BEING THE TEXT OF AN ADDRESS DELIVERED BY THE GOVERNOR OF LAGOS STATE MR BABAJIDE OLUSOLA SANWO-OLU, AT THE PRESENTATION OF THE YEAR 2022 BUDGET PROPOSALS, TO THE LAGOS STATE HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY ON WEDNESDAY NOVEMBER 24, 2021 AT THE HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY COMPLEX, ALAUSA, IKEJA LAGOS
Protocol.
Mr. Speaker, Distinguished Honorable Members of the House –
It has been two-and-half years since this administration came into office. In that time, I have come before you to present two annual
Appropriation Bills, tagged “The Budget of Awakening”, for 2020, and “The Budget of Rekindled Hope”, for the Year 2021.
We tagged the 2021 Budget, which I presented to you slightly over a year ago, on the 10th of November 2020, “The Budget of
Rekindled Hope”, because, in the aftermath of the monumental challenges posed by COVID-19 and the #Endsars-related violence and destruction, our people demonstrated unparalleled resolve and determination to bounce back, given the trademark resilient spirit of the great people of this great State.
Today, I stand before you to present the Year 2022 Appropriation Bill, which will be the final full-year Budget before the next elections in 2023. This makes it a very significant budget, which we have aptly christened the Budget of Consolidation.
2022 is a year in which we will focus obsessively on completing ongoing projects, while also expanding our social intervention programs and support for citizens, and for micro and small businesses.
The Y2022 Budget is aimed at consolidating all our efforts so far, into timely delivery of our electoral promises of a Greater Lagos to all citizens and residents of the State. Our destination is now in sight.
Despite experiencing one of the most challenging times in modern history in our beloved state, we have advanced in a manner that ensures that conviction of our progress is incontestable. The results speak very eloquently in the various facets of our communities even in the face of numerous devastating situations, which would have been acceptable justifications for underperformance.
Lagosians can testify to the improved standard of infrastructure delivered by our administration throughout the 377 wards across the State, which aligns with the State’s mission to eradicate poverty and promote economic growth through infrastructural renewal and development.
But we cannot afford to rest on our oars. We are therefore using this opportunity to again announce our commitment to delivering the Lagos of our dreams: Africa’s model mega city, a global economic and financial hub that is safe, secure, and productive.
Mr. Speaker, as we make our financial projections for 2022, I would like to recap briefly the 2021 Budget of Rekindled Hope, its objectives and the achievements recorded so far.
Just before then, let me warmly thank the Honourable Members of the Lagos State House of Assembly for working constructively and tirelessly with the executive arm to achieve the objectives of our great party, the All-Progressives Congress (APC), since we assumed office.
REVIEW OF THE YEAR 2021 BUDGET PERFORMANCE
The size of the Y2021 revised Budget is ₦1.256Trillion, with a
total revenue of ₦984.573bn, and deficit financing of
₦271.994bn. Capital expenditure came to ₦743.224bn,
representing 59% of the total, while Recurrent Expenditure stood at ₦513.343bn, representing 41%.
FISCAL HIGHLIGHTS FOR Y2021
I am pleased to let this distinguished House know that the Year 2021 Budget has performed remarkably well, despite challenges occasioned during the year. In the first Quarter of 2021, Internally
Generated Revenue (IGR) stood at N128.2bn, about 28% higher than IGR in the corresponding quarter of 2020, which stood at N100.3bn. Also, in that Q1 2021, capital expenditure amounted to N119.92bn, representing 68% performance on target.
Q2 2021 revenue recorded a performance of 76% of our projected target for the quarter, while expenditure came to 82% of target. In the third Quarter, Q3 2021, total revenue amounted to 78% of projection, while total expenditure came to 79% of target.
Mr. Speaker, Honorable Members of the House,
I am equally pleased to inform you that Fitch, a reputable international rating agency, this year upgraded the rating of Lagos from AA+ to AAA.
In conveying the great news to Lagos, Fitch noted that the upgrade of the National Long-Term rating reflects Lagos State’s capacity to service its financial obligations, compared with national and international peers, as well as its resilient operating performance during the pandemic.
