₦airaland Forum

LAGOS STATE

Governor Babatunde Fashola of Lagos State, yesterday, presented a budget proposal of N497.277 billion for the 2013 fiscal year to the state House of Assembly.

The budget represents a slight increase of 1.08 per cent over that of 2012 which was N485.3 billion.

Fashola assured that his administration would focus more on the life threatening environmental risks and security challenges in the state.

A summary of the budget shows that: recurrent expenditure gulps N228.913bn, capital expenditure takes N268.364bn, capital receipts, N22.912bn while the component of the total overhead costs is N139.173bn.

According to the budget proposal, the capital to recurrent ratio will be 54:46 for 2013 as against 53:47 in 2012.

Sectoral allocation provided in the budget includes: General Public Service, N114.076bn (22.94 per cent); Public Order and Safety,N18.799 -(3.78 per cent); Economic Affairs N156.273 (31.43per cent); Environmental Protection, N44.131bn (8.87 per cent); Housing and Community Amenities-N46.149bn (9.28 per cent ); Health N42.498bn 8.55 (per cent);Recreation, Culture and Religion N5.749bn (1.16 per cent); Education, N64.343bn (12.94 per cent); Social Protection N3.259bn (0.66per cent); Contingency N2.000bn(.44 per cent).

Presenting the budget at a well attended event, Fashola promised that his administration would intensify efforts at improving education, health and power sectors, adding that attention would also be given to roads, water and rural development.

He stressed that despite the numerous challenges confronting the state, the budget will seek to promote cooperation with the local and Federal Government on road rehabilitation and power sector reforms.

“At the end of the 3rd Quarter Budget presentation, we achieved an aggregate budget implementation performance of 72 per cent for the period January to September 2012.”

In his response, Speaker, Lagos State House of Assembly, Mr. Adeyemi Ikuforiji, on behalf of members, said the house would responsibly accord the budget proposal prompt and comprehensive attention and would scrutinise it with eagle eyes.

The Speaker, who noted that the presentation of the budget is significant because the lives and destinies of almost 20 million residents are hinged on the bill.

According to him, it is not surprising that the expectations of the people are high, they want to to know what is in the budget for them, so that they can make plans and projections for the coming year.

Highlighting some challenges which require urgent attention, he emphatically mentioned the deplorable state of roads in spite of the huge investment and painstaking efforts the administration has made.

EKITI STATE

GOVERNOR Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti State has presented a budget proposal of N93,616,830. 01 billion for year 2013 to the House of Assembly.

The “Budget of Empowerment and Consolidation” has a proposed recurrent expenditure of N46,416,141,231 representing 49.6 per cent of the total budget estimate, while capital expenditure is N47,200,688,770, representing 50.4 per cent.

Presenting the Appropriation bill, Fayemi said infrastructure would gulp 21.2 per cent of the total budget, education 17.2 per cent and health sector. 10.7 per cent. Agriculture sector would get three per cent, industry 3.3 per cent; tourism 1.7 per cent, while women empowerment, gender and sports would get 2.3 per cent.

In a further analysis, Fayemi stated that N9.9 billion would be expended on road projects even as he said that three divisional headquarters in the state- Ikere, Ikole and Ijero would have their township roads reconstructed and get street lights as part of government’s urban renewal plan.

According to a statement, the budget would also focus on water projects with N2.4 bilion budgeted for the rehabilitation of all major dams, while N2.163 was budgeted for the rehabilitation of all the General Hospitals and special Comprehensive Health Centres and furnishing of same.

IMO STATE APPROVED 2013 APPROPRIATION ACT

LEGISREPORTS NG- Members of the Imo State House of Assembly have passed a budget of N194,142,120,869 (One hundred ninety- four billion, one hundred and forty –two million, one hundred and twenty thousand, eight- hundred and sixty- nine naira) only for the 2013 fiscal year.

The lawmakers passed the budget on Thursday in a special session after receiving and deliberating on the report of the House Committee on Budget and Appropriation headed by Hon. Eudora Igwe (Ideato North constituency).

In a breakdown, Speaker of the Assembly, Hon. Benjamin Uwajimogu said the total amount included Consolidated Revenue Fund charges of N19.8 billion.

