why would a state like Akwa Ibom, that gets billions from oil revenues, still owes its civil servants?

As always, nigeria violates all natural rules of economics LOL

If I am the mayor of any city in the bay area, definitely, low incoming housing will be my priority. Too many homeless people in my area and it is heartbreaking.

In my hometown of Uyo, food subsidies for low income earners would be my priority.

I would try and build schools, hospitals, mayb roads, wateva is remains looks left and rite and u know what would be done,

$1 million dollars = 140 million naira.

with that much money, i could start 69 to 70 cottage industries, each with an initial capital of five million, employing at least 60 to 70 people (thats around 5000 people) and each with a total turnover of around N6.5 to N7 million a year. that means i would manage to multiply that amount 3.5 times and create 5000 new jobs and a lasting source of income for the city.
    The money realised from the businesses would then be used for urban redevelopment, it won't be a bad idea to build high-density low-cost housing close to the commercial district where the cottage industries are located in a sanitary and environmentally friendly way.
        Finally, the rest of the money would be used to create a municipal transport division (intra-city transport is a major problem in nigeria today.) that would greatly ease movement in the new city centre (yes it will be with 70 new companies and other associated companies that will rise up as a result.) and reduce both operating costs and labour costs.

kodewrita:

$1 million dollars = 140 million naira.

with that much money, i could start 69 to 70 cottage industries, each with an initial capital of five million, employing at least 60 to 70 people (thats around 5000 people) and each with a total turnover of around N6.5 to N7 million a year. that means i would manage to multiply that amount 3.5 times and create 5000 new jobs and a lasting source of income for the city.
    The money realised from the businesses would then be used for urban redevelopment, it won't be a bad idea to build high-density low-cost housing close to the commercial district where the cottage industries are located in a sanitary and environmentally friendly way.
        Finally, the rest of the money would be used to create a municipal transport division (intra-city transport is a major problem in nigeria today.) that would greatly ease movement in the new city centre (yes it will be with 70 new companies and other associated companies that will rise up as a result.) and reduce both operating costs and labour costs.

good incentives, chief
but ow many of these "good initiatives" in the rea sense of it (i.e in lagos of today for instance) has seen the light of day?
we hear all these things everyday but they are never implemented.
i hope that one of these days, you, kodewrita will be in the position to really implement these things and you could be sure of support from people like me.





as for me., one other thing i'll do is to ind a possible solution to the triplicating populaton in lagos - i hope that sounds possible

very very very very simple!
i'll award my company a contract to build a housing estate and a recreational park on BOT and save the rest in my personal account to pay workers salaries the following year. or is that not selfless enough?

I will spend the surplus on education

babadee:

very very very very simple!
i'll award my company a contract to build a housing estate and a recreational park on BOT and save the rest in my personal account to pay workers salaries the following year. or is that not selfless enough?

YEAH, YEAH!
SO SO SELFLESS INDEED!

otolorin:

good incentives, chief
but ow many of these "good initiatives" in the rea sense of it (i.e in lagos of today for instance) has seen the light of day?
we hear all these things everyday but they are never implemented.
i hope that one of these days, you, kodewrita will be in the position to really implement these things and you could be sure of support from people like me.


as for me., one other thing i'll do is to ind a possible solution to the triplicating populaton in lagos - i hope that sounds possible

Seeing this for the first time in a long while. Hope so too. Thank God Fashola has brought some level of change. Hope to see same from other people.

[size=14pt]It is not with pride I inform you all that about 1/3 of LGA's in Nigeria get 1/2 of $1 million dollars every month, which is N140million Naira. Just Imagine more than 250 LGA gets between 70 and 85 million a month and there is nothing to show for it.

Raising the largesse to 1 million dollars would only mean Oga's wife(that is the Chairman that gave his wife N1 million Kitchen allowance every month) would be entitled to probably N3 million Kitchen allowance not taking other allowances such as shoe and bag allowance, travelling to Dubai allowance e.t.c

The $1 million dollars would disappear as soon as it hit the accounts of those LG, there would be nothing to show, except mud houses and untarred roads which is the true representation of our LGA today. [/size]