You will agree with me, Mr. Speaker, and Honourable Members, that it is indeed a fantastic achievement, and a solid endorsement of our collective hard work.
To achieve this milestone, the State has embarked on several farreaching cost saving initiatives over the years, including the restructuring of local borrowings to reduce overall debt service obligations.
In November 2020, for example, Lagos State fully retired its N87.5bn Bond and conducted an early redemption of its Program
3 Series II; as well as Series 1 Bond, in February 2021 and June 2021 respectively. We opted to call in the bonds to take advantage of a low-interest rate environment in the money and debt market, thereby making significant savings in the overall cost of debt service. We have also started the process of a new Bond Issuance at a lower coupon to replace the recalled Bond.
Furthermore, the State Government has successfully restructured all its existing loan facilities, translating into a reduction in interest rates from an average of 18% to about 12.75%.
Let me now proceed to highlight some of the concrete
achievements of our administration this year, delivered through the judicious deployment of resources in line with the Budget that you graciously approved.
TRANSPORT AND INFRASTRUCTURE
One of the critical success factors for any megacity is the quality of the transport infrastructure, and the ability of that infrastructure network to adapt to changing circumstances and times. At the heart of all that we are doing in this regard, are the following key considerations and objectives:
- Rehabilitation of major arterial roads: These are roads that carry huge vehicular traffic, connecting several communities. We continue to make significant progress on these roads, which include Lekki-Epe Express Road from Eleko Junction to Epe T-junction, the Lagos Badagry
Expressway, and Ikorodu Road from Mile 12 to Ojota to the Independence Tunnel, among others. - New-build Projects: These are new high-impact roads and bridges like the Lekki Regional Road, the
preconstruction work on the 4th Mainland Bridge, and the Opebi Link Road project. All of these are progressing according to plan. - Urban regeneration programs: The objective here is to progressively revamp the road infrastructure within communities and neighbourhoods across Lagos State. We have begun the first phase with select roads in Ikoyi, Victoria Island, Ikeja and Kosofe, like Thompson Road,
Milverton Road, Lateef Jakande Road (all in Ikoyi), Adeola Hopewell, Idowu Taylor, Adeyemo Alakija, Afribank Street
(in Victoria Island), and Sobo Arobiodu, Oba Dosunmu, Oduduwa Way and Oduduwa Crescent in Ikeja. Others include Demurin, Agidi and Church Street in Kosofe, MBA-
Cardoso Road in Ajeromi Ifelodun and St. Finbarr’s Road in Somolu and Kosofe LGAs, among many others. - Connecting roads: These roads serve to link other roads to our multi-modal systems, i.e., jetties and proposed rail station sites. They include Isuti Road, Isefun Camp Davies in Alimosho, Ogudu Link Road in Alapere, Oba Sekunmade
Road, Ijede Road (Itamaga -Ewu Elepe Town), Agric Isawo/Konu/Arepo Ikorodu among others, at various stages of completion. - Junction gridlock resolutions: This year we successfully delivered junction improvement works at Lekki first and second roundabouts and completed the junction improvement work at Abraham Adesanya roundabout
Lekki-Epe expressway, in addition to completing several
bus stops/laybys across the metropolis to further free up
traffic.
In line with our multi-modal transport strategy, which seeks to create multiple viable alternatives to the historical dependence on either private road transport, or inefficient public transport, we are investing rapidly in expanding our transport operations in the waterways that Lagos is so richly blessed with, fast-tracking the completion of long overdue rail infrastructure, while also reorganizing the way our public road transport systems function.
In the area of water transportation, we have so far added seven (7) new boats to the LAGFERRY fleet, and in June 2021 we launched the Cowry Card for water transportation.
We have also commenced the construction and rehabilitation of 15 jetties across Lagos, seven of which have been completed, at Badagry Marina, Ilashe, Liverpool, Ijegun Egba, Badagry Chalet, amongst others.
Mr. Speaker, you will recall the unfortunate orgy of violence that followed the ENDSARS protests of 2020, which led to the destruction of properties, including brand new BRT buses meant to alleviate the commuting plight of the mass of our people. At that time, we promised that Lagos will rise and build back better and stronger.
