The Speaker of the Lagos House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Mudashiru Obasa, has urged residents of the state to be prepared for a better 2021 from the government.

Obasa said this at a 4-day retreat on Medium-Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) and Budget Process for members and staff of the state House of Assembly at Park Inn by Radisson, Kuto, Abeokuta, Ogun State.

Obasa, who lamented the effect of COVID-19 on the economy of Lagos in 2020, however commended the executive arm of the government led by Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu for being able to maintain the level of development and growth for which the state is known.

He also said the House would take special focus on security of the state in the 2021 budget but added that this would be in consideration with the governor’s focus and plans for the year ahead.

“It is visible to everyone in Lagos that the government of the state has continued, doggedly, to put smiles on the faces of our people.

“It simply means we have been able to gather all we can irrespective of the revenue challenge in the projection we had for 2020,” Obasa said.

He noted that Lagos has always taken a pride of place in relation to security of the state and that this would not be different in 2021. This is because, according to him, the state expends huge funds on security annually.

“You must give credit to the Lagos state government if you consider the security situation of the state in comparison with others and we will keep improving on what we have achieved.

“I am not saying we will increase the budget for the coming year for security, we are not going to do anything funny to allow insecurity to take charge of the state.

“So security will be a major consideration in the 2021 budget of the state but that is to be left for the governor to decide. As representatives of our people, we will look for that in the budget and ensure something good enough is considered for security in the coming year,” he said.

Concerning the expectations from the retreat, Obasa explained: “We are expecting the budget but before that, we have the Medium-Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF).

“We have the responsibility of oversight functions and and you can only do this on what you know and have. That is what informed our gathering here, to take our colleagues through what MTEF is all about and what the Lagos would look like in the next three years.

“So we expect each committee to take this in and understand perfectly what would become of each sector in the next three years.”

He said he was optimistic that the retreat would add positively to the capacity of the lawmakers to collaborate effectively with the executive arm.