There are indica- tions that Gov- ernor Akinwun- mi Ambode of Lagos State may seek legislative approval to re-order the state’s 2015 budget.
The budget size of N489.690 billion was signed by the immediate past governor of the state, Babatunde Fashola, on January 11.
The planned budget re- ordering, it was gathered, is to enable the new gov- ernor re-prioritise sectoral spending in the remaining months of 2015, before his administration’s first full budget for 2016.
The sectoral allocation of the state 2015 budget size, which is same as that of 2014, but with a capital/recurrent ratio of 51:49 percent, respective- ly, is as follows: General public service, N107.690 billion (22%); public or- der and safety, N15.547 billion (3.2%); eco- nomic affairs, N146.306 (29.9%); environmen- tal protection, N34.953 billion (7.1%); housing and community ame- nities, N49.033 billion (10%); health, N44.617 (9.1%); recreation, culure and religion, N3.118 billion (0.6%); education, N82.114 billion (16.8%); social protection, N1.589 billion (0.3%); planning reserve, N2.260 (0.5%), and contingency, N2.448 billion (0.5%).
A source within the State House told Busi- nessDay on Wednesday that “the re-ordering of the budget would help the governor to hit the ground running in the delivery of some of his campaign promises.”
One of such promises, it would be re- called, has been the fixing of Lagos inner roads, most of which are in their worst forms.
It was learnt the last administration came un- der severe pressure by the 2015 general elections, which was further shifted by six weeks, and therefore could not do much, not even a sizable proportion of the budget had been utilised.
The Independent Elec- toral Commission shifted the 2015 general elec- tions, initially scheduled to start February 14, with the presidential poll, to March 28, in what gener- ally jolted political parties and governments across the country.
JOSHUA BASSEY