In May 2021, we commissioned 100 new, replacement HighCapacity buses. Accompanying these 100 High-Capacity Buses were 300 new nine-passenger First Mile and Last Mile
(FMLM) buses, introduced to enhance passengers’ connectivity between inner and major routes in the state.
In addition to this, we are also about to launch a new car hailing initiative which will see us introduce about 1,000 new taxi cars tagged “LagosRide” on our transportation landscape. It is our sincere hope that this investment will bring more jobs and further contribute to the growth of the Lagos economy.
Mr. Speaker, permit me to also update you on the Lagos Rail Mass Transit project, which includes both the 27km Blue line, which will run from Okoko Maiko to Marina, and the 32km Red line that will run from Agbado to Oyingbo in phase 1 and eventually to Marina in phase 2.
These lines, when completed, will deliver a combined 32.5 million people every month on their respective routes, reducing travel time by over 250%, increasing the productivity and quality of life of our people, reducing our carbon footprint, and opening new commercial corridors across the covered routes.
The Red line for example will come with 8 new modern train stations, 10 new bridges/overpasses and 13 pedestrian bridges. It is our ambition to commission these two lines in the 4th quarter of 2022.
Let me seize this opportunity to appeal to the good people of Lagos
State, to bear with us even as the several construction works ongoing across the State are causing some inconvenience in one way or the other. It is a small price to pay for the vastly improved standards of life and living that we will all enjoy when these projects are completed.
HOUSING
In our quest to provide decent yet affordable accommodation to the people of Lagos State, we have, in close partnership with the private sector, delivered a total of 3,526 housing units across the State, including 144 units at Agbowa, 72 units at Gbagada, 144 units at Omole/Magodo, 1,188 units at
Sangotedo, 270 units at Egan-Igando, 36 units at LASU Ojo Campus, 480 units at Ibeshe, 420 units at Ajara, 112 units at Itamarun and 660 units at Odo-Onosa.
This is in addition to the thousands of units being delivered exclusively by the private sector, under the oversight of the government. Our ongoing land reforms are aimed at making it easier for these private players to deliver more affordable housing quickly that meets the needs of the population.
HEALTHCARE
Mr. Speaker, in healthcare, we continue to pursue a threefold strategy, hinged on accessibility, affordability, and quality. While our approach to improving accessibility and quality is built around the rehabilitation and expansion of infrastructure, affordability is being driven by our Lagos State Health Management Agency’s
(LASHMA) “Ilera Eko” program, which is our healthcare insurance scheme.
Health Care Infrastructure: We have completed or significantly progressed the construction and rehabilitation of several of our hospitals. Notable ones include the New General Hospital, Ojo, the rehabilitation of the General Hospitals in Ebute Metta, Isolo, Harvey
Road and Lagos Island, and the facility upgrade of the Mainland
Hospital, which has been the hub for managing COVID-19 cases in Lagos State. In this regard, there is no gainsaying the fact that the management of the pandemic has attracted global recognition and commendation to our State and indeed the entire country.
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We have also completed the new Mother and Child Care (MCC) hospitals in Epe, Badagry and Eti-Osa, and I am happy to inform you all that the construction of the New Massey Children’s Hospital in Adeniji Adele, Lagos has begun. When completed, the 7-Storey, 150-bed hospital is expected to be the largest of its kind in West Africa.
Furthermore, in partnership with the private sector, this administration has completed and handed over new oxygen production plant at the Mainland and Gbagada General Hospitals. New triage and oxygen centers have also been delivered in 10 locations across the State.
Mr. Speaker, in line with our vision as a State, to continue to position for continental and global leadership, we have reached an advanced stage in our plan to develop a world-class medical park in Lagos State.
This planned Medical Park will include a 150-bed multi-disciplinary specialist hospital and attract medical experts as well as patients from around the world and will capture a good portion of the Nigerian medical tourism spend, which is estimated at about US$1.0b annually, in Lagos. It will create about 2,000 jobs during construction and about 1,000 jobs during operation.
We are also finalizing plans to build a 1,500-bed psychiatric hospital at Ketu Ejirin, and an Infectious Diseases Research Institute in Yaba.
