The Chairman of the Lagos State House of Assembly Committee on Economic Planning and Budget, Hon. Sa’ad Olumoh, has attributed the impressive performance of the Ministry of Economic Planning and Budget to the strategic employment of young professionals.
Hon. Olumoh made this known during an oversight and familiarization visit by members of the Committee to the Ministry on Friday, as part of efforts to better understand its internal operations and assess its budgetary performance.
“For me, the young people that I see here are enough to make me celebrate,” Olumoh said. “Engaging young people to work in your Ministry has explained the excellence we have been able to see in your performance.”
He emphasized the need for the Committee to bridge gaps found in the budgets of some ministries and agencies in order to improve overall budget performance. He also called for the appointment of a Permanent Secretary to oversee the Bureau of Statistics and advocated for stronger monitoring and evaluation of government projects.
“We need to do more on the way our projects are being evaluated. If you are not having enough manpower, employ more hands so Lagos can have value for money,” he said.
Olumoh raised concerns over the lack of transparency in grants received by the Ministry, urging it to declare both cash and in-kind support for proper legislative appropriation.
The lawmaker also condemned the continuous disregard of Committee invitations by some Special Advisers whose budgets are housed within the Ministry. He insisted that such behaviour will no longer be tolerated. “The Committee will oversight their offices. We want to know what they are doing,” he said.
Echoing the Chairman’s sentiments, Hon. Saheed Obafemi advised the Ministry to fully utilise its Monitoring and Evaluation department to ensure effective planning outcomes across sectors.
Other lawmakers present commended the Ministry for its clean work environment, and its commitment to training and retraining staff. They also praised its efforts to maintain efficiency in key departments such as Resilience, Planning, Research and Statistics, and Monitoring and Evaluation.
In his response, Commissioner for Economic Planning and Budget, Mr. Mosopefolu George, who was accompanied by Permanent Secretary Mrs. Olayinka Ojo and directors, said the visit was timely and productive. He revealed that the Ministry prioritises international training for junior officers to build capacity.
“Most times I yield my training slots to junior officers once the approval has been granted,” he noted.
Hon. Olumoh concluded that the oversight exercise was not yet complete, as other agencies under the Ministry still needed to be reviewed. “This visit has helped the Members a lot,” he said.
Lawmakers in attendance included Hon. Kehinde Joseph, Hon. Stephen Ogundipe, Hon. Adebola Shabi, Hon. Samuel Apata, Hon. Musbau Lawal, Hon. (Prince) Adeseyi Lawal, and Hon. Jimoh Orelope.