Governor Akinwunmi Ambode of Lagos State on Tuesday said he would be accountable for revenue generation and expenditure of the state.
Ambode disclosed this at the first edition of the quarterly Town Hall Meeting at the Abesan Mini Stadium in Ipaja area of the state, where he gave account of his stewardship.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the theme for the town hall meeting was: “Community Inclusion in Governance.”
Ambode said the quarterly town hall meeting was one of the platforms designed to bring government closer to the people.
He said the forum would provide avenue for rubbing of minds on salient issues bothering on the overall improvement and development of the state.
The governor said the meeting would be rotated around the three senatorial districts of the state.
Ambode highlighted some of the achievements of his administration in the first quarter at the forum.
He said that financial re-engineering of the state was one of the first key tasks of his government.
He said: “We embarked on a financial re-engineering and reviewed the revenue and expenditure framework of the state.
“These efforts, coupled with the realignment of Ministries, Departments and Agencies, have saved the government almost N3 billion every month.”
Ambode said that decision had provided his administration with more funds to inject into capital projects and the initial funds to establish the Employment Trust Fund he promised the youths.
On civil service reforms, he said his administration would embark on capacity building of the civil service.
He said security in the state had been reviewed and identified lapses were being addressed.
“We have established an Integrated Security and Emergency control platform, all of which are aimed at strengthening the security apparatus in the state,” he said.
Ambode said the violence and armed robberies incident in different parts of the state were being investigated and security agencies had swung into action to curb future occurrence.
He said that equipment and vehicles were donated to various security agencies to boost their efforts in combating crime in the state.
Speaking on the health sector, Ambode said his administration had provided 20 Mobile Intensive Care Unit ambulances at a cost of N145 million and deployed them to all ambulance points in the state.
He said transport ambulances at the cost of N257 million was also deployed at all General Hospitals in the state.
He said: “Our administration in the last three months had installed 22 power generating sets as additional back-up sets across all our General Hospitals at the cost of N270 million to ensure 24-hour power supply.
“In addition, 26 Mobile X-Ray machines, costing about N519 million, are being installed at all our general hospitals across the state.”
Ambode said the Ayinke House project in the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital had been re-awarded and would be completed within the next six months.
The governor said expressions of Interest for a Lagos Medical Park had been received from interested members of the public.
He added: “We will enter the first phase of the project soon and at the end of this, Lagos State will become a key destination for medical tourism.
“All these have been painstakingly done to create better access to health services for all Lagosians.”
On the education sector, he admitted that more work still needed to be done.
Ambode said his administration had taken stock of the state of education.
He said the recruitment of 1,300 primary school teachers was ongoing to fill the gap in key subject areas that had been identified.
He said: “The government is concerned about the disparity in quality between public and private schools.
“We have decided to pay attention to all children, irrespective of where they go to school.
“The gap in quality must be bridged.”
The governor said the security of schools across the state was also receiving attention.
On transportation, he said his administration would stop at nothing to find a lasting solution to gridlocks on the roads.
He said: “In recent weeks, the menace of trucks on our roads has caused us untold hardships and loss of man hours and revenue.
“The Apapa traffic gridlock is the most worrisome.
“We are looking at long term solutions to traffic challenges that our people face daily.”
Ambode said the government had committed about N 1.4 billion to road construction and rehabilitation.
He said: “We will pump more funds into road infrastructure in this present quarter.
“This administration is determined to ensure that all roads in Lagos state are in good condition and motorable.”
Ambode said since the inception of his administration, 181 roads had been rehabilitated and maintained.
The governor, however, sought the support and cooperation of residents to enable him deliver his electioneering campaign promises.
He said: “I want to assure you that our programmes are well thought out and carefully designed to make life easier and better for all our citizens.
“While we do our best, I implore you to fulfill your side of the social contract by performing your civic responsibilities always.
“Please pay your taxes willingly.”
NAN.