The Lagos State Government said it has spent over ₦700 million to assist about 2,344 vulnerable residents across the state in 2024.
This is according to the Special Adviser to the Governor on Political, Legislative, and Civic Engagement, Dr. Afolabi Tajudeen, during a media chat in Lagos.
Tajudeen explained that the gesture stemmed out of “Sanwo-Olu Listens”, a social welfare programme designed to alleviate the burdens of vulnerable residents and the funds was disbursed to address the immediate needs of the beneficiaries.
He said that the mandate of the Office has been effectively executed in the last years of the administration of Babajide Sanwo-Olu to foster a harmonious and inclusive environment that aligns with the state THEMES+ developmental agenda that prioritises social inclusion and resilience in governance.
“In the context of the ongoing economic difficulties that many Nigerians face, the programme has continued to alleviate poverty and improve the quality of life for those in need. Those that have benefitted from the programme include the elderly, low-income earners, persons living with disabilities, indigent students, small-scale business owners, the downtrodden, etc,” he said
He also showcased other achievements of his office, including the Lagos CitizensGate mobile application, quarterly sensitisation and engagement programmes for community development, and the 18th Executive/Legislative Parley among others.
Tajudeen said the app promotes transparency and grassroots participation, allowing Lagosians to address complaints, make inquiries, and engage with the government through digital communication.
According to him “I want to reiterate that this government is committed to cushioning the effect of the fuel subsidy removal, especially on every resident of Lagos State. The government will not relent in its effort to bring relief to residents of Lagos and also maintain peaceful and harmonious working relationships with all stakeholders in the state towards achieving the ‘Greater Lagos Rising’ vision of this administration,”
He expressed appreciation to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu and his deputy, Dr. Obafemi Hamzat, for their leadership prowess towards ensuring the steady growth of the state that is accompanied by peaceful coexistence and economic development.
Thorough engagement
Also speaking at the event, the Deputy Governor of Lagos State, Dr. Obafemi Hamzat said that the administration of Babajide Sanwo-Olu has executed numerous initiatives and implemented policies that had impacted positively on the residents of the state in the last five years through a close-knit engagement with the people.
Hamzat explained that one of the intuitive ideas of the current administration is Citizen Gate 2.0, a platform designed by the government to address some of the challenges facing the people particularly the vulnerable in the state.
According to Hamzat “Citizens Gate for us is a game changer, the idea is that we can engage with our citizens effectively and at rate time, if anyone complains about any problems, we get to know through this platform and then we will look at it and how we can quickly get them resolved.” he said
Positive Narrative
While emphasising the importance of projecting positive narratives about Lagos and Nigeria as a whole, Hamzat explained that citizens must know that paying taxes is a civic responsibility that will allow for quick development and turnaround of the economy, stressing that the government is doing so much, in the transportation, health, education and other sectors, and most of these efforts receive fewer media coverage and consequently the public was denied of this information.
He said, “In Lagos, we have almost a million children in public schools and the teachers are getting paid, it is your taxes that are sustaining them. But imagine those children without education what do you think will happen? In the last year, over 7 Million people visited our general hospital in Lagos, it is your taxes that made it happen. The state has also constructed about 198 roads built with taxpayers’ money.
“We cannot be in a society where we think about ourselves, we must think about the vulnerable.
A lot of positive things are happening in Lagos, which citizens need to know and that was why he chooses to engage the media.”
Better days
The Deputy Governor maintained that the cost of food is high at the moment and the same with the cost of building materials and this he attributed to the slow pace of project execution in Lagos State, but with the assurance of better years ahead.
He also added that the education system in Nigeria is not bad because foreigners are recruiting our teachers, nurses, doctors and experts who received the same education that was painted bad, stressing that the current economic challenge is not new and the solution is how to make things better.
Hamzat also lauded President Bola Tinubu’s vision to build a trillion-dollar economy, describing it as the path to lifting Nigerians out of poverty.
“When Tinubu said his administration was to build a trillion-dollar economy that is the way to go. What is the problem? As a people, we must do something different,” he said, noting that Lagos should aim for innovative solutions to achieve this goal.
He, therefore, seeks an increase in the fiscal budget to enable the government to deliver more on those campaign promises, while urging the teeming youths to key into programmes designed by the government to better their lots.
Dominica Nwabufo
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