The Governor of Lagos State, Babatunde Raji Fashola, today on behalf of the State Government presented the Lagos State Development Plan 2012 – 2025. This epoch-making event was held at the Banquet Hall of the State House in Alausa.
The State Governor in presenting the plan stated that what has been achieved by the state is already gone and behind in time. He however stated that what is ahead is much greater than what has been done and was the reason the government had taken pains to plan for the future. It was in the light of this that he urged all present t ensure that care is taken in deciding who implements the Lagos State development plan. He stated that Lagos State was too important to be left in the hands of those who want to experiment with it.
To buttress his point, Babatunde Fashola invited Akinwunmi Ambode, the All Progressives Congress governorship candidate for the State and presented him with a copy of the Lagos State Development Plan. Governor Fashola had earlier referred to Akinwunmi Ambode as the man who would succeed him as the Governor of Lagos State and in opening his speech, thanked Mr. Amnbode for making time in this period of electioneering to attend the event. This he said showed the importance Akinwunmi Ambode placed on planning and continuing with the development recorded by the State.
Earlier in the event, the Honourable Commissioner, Lagos State Ministry of Economic Planning and Budget, Mr. Ben Akabueze, stated that the Lagos State Development Plan was built on Four pillars namely: Economic Development, Infrastructural Development, Social Development and Security and Sustainable Environment. These pillars rest on a base Finance, Governance and Capacity Building. There were goodwill messages from the Country Director of the World Bank, The Department for International Development(DFID) and French Development Agency and SPARC, a UK aid agency.
The event was attended by top government officials including the Secretary to the State Government, Dr. (Mrs) Ranti Adebule, the Head of Service, Mrs. Williams and Permanent Secretary, Lagos State Ministry of Economic Planning, Iyabowale Aluko.