The Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Mudashiru Ajayi Obasa, on Friday, December 15th, 2023 urged lawmakers of the state to avoid letting their constituents down.
Dr. Obasa gave the advice in Abuja at a three-day budget retreat titled: ‘Sustainability of ongoing reforms in Lagos State: prospects, opportunities and challenges’, organised for lawmakers.
The Speaker reminded the lawmakers that they represent millions of residents who expect to see a Lagos State that meets their yearnings.
“We all represent the 40 constituencies of Lagos State and the people in those constituencies are in their millions. How do we serve them effectively? One of the ways is for us to understand the rudiments and details of budgets.”
“We must, therefore, truly understand the intention of coming together to discuss issues with the budget knowing that this is in the interest of those we serve,” he said.
According to the Speaker, the knowledge to be gained by the lawmakers at the retreat would help them understand the details of the 2024 budget recently presented by Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu and further assist them when they perform their constitution-backed oversight functions.
“You can only perform effective oversight functions when you have the knowledge of what you are expected to do. I, therefore, urge us to pay attention and be dedicated because I believe the knowledge we will gain here will further sharpen our understanding.”
“The essence of this is to ensure that we prevent waste and identify corruption where necessary.”
“Above all, we should always remember that we have great people, residents of Lagos, who we promised to serve excellently,” he said.
In his remarks, the Clerk of the House, Barr. Olalekan Onafeko, expressed hope that the retreat would be beneficial to the House of Assembly.
He noted that the Speaker, during the budget presentation, had given an insight into the roles the House is expected to play in its passage.
Governor Sanwo-Olu last Wednesday presented the 2024 budget of N2.246 trillion, comprising total revenue of N1.847,951 trillion and deficit financing of N398.283 billion to the House of Assembly.
The retreat aims at broadening the knowledge of members of the House, many of whom are in their first term.