The Socialist Party of Nigeria has called on the Lagos State Government to pay workers in the state fair wages and improve standards of living for the general populace.
In a statement signed by the Chairman of the Lagos State Chapter of the Socialist Party of Nigeria, Rufus Olusesan, it expressed concerned about the equitable distribution and utilisation of funds to benefit the ordinary people of Lagos who had been grappling with severe economic hardship.
“We call upon the government of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, APC-led administration to prioritise the welfare of Lagos State workers and the general populace. The IGR must be channelled towards improving the lives of the people and addressing pressing concerns such as the deplorable state of roads across Lagos State.
“We express our dismay at the grossly inadequate provision of palliatives in Lagos State despite the growing poverty occasioned by the subsidy removal and devaluation of Naira,” the party said.
SPN noted that with democratic management and control of public finances and funding, involving the democratic participation of workers and the public, mismanagement and looting of public funds would be checkmated.
“This is to guarantee the provision of more basic amenities as well as improvement in the working and living standards of Lagosians. It could also ensure that public funds are transparently invested in job creation and employment opportunities for youths,” it added.
According to SPN, the revenue generated in the state must serve the interests of the people and not go to the pocket of the ruling corrupt politicians.
Meanwhile, the Lagos State Commissioner for Economic Planning and Budget, Ope George, recently disclosed that the Lagos State Government generated N400bn in the first half of this year.
He revealed that during the 2024 Budget Consultative Forum, expressing confidence in the state’s ability to meet its end-of-year target.
He disclosed that the Lagos State Government initially estimated an Internally Generated Revenue of N924.805bn to finance its N1.768tn 2023 budget, stressing the need to increase the IGR target for 2024 to provide more essential services to the people of Lagos.
He underscored the state’s strong credit rating and robust IGR as indicators of its potential to attract investments and funding, including through public-private partnerships.
“We have a good credit rating and a robust IGR which can help us attract the right set of investments and funding. We must be creative in our approach to funding, ensuring it is a well-balanced mix of IGR and various funding mechanisms. We are actively exploring PPPs and seeking attractive concessions at reasonable rates,” he stated.
