The Ogun State government said yesterday that it will expand the Lagos Blue Rail Line project into the state’s border towns, while also promising to upgrade the state’s infrastructure.
The State Commissioner of Finance and Economic Adviser to the Governor, Mr Dapo Okubadejo, disclosed this at a media event organised to highlight the state 2024 budget held at the Olusegun Osoba Press Centre, Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta.
Okubadejo, who was joined by some commissioners in the state, said the government will surpass the 2023 budget in terms of implementation.
He said, “2024 is focusing on the provision of infrastructure at the various economic development clusters while extending the Lagos Blue Rail Line Project into Agbara and ensuring the well-extending of the Lagos Red Rail Line Project to Ijoko and Ifo/Kajola in line with the execution of the state’s multi-modal transport plan under the Lagos-Ogun Joint Development Commission initiative.
Okubadejo said the 2024 budget, which is put at N703.03 billion and tagged “The Budget of Sustained Growth and Development,” is made up of N287.37 billion in recurrent and N415.66 billion in capital expenditures.
He explained that N95.05 billion would be used for personnel costs, N27.35 billion as consolidated revenue, and N59.09 billion would go for public debt charges.
He noted that the present administration had been deliberate in dealing with serious economic challenges, such as high inflation, insecurity, and a dearth of infrastructure, among others, pointing out that the administration was leveraging on the state’s comparative advantage, adding that the present administration was aware of reducing bottlenecks associated with the cost of production through the creation of efficient logistics and innovation hubs while optimising the advantage of being the state with the highest public and private institutions.
“Our target as a government is to be the most economically viable state. We are set to open up our Economic Development Clusters with significant economic activities; we need to have a master plan, be careful with debt, and continue to be very strategic in our collective effort to develop the state to an enviable height among its peers,” he said.
On his part, the State Commissioner for Budget and Planning, Mr. Olaolu Olabimtan, informed that the yearly budget performance of the state recorded tremendous improvement due to the visionary, exemplary leadership and support of Governor Dapo Abiodun.
Also speaking, the State Commissioner for Works and Infrastructure, Engr. Ade Akinsanya said the State will work with the Federal Ministry of Works to get the Sango-Owode-Idiroko road and Lagos-Sango-Abeokuta road reconstructed.
He added that all ongoing road projects across the State, including the Gateway International Airport road, Ilaro-Owode road, Atan-Lusada-Agbara road, Ijoko-Agbado-Akute-Alagbole road, among others will be completed, while community roads across the 20 local government areas will not be left out.