Passage of Lagos budget suffers setback

    
The passage of Lagos State 2014 Budget Appropriation Bill on Monday suffered setback as some state ministries, departments and parastatal agencies failed to present their reports for verification.

The Chairman, House Committee on Budget, Mr Mudashiru Obasa, said at the plenary session that 10 ministries, departments and parastatal agencies h ad yet to present their reports.

“Some of the MDAs are not through with their reports and the committee has written to them and they promised to come with the reports,” he said.

The lawmaker said that the committee encountered some difficulties in the verification of the MDAS’ reports.

Also, Mr Ipoola Omisore, the Chairman, House Committee on House Services and Special Duties, said that the house would frown at any agency that impeded early passage of the budget.

In his comment, Mr Abdul-Rasaq Balogun, the Deputy Chief Whip, said that some MDAs took the presentation of their reports with levity.

Balogun said that the MDAs should have worked on the reports before now for easy and early passage of the budget.

The Speaker, Mr Adeyemi Ikuforiji, who presided over the session, said that Gov. Babatunde Fashola presented the budget early enough for the house to work on.

Ikuforiji said it would not go on recess until the budget was passed.

“The governor brought the budget on time to the house and I don’t see any reason why we should not pass it early.

“The house will not go on recess until the budget is passed.

“We can give few more days and ask the clerk of the house to write the MDAs to submit their reports to the committee within three days,” Ikuforiji said.

The speaker, however, directed the MDAs to submit their reports Jan. 2.

NAN reports that Fashola had presented N489.7 billion as the state 2014 budget on Oct. 30.

Some of the affected MDAs are Eko Project, Lagos State Building Construction Agency, Ministry of Housing, Ministry of Works and Infrastructure, and Lagos State Residents Registration Agency.

Others are Ministry of Economy, Planning and Budget; Ministry of Transportation, Lagos State Metropolitan Development Agency, Lagos State Waste Management Authority and Lagos Lottery Board.