LAHA Approves 1.768 Trillion 2023 Budget

By Akinwale Kasali

After several weeks of scrutiny, the Lagos State House of Assembly led by Rt. Hon. Mudashiru Ajayi Obasa has finally approved the 2023 Budget presented by Governor Babajide Olusola Sanwo Olu.

The Lawmakers passed a total of ₦1,768,014,155,285 as the budget for 2023 with the Speaker, showering encomiums on his colleagues for their collective sacrifice and the swiftness with which the Appropriation Bill was handled.

The sum of N748,096,508,571 was budgeted as Recurrent expenditure and N1,019,917,646,713 as Capital expenditure for the year ending 31st December, 2023.

The sectoral allocations also shows that N3,228,396,960 was approved as the new Overhead Cost of the Office of Civic Engagement for drug abuse advocacy.

The sum of N802,987,206 was approved as the new Capital Expenditure of the Ministry of Economic Planning & Budget while N1,200,000,000 was approved as the new Overhead Cost (Social Intervention and Humanitarian Programme) in the Ministry of Economic Planning and Budget.

Presiding over the plenary, Obasa said the passion with which the lawmakers processed the bill for passage showed their love for the progress of Lagos State.

He also expressed hope that residents of the State would show their satisfaction with the lawmakers and the All Progressives Congress (APC) by voting for candidates of the party in Lagos and at the centre during the forthcoming election.

It would be recalled Governor Sanwo-Olu had in October presented the sum of N1.69 trillion ‘budget of continuity’ to the House.

While receiving the proposal from the Governor, Speaker Obasa had urged that the 2023 budget “should have more human face, be targeted at reducing poverty and improving the welfare of the residents of the State as part of the THEMES agenda of the administration.”