The Lagos State Governor, Akinwunmi Ambode, yesterday pledged to pay compensations to owners of demolished buildings to facilitate construction.
The governor, who spoke at the 10th Quarterly Town Hall meeting, said he would begin the payment in the next four weeks. He added that henceforth, such displaced persons would be relocated before construction begins. He disclosed that his government would not embark on any development without carrying the people along.
While promising to prioritise education and healthcare, he added that he would stimulate the economy and create employment one of which is giving out projects of demolished buildings site to citizens. He said: “Despite the harsh economy, our state’s budget performed at 82 per cent. The total revenue generated was N503.7billion, representing a performance of 78 per cent.
“The total recurrent expenditure was N281.33billion, which is a performance of 92 per cent. Also, the total capital expenditure stood at N387.60billion or 76 per cent performance.
“With this, we initiated and delivered many high impact projects and critical infrastructure aimed at making life easier for the people. We disbursed funds to small businesses and individuals to stimulate the economy.”
Ambode commended the people whose support enabled him to perform well last year.
On security, he said the government has taken strategic steps to secure the residents, adding that killer herdsmen would not have a space in the state. The governor revealed that the Lagos State Employment Trust Fund disbursed N4.5billion to 5,500 beneficiaries in 2017, who also received training on financial literacy and business management. He said in fulfilling the promise to students in tertiary institutions across the state, N635.5million was disbursed to 8,419 students across the state.
“Our government acquired healthcare equipment worth N2.5 billion. The equipment would strengthen the capacity of our health facilities to render improved health services and also facilitate the smooth take off of the Lagos State Health Scheme. “In order to meet the needs of the youth in the area of technical and vocational development, we have approved the establishment of three new technical colleges, bringing the numbers to eight,” he said
Credit: The Guardian Nigeria
