Laide Raheem, Abeokuta
A governorship aspirant on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ogun State, Jimi Lawal, has said his administration would work hard to increase on the current internally generated revenue of the state, if he is given the mandate to govern Ogun in 2019.
Lawal, who stated this in a release, on Tuesday, by his media adviser, Wale Adedayo, commended the Lagos State Government for its steadfast commitment to improving its Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) which hit average of N34 billion monthly, noting that with its proximity to the state, Ogun State would not be far behind that of Lagos in a very short time.
While lauding Governor Ibikunle Amosun of Ogun State for taking the state’s IGR from N700 million monthly in 2011 to N7 billion monthly, presently, the gubernatorial aspirant maintained that if elected, he would ensure a vigorous IGR drive to sustain the infrastructural development of the incumbent.
“The disclosure by the Lagos State Commissioner for Finance, Mr. Akinyemi Ashade, that their IGR is now N34 billion monthly is a development that should make everyone of us in Ogun State very happy.
“It is congratulations to the people and government of Lagos State on this development, which should ensure a more quality socio-economic life for the people.
“There can hardly be quality development in any of our states without quality IGR along with a visionary leadership that knows what to do with these taxes by the people.
“We remain the closest to Lagos State, because we can safely say that Lagos is in the belly of Ogun State if you look at the map of Nigeria. Whatever benefits Lagos State will no doubt affect us positively in Ogun State, if we get things right.
“It is for this reason, among others, that I have been consistent in arguing that Senator Ibikunle Amosun is a blessing to Ogun State, who in our estimation, remains the best Governor since the creation of our state in 1976.
“The Senator Amosun is the first Governor to take our IGR to its current level, and we have pledged to move the same IGR very close to that of Lagos State, because almost a quarter of our land from Sango Ota through Iju, Akute, Alagbole, Ajuwon, Alagbado, Mowe and Ibafo are being erroneously called Lagos State. We’ll upgrade all these places with much needed infrastructure so as to tap from its many financial benefits for the good of Ogun State.
“Agbara, where I had visited a couple of times, is also another place, where we’ll work assiduously to get more benefits by ensuring that we care for our people there.
“Of course, from Sagamu through Ogijo to Ikorodu is another area, and thank God for President Muhammadu Buhari’s intervention, the road linking Ikorodu to Sagamu is about to be upgraded, making it possible for us to benefit seriously from developments along that axis.
“It is the same with Ibefun, Idowa, Omu and the boundary towns linking Epe with Ogun State, where we hope to benefit from the Dangote project in Epe through multiple housing projects we have already planned for those areas,” Lawal stated in the statement.