The Lagos State House of Assembly yesterday said the executive arm is solely responsible for the delay in the passage of the 2010 Budget.

The legislators were reacting to the first quarter appraisal of the 2010 Budget by the state governor last Thursday.

During the appraisal, Babatunde Fashola said budget performance was at 49 per cent, the lowest his administration has ever recorded within the same period.

“If we measure this first quarter performance against the 67 percent in the first quarter of the same period last year, you would see that we are clearly behind,” said Mr. Fashola who blamed the low performance on the late passage of the Budget. “But understandably the budget approval and implementation did not start as quickly as we use to start and as a government we are starting late. I assented to the budget on the first of March, which is the first day of the last month of the first quarter. What you are seeing is a result of barely one month work,” he said.

We must speak out

Oludayo Fafunmi (Ifako Ijaiye I), called the attention of the House to the indirect indictment which suggested that they were responsible for the budget delay.

Sanai Agunbiade (Ikorodu I) said the executive arm delayed the passage of the budget because “some of the documents we requested for were not provided.”

Many of the lawmakers were angry that the House has always been at the receiving end of public ridicule because it has not been quick to hold the executive accountable. Specifically, the delay in the presentation of the budget review report since 2008 was identified as a failure on the part of the House.

The budget review committee was given four weeks to submit the 2008 and mid-2009 reports but after eight months, the reports have not been presented to the House although, kolawole Taiwo, the chairman of the Budget review committee, said the reports are ready.

“I think it’s high time we let Lagosians know what is really happening. Unfortunately, we approved the 2010 budget without knowing what happened with the 2009 budget and we keep receiving all the blame,” said Moshood Oshun (Lagos Mainland II).

Samuel Adejare (Agege II) said Ben Akabueze, the commissioner for Economic planning and Budget must be invited to the House to defend the “frivolous and damaging allegations” made by the executive arm of government.

Ahmed Omisore (Ifako Ijaye II) and Sikiru Osinowo (Kosofe I), supported the call, but the Speaker, Adeyemi Ikuforiji, said “asking the commissioner to come [before the House] and defend his statement will be intimidating.”

Periodic accountability report

“We see the governor here only during budget presentations while we read about his performance every 100 days on the pages of the newspaper. Is it wrong if he comes to this chamber to do same?” asked Mr. Oshun.

Mr. Taiwo proposed that the House enacts a law that will make it mandatory for the governor to address the legislators on the situation of the State periodically.

“In my own opinion as a democrat, it’s more appropriate for the head of government to go to the parliament that approved fund for him because only the parliament knows the resources allocated to the State,” said Mr. Ikuforiji, who however said the demand for such a law is too formal.

“I will talk to the governor about it so we can have a luncheon together,” he said, “we don’t need to be too formal about it.”

However, the budget review report will not be presented until April 29 when the committee is expected to have concluded its work.

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