Governor Rochas Okorocha had presented a proposal of N195,743,684,031 to the lawmakers on December 3, 2012 with 32 per cent allocated to recurrent expenditure while 67.53 per cent was for capital expenditure.

RIVERS APPROVED 2013 APPROPRIATION ACT


Rivers State House of Assembly has passed the 2013 Appropriation Bill into Law. Speaking on the floor of the House, the Speaker Rt. Hon. Otelemaba Amachree said, the 2013 appropriation Bill is without an additional budgetary allocation to all the Ministries, Agencies and Government Parastatals. A total of N490.320 billion naira was passed as the budget for 2013 financial year as presented by the Governor, the breakdown shows that the 2013 budget capital expenditure is N314.290 billion naira as against N176.01 billion naira for recurrent expenditure.

The proposed expenditure showed an increase of 54.06 per cent in recurrent expenditure and a decline of 2.92 per cent for capital expenditure when compared to the 2012 budget. However, the capital expenditure projection for 2013 is 64.10 per cent of the total budget while the recurrent expenditure is 35.90 per cent of the budget. The Speaker, Rt. Hon. Otelemaba Daniel Amachree who presided over the plenary session of the House, thanked the appropriation committee and pleaded with the committee to implement the budget as passed by the House.

President Goodluck Jonathan, on Wednesday, presented a N4.9tn budget to the National Assembly for the 2013 fiscal year.

In the estimates titled, budget of “fiscal consolidation with inclusive growth,” Education, Defence and Police were allocated the highest share of N1.095trn

A breakdown of the N1.095trn shows the Education sector getting N426.53bn; Defence, N348.91bn, and Police, N319.65bn.

Missing copiously from the budget was a provision for fuel subsidy, an indication perhaps that government may fully remove the subsidy in 2013.

The N4.92trn proposed for 2013 is five per cent more than the N4.7trn budgeted in 2012.

The 2013 proposals also has the Health sector getting N279.23bn as allocation; Works, N183.5bn; Agriculture and Rural Development, N81.41bn; and Power, N74.26bn.

The funding of the power and gas sector, the President said, would be complemented with a proposed infrastructure Euro Bond of about $1bn (about N160bn) in order to complete the gas pipelines and other infrastructure investments.

According to the President, the projected GDP growth rate for 2013 is 6.5 per cent, different from the 6.85 per cent it earlier proposed in the MTEF.

Out of the aggregate expenditure of N4.92trn, Jonathan said that N2.41trn was earmarked for recurrent expenditure and N1.5trn for capital projects. The sum of N380.02bn was also allocated to Statutory Transfers and N591.76bn for Debt Service.

Towards the end of the 2nd quarter of 2013, the House of Representatives made allusions to the poor implementation of the 2013 budget by the FG. As the percentage implementation been posted by the House was rebuffed by the Finance minister and co-ordinating minister of the economy, Mrs Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala. I believe issues like this one should form the major concern of every Nigerian, especially the everyday people on the street who have little or nothing to gain directly from the politicking of the day but rather the provision of life support amenities.

Although the budgets include both the recurrent and the capital expenditure, meaning that if we have a 70% recurrent and 30% capital budget, it can be safely said that the budget was 70% implemented if all salaries, emoluments and debt servicing were implemented to the last, even without a single fraction of the capital expenditure. Seventy percent might appear impressive, but it's the little 30% capital portion that brings the most benefits to those citizens who are not salaried by the government.

So, the question now is, what percentage of the federal, state, and local governments' budgets (on the capital flange) was implemented for 2013?

Do Nigerians even the know the budget of the state they're resident in or come from?

We can all produce the FG 2013 Appropriation Act, can we look into it more critically and dispassionately again and identify for ourselves the true level of implementation? If you have the budget of the state where you're in, can you show us how much of it has been implemented for the people? This, i think should form the real debates of our people.

God Bless Nigeria And Nigerians.