Health Affordability and Quality: To address the debilitating challenge of healthcare affordability, we have launched Ilera Eko, our very affordable health insurance scheme. With as low as
N8,400 per year (N700 per month), any Lagosian in the scheme can access healthcare services at any of our 222 health care providers spread across the 20 LGAs in the state.
We have this year doubled the enrolment of Lagosians in the scheme, to 540,000. This is of course a far cry from where we want to be. I would like to encourage Lagosians to take advantage of “Ilera Eko” and get enrolled. There is indeed no quicker way for our people to be impoverished than to find themselves sick without a means to pay for the quality of medical services required.
YOUTH DEVELOPMENT AND EMPOWERMENT
The young people of Lagos State are the reason why Lagos is Lagos – the most dynamic, entrepreneurial, and innovative
megacity in all of Africa, and one of the most important cities in the world.
It is because of our young people, who make up close to 50% of our population, that we can lay claim to many of the positive and wonderful things for which Lagos stands out. And you are the reason why we are so confident about our future.
To our youths, we fully understand the obligations we have towards you, as your government, as the ones elected to create a better present and future for you, and we are discharging these responsibilities with dedication, commitment, and a sense of
responsibility.
Let me start with the Lagos State Employment Trust Fund (LSETF), which has, over the last five years, disbursed more than 8 billion Naira to over 12,000 businesses, creating more than 150,000 direct and indirect jobs in Lagos State. A quarter of this funding has gone directly to businesses owned and run by young people.
Another youth-focused initiative is LASRIC, the Lagos State Research and Innovation Council (LASRIC), which is providing grants for start-ups and innovative solutions in the science and technology space. We have half a billion Naira already available for this, out of which we have disbursed about 200 million Naira, through a very competitive and transparent process.
Our Eko Digital Initiative is proudly the largest Education technology initiative in all of Africa. Through it we have a target of 1 million Lagos residents who will be trained in coding, which as you all know is the language of the future.
We are also expediting action on the Knowledge, Innovation, Technology and Entrepreneurship (KITE) Centre at Yaba, which will cement our leading position as a breeding ground for successful technology and innovation hubs in Africa.
The Graduate Internship Placement Programme (GIPP), which places young unemployed Lagosians in six-month paid internships to prepare them for full-time employment, and the Lagos State Volunteer Corps (LSVC) Programme, which we have launched to help create a culture of volunteering, have jointly benefited close to
10,000 young Lagosians.
In arts, culture and the creative industry, ongoing partnerships with
Central Bank of Nigeria and the Bankers Committee, and with Ebony Life Academy and Del-York Creative Academy, will provide world-class infrastructure and training to support the talent and dreams of large numbers of young Nigerians who are into film, music, theatre and ICT.
Lagos State Youth Leadership Initiative includes such interventions as the Ibile Youth Academy which is producing outstanding youth ambassadors who are change-makers in their various
communities; and the transformational leadership training for young leaders, which is currently benefiting two thousand youth participating physically and virtually in the 3 Senatorial districts of the State.
AGRICULTURE
Within the period under review, this administration has rolled out substantial levels of agricultural investment, supporting 3,000 urban and rural farmers in the Agricultural Value Chain Enterprise Activation Programme.
Additionally, 300 youths have been trained in aquaculture and poultry production at the Lagos Agripreneurship Programme (LAP) and provided with agricultural inputs valued at 245 million Naira.
We have also inaugurated a Five-Year Agricultural and Food Systems Roadmap in Lagos. The focus of the five-year roadmap is to build the State’s domestic capacity to produce the mostconsumed agricultural products, by accelerating the establishment and expansion of farms and agri-businesses. We project that the road map will unlock more than $10 billion of new investments in the agricultural sector, over the next five years.
EDUCATION
Education is one of the biggest investments we can make to secure the future of Lagos State, in terms of guaranteeing a continuing spirit of innovation and global competitiveness. Our efforts in this regard are focused on infrastructure renewal and the digitization of teaching and learning, capacity building among our teaching personnel and their welfare.
