By Olanrewaju Adesanya
The Lagos State House of Assembly on Thursday March 25, 2021 approved the request of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu to purchase 355 vehicles for Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs)out of the 916 needed for various officials of the government.
The approval was done through a voice vote supervised by the Speaker of the House, Rt. Hon. Mudashiru Obasa.
The House had on Monday March 22 announced during plenary that it received a letter from the Ministry of Economic Planning and Budget seeking approval to expend from the special expenditure to procure vehicles for official use by officials of the MDAs to aid effective and efficient service.
The Speaker of the House, Rt. Hon. Mudashiru Obasa subsequently committed the request to the House Committee on Economic Planning and Budget headed by Hon. Gbolahan Yishawu (Eti Osa 2), and the committee was told to report to the House on Thursday.
In presenting the report during plenary on Thursday, Hon. Gbolahan Yishawu revealed that the Committee invited the state’s Head of Service (HOS), Mr. Hakeem Muri-Okunola and the Permanent Secretary in the state Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning, Mrs. Abiola Liadi amongst others to defend the request.
According to him, the three requests to expend from the special expenditure votes included the sum of N464, 375,000 Million, N1, 395, 300 billion and N2,567,535,000 Billion totalling N4,427,210 Billion.
The money is to be financed from the Special Expenditure Votes of the 2021 Appropriation Law.
Yishawu added that the Committee urged the officials of the state government to include purchase of vehicles for government officials in subsequent budgets rather than requesting for purchase of vehicles from special expenditure votes.
He revealed that the state government actually needed about 1,006 for its officials as discovered by the Committee, but that the Governor approved only 355 due to shortage of fund.
A Bill for A Law to Consolidate All Laws Relating to The Transport Sector 2021 was also passed by the House.
House later sitting to Monday 12th April, 2021.