Ask: channelstv.com

As his term of office elapses today January
6th, 2014, Brigadier-General NT Okorie-Affia
has formally handed over to Brigadier-
General Johnson Olawunmi as the Director-
General of the National Youth Service Corps.
The new DG who is the 16th Chief Executive
of the Scheme pleaded with the staff of the
scheme to give him the same support and
love shown to his predecessor, pledging to
discharge his duty with humility, dedication,
equity and fairness. The handover ceremony
was performed today in Abuja. Nnamdi
Okorie-Affia was appointed DG of NYSC in
August, 2011.

Ask: channelstv.com

As his term of office elapses today January 6th, 2014, Brigadier-General NT Okorie-Affia has formally handed over to Brigadier-General Johnson Olawunmi as the Director-General of the National Youth Service Corps. The new DG who is the 16th Chief Executive of the Scheme pleaded with the staff of the scheme to give him the same support and love shown to his predecessor, pledging to discharge his duty with humility, dedication, equity and fairness. The handover ceremony was performed today in Abuja. Nnamdi Okorie-Affia was appointed DG of NYSC in August, 2011.

It's becoming more difficult for these spent aggrieved politicians and their peasant hirelings to continue in the trade of peddling lies these days because Jonthan's works speak volumes for him. You just don't want to hear people's commendations this yuletide about the roads and electricity supply and relative (and comparative) price stability. Jonathan is stiffling and wrenching the cords of misinformation and mal-information.

@Cramjones, there's only one reason you wont vote for Jonathan come 2015 (if you'd be sincere to yourself): he's been more focused on governance than on politics thereby leaving career politicians like you without a crumb of either the cake or the voice. But just be patient with him, six months to the elections, by then he'd have fully delivered on his 2011 promises then he'll swivel the chair and give you guys politics! And those whose lives have been positively affected by his governance so far will be the ones taking the chips. I read your posts here on NL and the comments that follow, it must be so frustrating to continue to want to drill your opinion into Nigerians here.
But, NLers have always said you're FFK! That's one reason I hate this our justice system in this country, it's so lame and compromised. No wonder you appear hysterical, may in his second term he'll send a lot of people to jail. Chai I can't wait!

@OP, I think you should rather say that Nigerians should stick with GEJ, and not just Nd'Igbo 'cause the SS and SE bloc votes alone can't make him president according to our Laws, if you truly want him returned.
@Mynd, you said you stay in Lagos and cannot see a single FG project in the area that affects your area. I wonder where the trains were first rehabilitated. After Abuja, no other state has recieved more attention in this gov't than Lagos, but the gov't and people chose to be what Igbos call "ori ago". They're a steep opposition state and will corrosively rust out any FG interventions just so that people will be kept to the opposition. You remember MMIA rehabilitation, Lekki seaport project, Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, Lagos-Abeokuta Expressway, etc. Just remove hate, listen to the other side of the story. Maybe you'd come to know how much you've been intentionally and mischievoulsy under-informed. Even Fashola himself knows in his heart that the FG under Jonathan has been uncommonly progressive and helpful, but for party reasons he dares not say it. Have you ever heard him fall out on any issue with the President? I hope you know he's groaning under pain with the Jagaban and is on the brink of exploding? Just give us six months or less, and then remind me this comment.

Italiano1: ... What is so complicated in the construction of a bridge using a PPP framework? Has the government advertised this contract publicly or is Julius Berger their preferred supplier for obvious reasons?

... With all the so called intelligent people in the GEJ administration , many of whom claim to have PhDs - no one has taken the time to conduct a comparative analysis of similar projects elsewhere or examine templates used for successful PPP/PPF initiatives of similar nature? Have you ever heard of a competitive procurement dialogue system?

It is clear that the delay is due to the lack of political will and the intentional use of that bridge as a political carrot for the people of Alaigbo. It is indeed shameful that it is the same people who are being shortchanged that are defending the acts of a wicked government because of crumbs of bread they give them- they are ready to mortgage the future of their children because of a plate of Jollof rice. SHAME!

