KOSOFE LGA HOLDS YEAR 2021 BUDGET RETREAT.

KOSOFE LGA HOLDS YEAR 2021 BUDGET RETREAT

…promises to reflect the requests of Stakeholders in budget

The entire Executive Council and Management staff of Kosofe Local Government Council are committed to consider and process the requests of relevant stakeholders in the Year 2021 Budget, themed “Budget of Rekindling Hope in the Face of Global Pandemic”. 

The Executive Chairman, Hon. Afolabi Sofola, disclosed this while flagging off a 2- day Budget Retreat slated from Thursday, February 4, 2021 to Saturday, February, 6, 2021 at Swiss International D’Palms Airport Hotel, Ajao Estate, Lagos. 

In his words, “the budget retreat cannot take off without a stakeholders meeting, so what we are doing now is to put together all the requests of various communities and see how we can make provisions for them in our 2021 budget because if you do not have the right vote of charge in a department, you may not be able accomplish what you need to do that year”. 

He said various Heads of Departments are here to defend their various votes of charge and get them scrutinized to avoid an over bloated budget or a budget that is not up to scratch.

 In other words, ‘’we should all be realistic in our deliberations and to achieve effective performance through our budget provisions”. He added. 

The year 2021 budget, he said is going to be funded from dependent revenue which is allocation received including deduction from source, state coordinated and grant revenue and the Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) from the local government.

Sofola further revealed that there will be strict monitoring on revenue generation this year so that the budgeted IGR can be met. In this view, he stated that the council has introduced electronic payment (e-payment) where all council taxes and levis goes directly into the covers of the Local government and the process he said  which have substantially reduced the level of thievery and fraud in the system on those that are collecting and paying levies. 

The Council Chairman reiterated his commitment to looking inwards and discover other areas that can open up Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) that falls within his administrative sphere, in order to boost this year’s IGR because Kosofe being an urban area should be generating an IGR much more than we are generating. 

Earlier, The Head of Planning, Budget, Research and Statistics Unit, Mrs. Modupe Adekola revealed that the theme of this year’s budget was conceived to fit appropriately to the present state of economy as a result of the global pandemic, with Lagos being the epicenter in Nigeria. 

While reviewing the budget performance of Year 2020 of the Council, she disclosed that the actual revenue performance of Year 2020 budget records N2,382,108,732.47 which is 82 percent, as against budget of N2,887,806,775.28 from this amount, the projected 2020 revenue budget stood at N88,366,343.36 with the actual IGR at N58,117,456.44 which is 66% performance despite the Coronavirus pandemic and the lockdown ravaging the whole country. The expenditure performance records stood at N2,310,703,862.52 which is 80 percent of expected expenditure of N2,887,806,775.28

“We hope the economy would pick up in year 2021 despite the second wave of the global pandemic. Lagos, like other states and by extension, Kosofe Local Government is not immune to the issues faced nationally, and even globally”. 

According to Adekola, Lagos one of the fastest growing cities in the world, hosting 10% of the country’s population on less than 0.4% of the entire land mass, where Kosofe local government is domicile indeed has its own special set of challenges such as unemployment, infrastructural deficit, insecurity and high levels of unchecked rural-urban migration.

“The year 2021 budget will last for a full fiscal year and will continue to meet all commitments and targets for reducing liabilities, modernizing Kosofe Local Council and consolidate the social services and infrastructural assets provision and strengthening the Internal Generated Revenue IGR base of the council inspire the challenges posed by Covid-19”. She said. 

In his response, the Head of Administration, Alhaji MBS Arole commended the Council Chairman on his tremendous achievements in the past years, especially in 2020 despite the challenges of Covid-19 pandemic. Stressing that in 2021 he is confident that with the creativity, ingenuity and resilience of people of Kosofe and the determination of this administration, especially the ongoing commissioning of Infrastructural projects across the local government and other projects in line with the THEMES Agenda Lagos will achieve a greater Lagos. 

The Council Treasurer, Mr. Babatunde Olugbuyi urged the good people of Kosofe to pay their levies and taxes promptly for them to enjoy their dividends of democracy and assures them of accountability and good delivery of services in the 2021 fiscal year.

Meanwhile, at the two-day budget retreat some members of staff and political holders of the Local government were honoured with awards of excellence for their outstanding performances and services to the Local Government in year 2020.

Those who were honoured are: Hon. Afolabi Sofola, Executive Chairman Kosofe Local Government; MBS AROLE, Head of Administration;

Mrs Solape Amokunmosa, HOD Environment;

Hon. Fatai Gbadebo, Chief of Staff to the executive chairman; Dr. Adeleke Oguntuase, MOH; Comrade Taiwo Fadipe, Chief Press Secretary/SSA Press Matters; Mr. Bolaji, Area officer and Pastor Michael Oduntan,  Personal Assistant to the Executive Chairman.