Gov. Akinwunmi Ambode of Lagos State on Thursday presented a 2016 budget proposal of N662.58 billion to the Lagos State House of Assembly for approval.

Ambode, who tagged the budget ‘The People’s Budget,’ said that it would promote massive investment in security, transport/traffic management, physical and social infrastructural development as well as enhance job creation.

The budget is made up of capital expenditure of N383.678 billion and a recurrent expenditure of N278.909 billion in the ratio of 58:42 respectively as against 51:49 in 2014 and 2015.

“This represents an improvement of 26 per cent over the budgets of 2014 and 2015 respectively, which stood at N489.69 billion.”

Ambode said that the total revenue estimate for 2016 fiscal year was N542.87billion.

He said that this showed that the balance of N119.71billion would be funded through deficit financing that would be 0.41 per cent of the state GDP based on 2016 budget alone and a cumulative debt to GDP ratio of about 3 per cent.

The budget breakdown revealed that Economic Affairs had the highest allocation of N211,04 billion followed by General Public Services, N120,50 billion.

Education and Health had N113.37 billion and N64.67 billion respectively.

Housing and Community Housing and Community Amenities got N62.71 billion while Environment got N53.04 billion and Public Order and Safety N28.55 billion.

Others are Recreation, Culture and Religion, N4.63 billion and Social Protection N4.02 billion.

Ambode said that the 2016 budget would be used to strategically build new infrastructure, while existing ones would be maintained.

Ambode pointed out that the Federal Government still owed the state N50 billion expended on federal roads in the state.

“Fiscal federalism and according Lagos a special status will benefit the state as we implore the Federal Government to look into this as soon as possible.

“We look forward to an early refund to enable us utilise the fund on other infrastructure that require attention.”

Also, Gov. Ambode on Thursday said that the government’s ‘A-Meal-a-Day’ programme in the state's Public Primary schools would commence in 2016.

Ambode said that the programme would be done in collaboration with the Federal Government, which would provide 60 per cent of the funding.

He said that the state government would provide the remaining 40 per cent.

“This programme promises not only to improve the daily nutrition of our children.

“It will also create an economy of its own, with opportunities for job creation, income generation, poverty alleviation, and so on.”

Ambode said that the state government’s intervention in education would continue in the areas of maintenance of public school buildings and facilities, and provision of basic instructional materials.

He listed other areas of intervention to include free textbooks for schools and mandatory capacity building programmes for teachers in public schools.

“We intend to launch an advocacy programme ‘Kick Illiteracy out of Lagos,’ starting from year 2016.

“I am happy to inform you that in 2016, we will develop our e-Curriculum, leading to the distribution of Ibile tablets to students in our public schools.”

Ambode said that the revolution at the secondary school level would set a new standard in the educational system.

He said that it would also enhance the knowledge of the children, to enable them to compete effectively with their peers in developed countries. (NAN)

•Photo shows Gov. Ambode.

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