The Lagos State House of Assembly
Committee on Public Accounts (State) on Monday began its oversight function of
looking into the audit reports of over 200 Ministries, Departments and Agencies
(MDAs), for probity and accountability.
The Committee’s Chairman, Mr
Moshood Oshun, spoke with newsmen after the committee interrogated State
Physical Planning Permit Authority (LASPPPA) officials.
He said that the exercise was
legal, to ensure that public funds were judiciously expended.
According to him, the exercise is
an annual ritual for House Committee whenever the Auditor-General finishes
auditing all the MDAs in Lagos State.
“This is expected by the law and
Lagosians deserve to know how their money is being expended.
“There are processes that must be
followed. Lagos residents voted for us to protect their interests, their money
and the state. This is one way of doing that.
“We want to make sure that all
tax-payers money is judiciously spent. We want to make sure that the right
thing is done, and that what has been appropriated for is done.
“Lagosians gain a lot from this
kind of exercise,” he said.
On the challenges facing some of
the MDAs in meeting their expectations, Oshun said the committee would consider
them and find solutions to ensure their optimal performance.
According to him, the Physical
Planning Permit Authority has done very well in terms of revenue generation and
achievements, though there is room for improvement.
He urged the revenue agencies to
work more in generating funds to finance state budgets.
“MDAs should know they are out to
serve the people of Lagos State to make sure that residents feel safe and
secured as well as to ensure that their money was not wasted on frivolities.
“I want to implore the MDAs to
make sure their books are up to date, to make sure that all loopholes are
blocked and to make sure that tax payers money are judiciously spent,” he said.
Oshun said the committee was not
in a rush in the investigation, but would do a thorough job as prescribed by
the law.
“We have been elected to do this
job, we have been paid to do it. What is important to the House is to make sure
that a good job is done and We will do a thorough investigation.
“We want to make sure that
someone who has not done anything bad is not punished and to make sure that
somebody who has done something bad is punished,” he said.
The chairman urged the MDAs to
work with the House in law reviews where necessary, in order to ensure they
match test of time for optimum performance.
Responding to the committee, the
Acting Head of LASPPPA, Mr Oluwafunmilayo Osifuye, said the agency had achieved
70.5 per cent in its previous budget performance.
According to him, despite some
achievements of the agency, there are challenges, which include slowness of the
processes in the issuance of permits.
He said that the rate at which
permits were issued for construction was slow, and there was need to delegate
some of the responsibilities to his subordinates.
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