The Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Mudashiru Obasa, on Saturday called for timely presentation of the budget to the legislature by October of every year to ensure better delivery of good governance to the people.
Obasa, who is also the Chairman, Conference of Speakers State Assemblies of Nigeria, made the call in his keynote address at a three-day Budget Retreat for Lagos lawmakers held in Abeokuta, Ogun State.
The theme of the retreat was: “The Imperative of Transformative Governance in Lagos State Through Effective Budgeting and Implementation.”
Obasa, who was represented at the retreat by the Deputy Speaker, Mr. Sanni Eshinlokun, Obasa said budget implementation remained a major problem at all levels of government, saying there is a need to improve the process.
He said: “We need to also build the capacity of the civil servants in project management, decentralisation of expenditure and approval processes.
“Others are partnering with the private sector in project implementation within the context of Public-Private- Partnership (PPP) and better communication between the executive and the legislature on budget issues.”
The Lagos Assembly speaker said the retreat was organised to equip the lawmakers with the required skills to effectively carry out their constitutional role as legislators. (NAN)