We have, working with the private sector, successfully provided, and distributed to our students over 27,000 additional mobile and MP3 devices preloaded with the approved curriculum, to enhance learning conditions and take us closer to our goal of a truly 21st century megacity.
Our flagship Eko Excel Program has so far trained 15,000 teachers on the delivery of lessons through electronic tablets, equipping each teacher with a tablet.
We have also rehabilitated 322 dilapidated public schools, provided 87,000 units of dual composite furniture for 775 primary and secondary schools, in addition to the provision of 300 classrooms and 7 new hostel blocks.
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We have made significant contribution to the growth of the education sector in the State with the commissioning of over 1,097 school infrastructure projects covering 970 schools across the 20 Local Governments and 37 Local Council Development Areas.
We have also successfully tracked over 4,500 out-of-school pupils in the State and re-integrated them into formal education. Our new Security Improvement Programme (SlP) in the State’s public schools, especially in the model colleges and the boarding schools, will secure our children in their learning environments and boost the confidence of parents and guardians.
ENVIRONMENT AND DRAINAGE
This administration has stabilized and restored confidence to the Environment sector, which is key to the wellbeing of every Lagosian. Indeed, following the overhauling of the Lagos State Waste Management Authority (LAWMA) and the new investments we have made in the waste management sector, we have been able to create over 40,000 direct and indirect new jobs.
Furthermore, with the advent of recycling and other waste management streams, we envisage there will be about 6,000 additional jobs being created annually. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to note the direct impact many of our policies are having on the unemployment situation in Lagos state.
Still on the waste management sector, this year, we procured 30 units of 12-cubic meter trucks, 60 units of 24-cubic meter trucks and 12 hook loaders, which are expected to complement the over 850 existing PSP compactor trucks, to enhance service delivery especially in under-served communities across the State.
To promote safe and healthy living of the citizenry, we have with the support of the World Bank, completed and commissioned 6 Air Quality Control Monitoring Stations in various locations across the State.
Our “Adopt a Park” Program is successfully encouraging the organised private sector to take over the management and maintenance of parks and gardens, in exchange for taking advantage of available branding opportunities.
Our quest for a cleaner Lagos city initiative through citizen’s participation has led to the launching of an online application known as “Citi Monitor” for monitoring and reporting of all environmental infractions.
Dredging works are also in progress across the State, targeting channels in areas that are most vulnerable to flooding.
SECURITY
Our continued investment in security is bearing positive dividends for our State. Lagos continues to be a relatively safe place to live, work and invest in, and we will continue to ensure that this remains so.
I must specially thank the private sector, which has continued to demonstrate great support for the Lagos State Security Trust Fund. This year we donated large number of vehicles, equipment and operational gear to the Nigeria Police Force, courtesy of the LSSTF. I would like to use this opportunity to urge existing and potential contributors to do more, as there is so much more room to scale up the interventions, for the benefit of all.
In addition to our direct efforts and investment in security, we have been vocal in encouraging the Federal Government to support State Policing in view of the levels of coverage and local context required to successfully secure such a large, populous, and diverse country, like ours.
Mr. Speaker, Distinguished Honourable Members, none of what we have achieved this year would be possible without the overwhelming support of this Honourable House. Let me therefore take this moment to express my profound and sincere appreciation to this Honourable House — from the Rt. Honourable Speaker to the Deputy Speaker, the Principal officers of the House, all distinguished members for your dedication, commitment to our joint task of governance and delivering the full dividends of democracy to the good people of our dear Lagos State. I will now proceed with the presentation of our Y2022 budget proposal.
THE Y2022 BUDGET
Mr Speaker, I am privileged to be presenting to you today, the Y2022 budget proposal, which has been tagged the “Budget of Consolidation” for good reason. As I noted earlier, 2022 will be the final full year of Budget Implementation before the next general election in 2023. It is therefore an excellent opportunity for us to consolidate on what we have done so far, and ensure that every effort, every investment, every partnership, every policy, is translating maximally into noticeable positive impact in the lives of our people.
The challenging environment also requires that we focus our interventions in areas of greatest social impact, achieving the greatest good for the greatest number, in the shortest possible time.
