24th January, 2016
Yinka Ogundimu, the Chairman, Lagos State House of Assembly Committee on Finance, has said that the legislature would ensure the full implementation of 2016 budget by the executive arm of government.
Ogundimu told NAN on Sunday in Lagos that the legislature had the constitutional responsibility through its oversight functions to ensure that the executive arm implemented the budget to its letter.
According to him, the House through its standing committees, would ensure strict compliance to the Appropriation Bill as passed by the Assembly on December 31, 2015.
The lawmaker said that the legislative arm would ensure that the executive arm stressing that the assembly would fulfill its statutory responsibilities to the citizens of the state without any hindrance.
“If, we members of the legislative arm perform our oversight functions dutifully, there is no way the executive arm will be smarter than us.”
The lawmaker called for a quarterly review of activities of all ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) of government by the House Committees.
Ogundimu, who noted that the budget could not capture the entire needs of citizens, urged the executive arm to prioritise its the needs. “Many needs are begging for attention, but all cannot be captured at the same time,” he said.
“We cannot do all that we want at the same time because of limited resources, all we need is to prioritise.
“We just need to concentrate on the most pressing needs like education, health, security, infrastructure which cannot wait till another year.”
The chairman advised all MDAs in the state to adhere strictly to the implementation of the budgets. According to him, if there is the need for deviation, it must be made known for all to see and the legislature must be carried along.
“All MDAs must follow this financial law without deviation because anything out of this can lead to financial crimes that can lead to prosecution.”
On the plan by the state to borrow to finance the budget, the lawmaker said that it was better for a state to borrow to build infrastructure.
Ogundimu said that such would enhance an enabling environment for economic activities that would also improve the Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) of the state.
The lawmaker, who said that 2016 was going to be very challenging, urged residents to try to endure and key-in into the plans of the government.