Let me answer in the OP's stead, pls. Gov'ts employ PPPs for projects with massive financial implications which the gov't alone cannot comfortably sponsor. So project must be of staggering financial implications to the gov't and that's # 1 condition. For a private company to accept to "co-sponsor" the project, it must be doubly assured of the juicy profitability and gov't sincerity and committment in the project since it's not in for charity. You'd ask why there's been few PPPs in the nation and most like the Lagos-Ibadan Highway and that of the Lagos state gov't's Lekki-Epe failed. That's how diffcult it is to get a PPP.
If you've been reading the news and following this 2nd NB issue, you'd have known it was advertised, transperantly bidded, and selected (meanwhile, it's in this administration that FG has the least cases of court litigations arising from any of its actions).
If you've lived outside the Southeast for upto 10yrs now and have not had reasons to come around eversince, you might never understand the reasons why the people are "intransigiently" supporting the Jonathan adminstraion. Mr Uche used to spend about 13hrs to drive from Lagos to Onitsha in the past due to bad Highways. Today he spends only less than 7hrs! Mrs Ngozi plans to travel from PH to Owerri through Aba road and she spends almost all day because PH-Aba road is hellish. Today it's a 1.45hrs journey. From Fire Service (Owerri) to Umuahia used to 2.30hrs but now it's 1hr, while work is still ongoing. I could go on and on about the roads. Fuel queues used to take a whole week in the past during yuletides like this in the East! Now mobile truckers are doing home delivery! Yes, this is not lie. That's the new way my company buys its fuels. Ms Adanna studying in the UK flew into the East on Enugu this Xmas and rode on a safe road to her hometown in Imo! The Igbos are not so much on the neck of the govt to create jobs. They say improve Power supply. I'll understand with you if by now your own area of town has not reached at least 14hr daily supply 'cause mine has hovered around 18-22hrs!

Sincere 9gerian: Did you even bother to read the report? Or is the report too long for your brains to comprehend? Smh

My bro, I think @wolex asked an innocent question and deserved a meek answer.
@1Wolex85, from my education and practice in the field of Project Management, large scale projects like this one are usually cumbersome at all stages. There are five stages of project management: Initiation, Planning, Execution, Monitoring/Control, and Closing out (Inaugration or what we call Commissioning here). From the foregoing, you'd notice that what you call "mobilization to site" falls on the 3rd stage. For some very complex projects (may be like this one), mob and pre-mob alone is considered 20 per cent completion--some even 30, 40, or 50% completion! From the Initiation stage to the Planning state alone for projects that are supposed to serve purpose of 2 or more decades, the paper works like Project Charter, Work, Project Statment of Work, Permit To Work, Work Breakdown Structure, etc take several months or years. I heard the gov't said that JB has mobilized to site, if the project has not reached the 4th state, Execution, Monitoring/Control, you might not be seeing the big equipment at the site even when they're still working. For this kind of job, they might still be doing Soil tests, Hydrostatic analysis, mechanical, Surveys, Designs, hydrographic, physical and Biochemical testings.
I believe that if JB accepted the PPP project then it must have seen both profitability and gov't committment in the said project.
God Bless Nigeria and Nigerians

Obiagelli: I wish every appointee of GEJ will be punished like this without tribal sentiments, sls messed up and deserved it.

In a sane society, the opposition, ruling party, professional bodies, student groups and the entire people will collectively call for the withdrawal of the services of the CBN governor 'cause his letter betrays his incopetence and confusion. How can we continue to rely our national wealth in the hands of a man who cannot trace or monitor the whereabouts of our 2years national budget in just 18months! It's the President that should write the Bank seeking the information and clarification CBN had requested from the President in that infamous letter. Whether Sanusi had other superior intents he wanted to achieve with that letter only him and his clique can tell.
As for the SR, we've heard the conspiracy theory. No problem. When the chicken crosses the road then we'll get back to the why, when and how.

Obiagelli: I wish every appointee of GEJ will be punished like this without tribal sentiments, sls messed up and deserved it.

In sane society, the entire people, the opposition, the ruling party, professional bodies all will collectively call for the sack of the man or force him out. The said letter, first of all should embarass the CBN governor. How'll we still rely on his competence and abandon our national wealth on a man who cannot trace how our country's 2years budget allegedly got unaccounted for within just 18months! It's rather the Presidency that should write the CBN seeking the information the CBN had asked from the Presdidency. Whether he hopes to achieve something greater than just investigation or clarifications only him and his friends call tell.