It is in this light that we are presenting the “The Year 2022 Budget of Consolidation”, with a budget size of
₦1,388,285,459,990.51, comprising total revenue of
₦1,135,159,092,822.30 and deficit financing of
₦253,126,367,168.21.
The Budget size is further analysed as recurrent expenditure of ₦564,934,331,886.41 (41%) and capital expenditure of ₦823,351,128,104.10 (59%).
The deficit financing will be by way of a combination of external and domestic loans and bonds, which are well within our fiscal sustainability parameters.
We have clearly articulated our vision in tackling governance in the State through the T.H.E.M.E.S agenda and have commenced the state’s thirty-year development plan 2021-2051 that will update and replace our previous plan, which was for 2012 -2025.
This is necessary given the huge global changes that have come on us as a people and a nation. We must therefore continue to have a long-range view to our desired outcomes. This plan will therefore provide strategic direction and oversight for further growth and development in the State. This Year 2022 Budget is the next step on our journey to true and sustainable greatness in Lagos State.
Mr. Speaker, Honourable Members, it is with a sense of duty and absolute commitment to the transformation of Lagos State into a preferred global destination for residence, commerce, and investment, that I present the Y2022 Budget proposal:
REVENUES
We propose a total revenue of ₦1,135,159,092,822.30 for Y2022. This composes of total internally generated revenues and total federal transfers as follows:
● Total IGR – ₦898,891,092,822.30
● Total Federal Transfer – ₦236,268,000,000.00
The Year 2022 budget projects a continuing but very gradual recovery to growth in economic activity as the global economy cautiously recovers from the impact of the Coronavirus pandemic. We have therefore approached our revenue expectations with cautious optimism.
It should be noted that there has been a corresponding review of the accruals from the Statutory Allocations and VAT in line with the downward review of the Federal Budget’s Benchmark Oil Price to $57 per barrel.
RECURRENT EXPENDITURE
We propose a recurrent expenditure of ₦564,934,331,886.41, composed of total Overhead, total Personnel cost, and recurrent Debt service:
● Total Overhead Cost – ₦303,272,873,298.10 comprising:
− Overhead Cost – ₦158,734 783,394.89
− Subventions – ₦89,642,302,488.07
− Dedicated – ₦54,895,787,415.14
● Total Personnel Cost – ₦189,399,268,261.49
● Recurrent Debt service – ₦72,262,190,326.82
CAPITAL EXPENDITURE
The Total Capital Expenditure of ₦823,351,128,104.09 analysed as shown below:
The Sectoral allocation in line with Classification of Functions of Government (COFOG) is proposed as tabulated hereunder:
(In speaking, Mr. Governor to pick line items from the table below)
Y2022 SECTORAL ALLOCATION
SECTOR RECURRENT CAPITAL TOTAL %
General Public Services 171,550,737,532 63,850,078,078 235,400,815,610 16.96
Public Order and Safety 27,495,540,668 34,215,150,759 61,710,691,428 4.45
Economic Affairs 52,552,479,436 272,461,685,959 325,014,165,395 23.41
Environment 27,333,214,487 22,513,490,489 49,846,704,975 3.59
Housing and Community Amenities 11,058,163,499 66,921,992,523 77,980,156,022 5.62
Health 87,875,869,487 35,290,946,481 123,166,815,968 8.87
Recreation, Culture and Religion 4,320,392,482 12,448,375,167 16,768,767,649 1.21
Education 112,650,516,469 Pa59,022,0g29,242 e171 ,672,5145,711 12.37
Social Protection 6,109,828,160 3,700,460,918 9,810,289,079 0.71
SECTORAL TOTAL 500,946,742,220 570,424,209,617 1,071,370,951,836 77.17
Contigency Reserve (Including Special
Expenditure-Statewide and Special
Expenditure-Others) 10,840,406,741 26,077,160,775 36,917,567,516 2.66
Loans (Repayments, CDSA & Debt
Servicing) – 170,997,372,704 170,997,372,704 12.32
Personnel Cost (Servicewide and
Pension) 53,147,182,926 – 53,147,182,926 3.83
Grants & Counterpact Fund 55,852,385,009 55,852,385,009 4.02
STATEWIDE 63,987,589,667 252,926,918,488 316,914,508,154 22.83
GRAND TOTAL 564,934,331,886 823,351,128,104 1,388,285,459,991 100.00
CONCLUSION
Mr. Speaker, Distinguished Honourable Members of the House, the need for a fit and proper federal fiscal framework that will guarantee true federalism for the different constituents of the country cannot be overemphasized. Our strident clamour that Lagos State should be granted a special status and complementary funding to enable it to maintain and improve the infrastructure that services the national economy, remains relevant.
