By Saheed Afolabi
The Lagos Island 2023 budget retreat themed ‘Budget of Consolidation’ held at the Ostra Hall and Hotels in Ikeja, recently
In his opening remark, the chairman of the council, Hon. Prince Tijani Olusi expressed his grievances with those in charge of revenue collection.
He said: “I am not happy because we have not been able to do anything tangible in the area of revenue collection.”
He, however, appreciated the Executive, Legislative and the management team who have been vibrant and supportive.
He stated that the Local Government has been able to do some developmental projects in the current year and as an indigene of Lagos Island, his priority is to take the local government back to its glory, appealing to everyone to work assiduously and ensure that the target sets are met excellently.
During his presentation, the facilitator, Dr. Olu Badejo, tagged the programme ‘Budget of Infrastructural Development”, charged attendees to tap from the hidden treasures in Lagos Island as he stated that “it’s not how much we earn, but how much of it we put into use and how many generations we make smile.”
Badejo appreciated the chairman for having the retreat at this early stage which gives the Local Government enough time to peruse and make adjustments where necessary.
He emphasized that the millions of people who come to trancert businesses in Lagos Island are taxable either one way or the other, adding that finance and budgeting are major challenges in the Local Government administration and it is pertinent for revenue collectors and others to always ensure that vouchers are properly retired.
The Supervisor for Finance, Hon. Sunkanmi Ismael stated that the revenue officers must be motivated for them to work efficiently and that posting is one of the factors affecting the revenue performance.
Addressing raised issues, the Council Manager, Prince Olujobi charged both the area and revenue officers to always have concrete reports on all their dealings and stated further that their jobs are thankless, adding that from 1st January 2023, no voucher must be undertaken if it does not have a Departmental Vote Expenditure Account (DVEA).
He implored everyone to work assiduously with the chairman for the progress and success of the Local Government.
The Vice Chairman, Hon. Prince Moh’d Rosul Eshilokun appreciated everyone for their time and success of the retreat, emphasizing the Prince Adetoyese-led administration’s commitment to ensuring that all sectors are well funded for the continuous development of Lagos Island Local Government.