If Amaechi admitted that the oil wells were
ceded to Bayelsa in 2006, and while the
court case was ongoing, the FG (under OBJ)
kept the oil proceedings in an escrow
account why then is he saying that Jonathan
took Rivers oils to Bayelsa state? Was he
(Jonathan) and the FG not under obligation
to obey the court judgement? Why sowing
this ugly seeed of discord between two
brothers these days by Amaechi? Amaechi
has been talking rather very crassly lately.

If Amaechi admitted that the oil wells were ceded to Bayelsa in 2006, and while the court case was ongoing, the FG (under OBJ) kept the oil proceedings in an escrow account why then is he saying that Jonathan took Rivers oils to Bayelsa state? Was he (Jonathan) and the FG not under obligation to obey the court judgement? Why sowing this ugly seeed of discord between two brothers these days by Amaechi? Amaechi has been talking rather very crassly lately.

Abagworo: I'm amazed Jonathan is this ignorant. Even when I was in Primary school, I was well informed than the level of ignorance displayed here. I'm really ashamed.

My brother, you're the reason I had to comment. You disappointed me the most--I can pardon every other previous commentator because ASUU has been on strike for very long and it's to force gov't to improve quality of education. But for you, I've seen a few of your very intelligent comments here on NL save for this. Did you not know the difference between an elected President (in the case of Jonathan) and a Prime Minister and Heads of State?

On the Thursday following the murder of Ige, Thisday newspaper had run a publication that indicted the then President Olusegun Obasanjo and Ige's one time vice, Chief Bisi Akande, now APC interim national chairman over that murder. The publication caused a tornado of fuzz (am realy finding it difficult to excavate the publication from the newspaper's archives now). This The Nation version was published then when Obasanjo was still the worst thing that has ever happened to Nigeria since after the amalgation. But now, you know, he's become the best thing that has happen to some people since after the discovery of amala and ewedu.

Spending close to 600Billion naira on water production by Lagos gov't will only open a tunnel for corruption and embezzlement and mismanagement. This is more than the state budget for a year! What the Lagos state gov't should do is to develop a comprehensive work policy and masterplan for the state. This should include designs and structure of generation, reticulation, distribution and metering. In achieving this, the state should take a cue from the federal gov't power privitization. It should divide the state into sections, say Lekki, V.I., Gbagada/Yaba, etc. Then built water stations in these sections and then sale them off to private investors to manage and operate while holding at least 15% equity. The water policy should include restrictions on residents' indiscriminate sinking of boreholes and if one must do he must obtain full permission from relevant authorities and the water MUST meet the set highest quality standards before approval. And must be tested every year even after sinking to ensure compliance. If the water supply is regular and cheap residents will have no reason to go on private water source. The gov't should plan every single part of the state to include underground water pipes so that even before one buys a land to develope he has pipe running under the soil. So as soon as one wants to build all he'll need to is to call the water company to come and open his channel and meter him so he can use the water for his building. Also, metering should include both post paid and prepaid options.

kel4soft: If no one has said anything about that road by now, we would still have had abandon or no progress on that road.

That is what democracy is all about. If out of 42 ministers in the cabinet Mr God'sday Orubebe recieves the contract to fix the Road and he is lazying on the project then it is the duty of citizens who use the road to cry out and inform the govt at the centre. What Amaechi did was what he should do albeit in a bellicose tone. The laziness of our leaders have made the followers even more lazy to know what they should do and how they should protect their rights. If you think Amaechi raised his voice because he was too interested in the road then ask him how many years it took him to complete the Okporo Road that's less than 2Km.