Lagos is and must be recognized as the national asset that it is – which is a pre-eminent melting pot of cultures in Nigeria; the economic capital of Nigeria and the most populous megacity in all of Africa.
As a nation, we must acknowledge that every investment in Lagos has implications for national development and indeed for Nigeria’s capacity to take full advantage of the African Continental Free
Trade Area Agreement.
Lagos State will continue to be at the forefront of the push for a fiscal framework that is truly reflective of the contributions and status of the constituent parts of our Federal Republic, and that empowers the units that are closest to the people to deliver the dividends of democracy more effectively.
We as a nation must realize that every investment in Lagos has implications for national development, whether it is the ten lane airport road leading from the International airport or the Lekki deep sea port, together with the six lane Lekki Epe expressway, or the
Red and Blue rail line moving 32million commuters from Okoko and Agbado to Marina – these all serve to improve the commercial capacity of Nigeria and prepare her as a trading hub ready for the African Continental free trade area agreement.
We will, as I noted earlier, continue to explore Public-PrivatePartnership strategies in the provision of infrastructure and social services, and the conversion of our challenges to opportunities within the context of scarce financial resources.
I am very grateful to members of the organized private sector in all ramifications who have responded to our call to partner with Lagos
and have shown a great and uncommon partnership and contribution with our government. Indeed, that is what Lagos stands for and that is what it means to be Lagosian.
Let me also thank all Public Servants in our various Ministries, Departments and Agencies for identifying with our vision and working very hard to help achieve our set objectives. We no doubt have attained considerable success…..while we have progressed much further than where we used to be, we are still not where we would like to be. There is still so much work to be done and we cannot allow complacency to set in.
As we move forward, we will intensify the ongoing public sector reforms to enable better and more efficient delivery of quality service to the public with transparency, integrity, accountability and the spirit of true service. I urge all our workers to embrace the change that is upon us, and to constantly seek to improve on your skills, knowledge, and capacity, in the public interest.
I am grateful to all Honourable Members of this House for your support, patience, and cooperation. I thank the leadership and teeming members of our great party, the All-Progressives
Congress. I thank all our Royal Fathers for your unflinching support and your wise counsel for our administration. My gratitude also goes to Religious Leaders, Elders, and Community, Youth and Women Leaders, for joining hands with us to make Lagos the
success story that it is and will continue to be.
I am eternally grateful to the people of Lagos State for the opportunity and privilege to serve. I assure you that we will amplify the pace and scope of our work in the days and weeks and months ahead.
There lies ahead of us even more challenging roads that we must walk together if we must achieve the Lagos of our dreams. I will always remain committed to Lagosians and the Lagos Project, leading from the front, communicating, welcoming, receiving counsel, and taking decisive action.
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I will strive to deliver on your hopes and aspirations, never letting you down, and I hope that every time I look behind me, I will find you there, because you are the ones who give basis and validity to whatever servant-leadership I am opportune to offer to this Center of Excellence that we call home.
History has thrust on us, gathered here in this Chamber, an awesome privilege, at a very important time in the evolution of our State. We must therefore seize this privilege with both hands, knowing that posterity will be a strict and inescapable judge of how well we have performed with what we have been given.
We have a unique opportunity to actualize the immense potential of our State and launch her on the path of irreversible prosperity for the benefit of our people. We must set our hearts and hands to the work, in one accord; knowing that the Almighty God will surely bless and multiply all our efforts and grant us amplified success on all fronts.
I thank you all for listening. God bless you.
Long live Lagos State.
Long live the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
BABAJIDE OLUSOLA SANWO-OLU
GOVERNOR OF LAGOS STATE
NOVEMBER 24, 2021
