Governor  Akinwunmi Ambode again came out last Tuesday to render account of his stewardship to the people of Lagos State  in the ancient town of  Badagry. It was indeed an opportunity for the governor to let the people know the projects he embarked upon in the past six months and those to be executed  in another  six months. L-R: Lagos State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode (3rd right); Commissioner for Housing, Mr. Gbolahan Lawal; his counterparts for Water Infrastructure Development, Engr. Adebowale Adesanya; Works & Infrastructure, Engr. Ganiyu Johnson; Deputy Governor, Dr. (Mrs.) Oluranti Adebule; Special Adviser to the Governor on the Environment, Mr. Babatunde Hunpe and other members of the State Executive Council during the Governor’s inspection of the ongoing construction of the Ido Railway in Badagry, Lagos. File photo He also took time to feel the pulse of residents while  responding to the many petitions  before him. The  fourth quarterly Town Hall Meeting was  held at the Muslim Community Praying Ground,  Badagry,  and attended by top government functionaries, former public office holders, traditional rulers, community leaders, party chieftains, market men and women, youths, religious leaders, artisans, traditional rulers, members of the private sector, among others. Ambode had  arrived  the ancient town  a day earlier, where he inspected the Light-Up project in Badagry and environs. On the day of the meeting, the atmosphere was  carnival-like. The Town Hall Meeting, introduced by  the governor, to  geared towards rendering account of his stewardship and directly engaging the people on their views about governance and, more importantly, where government should intervene on issues affecting them. The Town Hall Meeting had previously held in  Lagos East and Lagos Central senatorial districts, respectively. Ambode, in Badagry, noted that despite the current challenging economic environment, the overall 2016 budget performance of the state, as of half year, recorded 70 percent, while total revenue recorded 73 percent. According to him,  his administration has earmarked N10 billion each  for the upgrade of health and education sectors, respectively, across the state within the next six months. Giving the analysis of the budget, the governor said; “The overall budget performance as at half year was 70 percent which is an improvement over the corresponding period in 2015 when the performance stood at 63 percent. “Revenue recorded 73 percent performance for the half year 2016 despite the challenging economic environment. Your government spent a total of N115.624bn on  capital projects during the half year 2016 leading to the capital/ recurrent ratio of 50:50 with the plan to improve this ratio to 58:42 provided for in 2016 Appropriation Law in the remaining half of the year”. On the N20 billion for upgrading, Ambode stated: “We have commenced a comprehensive action to rehabilitate and upgrade the facilities in all our hospitals. Modern equipment will be procured to facilitate treatment and we will invest in capacity-building of our medical staff. “We intend to spend over N10 billion on our hospitals across the state before December. “We will recruit and train medical professionals in areas of rare specialization and special needs. “This administration will establish a  technical and vocational school in Badagry. The ground breaking will be done in September. In addition, we will upgrade the infrastructure in all our schools starting from this month of July. “All our primary and secondary schools will be upgraded to create conducive learning environment for students and teachers. Another N10 billion has been earmarked for this facelift of our secondary and  primary schools across the state”. While speaking on  his administration’s achievements in  last quarter,  the governor said greater plans were on-going to make life more comfortable, simpler and safer for the people. He disclosed that aside the N500 million disability fund aimed at advancing the cause of persons living with disabilities, his administration would decentralize the Lagos State Office of Disability (LASODA) and recruit 200 physically challenged persons to manage the affairs of their colleagues in all the Local Government Areas and Local Council Development Areas, LCDA, in the state. He said his administration would pay greater attention to the issues concerning the elderly especially by establishing three Elderly Care Centres across the state. His words: “We will sponsor bills to the House of Assembly which will make specific provisions for the elderly in our society and create a framework for care for the aged. Our priority is to commence the provision of Three Elderly Care centres across the Three Senatorial Zones and further urge the private sector for support and collaboration thereafter.” Ambode said as a follow up to the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency, LASEMA, Response Unit in Cappa, Oshodi, an outpost unit would be situated between Ojo and Badagry in this quarter with two other outposts in Fadeyi and Lekki. The governor disclosed the Lagos administration’s plans to revive the tourism potentials of Badagry, saying the long term plan includes the establishment of a  university of  hospitality in the area. On job creation, Ambode said, “We signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the Lagos Smart City with the operators of the Dubai Smart City. This agreement is expected to bring multi-billion dollar investments to the state, create employment opportunities and transform the Ibeju-Lekki axis and the entire Lagos State.” The governor, who, on Wednesday, presided over the State Executive Council meeting held at the VIP Chalet in Badagry, said his administration had fine-tuned plans to make Badagry a hub of tourism and resort enterprise in Africa within the next 18 to 24 months. He vowed that his administration would spare nothing to make Badagry a flashpoint for developmental projects. “Our eyes are set on Badagry, let’s do something for the future. We are going to open up Badagry forever,” Ambode stated. He  inspected the road under construction from Badagry Expressway to Whispering Palms Resort, where he said  the contract for the completion would be awarded shortly even while expressing optimism that the move would further boost the tourism potentials of the area. Ambode later visited  the Badagry Asphalt Plant, which he commissioned. Secretary to the State Government, Mr. Tunji Bello, said it was the first time, in his many years in service, that  the State Executive Council of a government would hold its meeting in Badagry. “This is a good sign of the visionary leadership Governor Ambode is providing in the state,” Bello added. Also speaking, the state Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr. Steve Ayorinde, reiterated the symbolism and importance of the State Executive Council meeting holding in Badagry for the first time. Ayorinde said that the decision of the governor to take the meeting outside the Lagos House, Ikeja, for the very first time, was a clear indication of  Ambode’s  readiness and commitment to spread development to every nook and cranny of Lagos. “The Governor spent three days in Badagry, which goes to show that every part of the state is secure and the governor can perform his duty in every part of Lagos” , the commission

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