The recently commissioned world class Oshodi Transport Interchange and high and medium capacity buses for public transportation in Lagos by President Muhammadu Buhari may be endangered if what transpired during the debate on the report of the Appropriation committee of the Lagos State House of Assembly and subsequent passage of the budget on Monday is anything to go by.
The projects which were intiated and still on-going by the Governor Akinwunmi Ambode administration have unresolved issues with the state Assembly which would affect their speedy completion by this administration.
Infact, the projects were the only issues that came up for mention during the debate of the Appropriation committee report on the 2019 budget at plenary on Monday before the budget was eventually passed.
Part of the recommendation of the committee as contained in the report was that the money budgetted for the completion of the projects should be deleted from the 2019 budget which would have meant stalling or stopping work outrightly on the projects.
Our investigations into why the House would want to do that to such laudable projects that would bring succour to millions of Lagosians and Nigerians revealed that there are issues, of non compliance by the executive to directives of the Assembly concerning the projects, involved.
However, during the brief debate on the committee report at plenary, Chief Whip of the House, Hon. Rotimi Abiru advised or suggested that instead of deleting the monies for the projects outrightly from the budget it should be transferred to Special Expenditure fund.
And former Chairman of the Appropriation committee, Hon. Rotimi Olowo who spoke after Abiru supported the suggestion, they were the only two people who contributed to the debate and this was the only issue raised before the committee’s report was adopted as a resolution of the House and budget was subsequently passed.
The implication of remitting the monies to the special expenditure fund is that the governor cannot access the money unless he makes recourse to the House.
Our investigations revealed that the lawmakers took this step because, according to them the two projects are alien or unknown to the House. (The Nation)