I have used that East-West Road very well and would tell you that there's been sincerity and commitment in that Road by the Jonathan administration. Let me inform you that the Road covers six states and just that the entire Rivers axes have not been covered should not discredit the work there. From the foot of Trailer Park junction in Eleme, Rivers state down to Cross river and Akwa Ibom state have been fully completed and delivered, someone who uses the Road here should confirm or debunk my report. The Ugheli (Delta state) to Patani down to parts of Mbiama(Rivers state) have been delivered. From Choba (Uniport) bridge has been delivered only on one side. Although not the entire stretch still. From Uniport there down to Rumuokoro is busy with works. From Rumuokoro to Tank you have work ongoing but not a single lane has been fully delivered and that's giving commuters along that area grave pain. From Tank to Oil Mill has been marked out but no work ongoing yet, although this part is not as challenging as the Okoro to Tank stretch. I have the faith the Road will be fully delivered in record time.

mikeansy: I am no fan of Bamanga Tukur but sacking him is what Jonathan's enemies want. Those enemies he has lost anyway

There is no need paying a ransom after the terrorist has blown up your house

Jonathan as President has everything he needs to win this fight.

I believe with you on the point that Jonathan has all he needs to win the fight, and also your point on paying a ransom. I think Jonathan is doing exactly what he needs to do to win next election if he so runs. Deliver on his campaign promises and then bunlde the entire club of known corruption merchants like Atiku, OBJ, etc to the opposition and demonize their congregation, raise a new generation of young and vibrant and sagacious people's leaders in his party. This will end the reign of the gods of yesterday and create a huge juxtaposition between a perilous past and a promising future. He should campaign in 2015 with his 2011 campaign catlogue. That is, he should say, this was what I promised you in 2011 so go by yourselves and verify if they're there as promised. If the people can see these things for themselves (which I believe most people are seeing) then no amount of noise or smear campaign can change the mind of the people against Jonathan come 2015. One of the earliest and worst mistakes the opposition has made is to turn itself into a scum bin into which Jonathan funnels all those political ha.gs who have long lost public credibility. However, the opposition will surely win more states and parliamentary seats than ever before come 2015.

It beats my imagination that (young) people on this forum will get excited by this development and calling the APC master-strategists. This is shameful. We said corruption was the beign of our democracy yet these public sinners who bequeathed nothing to us other than corruption are the very ones who have turned saints only because they've fallen out with our arch enemy. APC is dissappointing her hopefull faithful at the grassroots! Jonathan has succeeded in exorcizing the PDP of corrupt members and now sifting them to over ambitious APC and youths are hailing! The only three people in the APC who still have some very little shred of public cred are Buhari, Ribadu and Ogbonnaya Onu. Imagine people like Tinubu, Tom Ikini, Atiku, IBB, Obasanjo, El Rufai, Fani Kayode, Saraki, oh, APC all too soon turned itself into a scum!

They forgot to ask the most critical one: Why you dey block all the opio-ngala wey other lawmakers for previous administrations dey take hammer? As Dino Melaye take do one term only buy several new high-notch SUVs wetin make you no want make we follow our mates shout oyoyo, e get any special akpo wey you and your principal dey carry for this House? Just answer straight no go dey write those your Harvad and World Bank thesis we no get time.

Babayola, I believe should be a Yoruba name. Toungo sounds more like a middle beltan name, very likely Plateau or Kwara. Am wondering why he's now writing for the Hausas instead of maybe the Yorubas. Well, this piece looks like the one written on Feb 24 by Dele Sobuwale and published on Vanguard newspaper. The ink of vemon with which that article was written turned out to rub off negatively on the Oduah scandal. Why don't we simply and maturely talk at the conference table early next year. Truth is, all sections of this country have wronged the other. If Igbos come up with theirs now it'll sound like bombshell. About the war, well, Gowon had bragged that he'll exterminate the people in three months but he didn't know how much he underestimated the people. They held the whole of Nigeria down for three years. Does that not frighten all the rest of us?

My concern here is, how on earth will a man be in fulltime politics, Member of Parliament, and his wife is also a fulltime politician, member of Federal Executive Council? So where do they place their family and kids? Is it only about food on the table and money in the bank? No parenting? Surrogate parenting? Horrible!

maestroferddi: Eze Duruiheoma (SAN) is not from Mbano or Okigwe Zone but rather an accomplished Orlu son from Ideato North.

Thanks for the correction, bro.

tokunboh: I laugh.I won't call you jobless or a charlatan because I don't know what you do.

Now, this is a civil and courteous manner to disagree with other people's opinion and still make your point clear. I hope this sample is etched on the NL marble.