Gboyega Akinsanmi
Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu yesterday signed the 2019 appropriation bill valued at N873.5 billion into law, thereby ending a six-month impasse between the executive and legislative arms under the administration of former Governor Akinwunmi Ambode.
The governor, also, signed the Domestic Staff Service Provider Registration Bill; Lagos State House of Assembly Commission Service (Amended) Bill; and the Lagos State Neighbourhood Safety Corps Agency Law, all of which were enacted under the Ambode’s administration.
He signed the four bills into law at the State House, Alausa yesterday alongside the Deputy Governor, Dr. Obafemi Hamzat; the Solicitor-General of the state, Mrs. Funmilola Odunlami; and the Chairman of the Appropriation Committee, Hon. Gbolahan Yishawu, among others.
The Lagos State House of Assembly had passed the 2019 appropriation bill on April 29, precisely four weeks to the end of the Ambode’s administration. But the assembly refused to transmit the bill to Ambode for assent for no clear reason.
The disagreement came to the open when Ambode sent the 2019 appropriation bill to the assembly on December 24 with a note requesting to formally present the budget on December 28. But the assembly declined the request on the ground that the lawmakers were on recess.
Subsequently, the assembly agreed that the governor would present the appropriation bill on January 21. But the lawmakers did not attend to the governor on the day the budget was scheduled for public presentation.
Just before Sanwo-Olu’s inauguration, THISDAY exclusively reported that the assembly might not transmit the 2019 appropriation bill to Ambode for endorsement due to political intrigues and succession politics that eclipsed the budgetary process since December 2018.
THISDAY had, equally, reported that the delay in transmitting the 2019 appropriation bill was a phase in the politics of succession, which some governmental officials claimed, had undermined the delivery of social services in the state
for a period of one and half years.
