Politics
2020 Budget: Council Boss Promises Judicious Use Of Funds
Chairman, Agege Local Government Area of Lagos State, Mr Ganiyu Egunjobi, says both the federal and internally generated revenue accrued to the council will be utilised to meet people’s needs.
Egunjobi made the assertion at the 2020 Budget Presentation Retreat held yesterday in Abeokuta, Ogun State.
According to him, the 2020 Budget is consolidating on the participatory planning process in achieving economic development.
“We would judiciously utilise our monthly statutory allocations from the Federal Government in addition to what we generate inwardly to pursue our plans and programmes.
“Also, the need to expand our revenue base cannot be overemphasised as such, we would continue to explore avenues of achieving this development,” he said.
The council chief added that the four development pillars of the Lagos State Development Plans remained the yardstick for the council’s budget in 2020 fiscal year.
Egunjobi said that economic, infrastructure, social and society; as well sustainable development would be the paramount focus of his administration.
“We would continue to pursue the said objectives in the current year.
“Participatory planning has continued to remain paramount in achieving economic growth and development,” he noted.
Egunjobi said that all developmental issues would be prioritised to ensure that all wards in the council continue to feel the impact of his administration.
The chairman said this would enhance achieving the goals and objectives of the local government in meeting the aspirations of the populace in the year.
According to him, the goals and objectives in the current year will also focus on maintenance of existing infrastructure facilities, public utilities and maintenance of a tidy environment.
Egunjobi said that provision of educational equipment and materials in all vocational centres and primary schools and continued empowerment for women and youths would be focussed on.
He added that there would be provision of drugs and other equipment for Primary Healthcare Centres (PHCs) and staff clinic and continued support for security service providers would also be the council’s priorities.
Politics
LP Crisis: Ex-NWC Member Dumps Dumps Abure Faction
Mr Ojukwu, who recently returned to the interim National Working Committee led by Senator Esther Nenadi Usman, noted that the party had 34 elected members in the House of Representatives, eight Senators, and 80 members at the state Houses of Assembly after the 2023 general elections.
“Now we lost all of them,” he said. “I don’t think we have as many as five members in the National Assembly.”
The former national officer of the LP talked to journalists in Abuja and said he chose to join the caretaker committee led by Senator Nenadi-Usman because they are now the officially recognized leaders of the Party.
“I chose to work with the caretaker committee to help save the Labour Party, for the benefit of the party. I also want to use this chance to ask my colleagues at the national, state, and local government levels to come together and help rebuild our party.
“Another election is around the corner. We lost everything we have. They have left to other political parties. So I’ll reach out to all my friends in the other group to get together and work on making this party stronger again.
“The caretaker committee has formed a reconciliation committee. Let’s come together and talk so that we can restore the first opposition political party in Nigeria.”
Mr Ojukwu, who was part of the Julius Abure’s group, said there are no more factions in the LP.
He added, “There is a court ruling, and since it is valid, the right people are in the correct positions.”
He urged Barr Abure and others to drop the legal cases they have filed because they are not helping the party.
“Litigations are killing political parties”, he said. “They’ve seen many political parties disappear because of legal battles, and the Labor Party is losing support every day, which makes me feel sad.”
Mr Ojukwu said he did not think joining the Senator Nenadi-Usman’s NWC was a betrayal of the Abure group, describing himself as “the oxygen” of that faction.
“I’m with this group because of the verdict. But I never betrayed anybody. Rather, I was betrayed,” he added.
