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Tag: Tunde Braimoh

  • Lagos Assembly sets January deadline to pass budget

    Lagos Assembly sets January deadline to pass budget

    The Lagos State House of Assembly is to pass the state’s 2018 Budget Bill before the end of January.

    The Acting Chairman of the House Committee on Information, Strategy and Publicity, Mr Tunde Braimoh, gave the assurance in an interview in Lagos on Monday.

    “We are working round the clock; we have denied ourselves holidays, even weekends, to see that we bring to bear our impact on the budget for quick passage.

    “We are, however, embarking on careful scrutiny, consideration, repositioning and re-aligning of the budget where necessary.

    “We want to see that we consider every kobo in the budget for the benefit of Lagos residents.

    Read also: Expert advises govt on early passage of 2018 budget

    “We are going to be assiduous, meticulous and circumspect to ensure that the budget is adapted for the betterment of Lagosians,’’ he said.

    The lawmaker also said that the assembly would break new grounds in 2018 to bring more dividends of democracy to Lagos residents.

    He said that the House would show greater understanding with the execute arm to meet the yearnings and aspirations of the people.

    Reports say that the House had on Dec.18 set up a seven-man committee to scrutinize the state’s N1.046 trillion budget proposal.

    Gov. Akinwunmi Ambode presented the proposed `Budget of Progress and Development’ to the Assembly on December 11.

    The budget size, which represents a 28.67 per cent increase over the state’s 2017 Budget of N812 billion, had a capital expenditure of N699 billion and a recurrent expenditure of N347billion.

    NAN

  • Lawmakers hail planned 3,000MW power project for Lagos

    Lawmakers hail planned 3,000MW power project for Lagos

    Some lawmakers in the Lagos State House of Assembly on Tuesday said that the N1.046 trillion Lagos State Budget proposal Government would facilitate growth and development.

    The lawmakers hailed the state Gov. Akinwunmi Ambode for prioritising capital expenditure.

    According to them, since the 2017 budget performance was above 70 per cent, the 2018 budget will transform the state, especially through a planned power project.

    Ambode presented the 2018 budget proposal tagged: “Budget of Progress and Development” before the state House of Assembly on Monday.

    The budget size, which represented a 28.67 per cent increase over the 2017 budget of N812 billion, had a capital expenditure of N699 billion and a recurrent expenditure of N347 billion.

    The Acting Chairman, House Committee on Information and Strategy, Mr Tunde Braimoh said: “The budget is apt, ambitious, lofty and well-targeted at transforming the Lagos State economy and infrastructure.’’

    Read also: Ambode to present 2018 Budget on Monday

    Braimoh noted that the budget provided for a power project aimed at boosting economic activities of the state.

    According to him, epileptic power supply has caused severe damage to the nation’s economy, and if Lagos State Government can provide regular power supply, it will boost investments.

    “The problem of power supply has made our country to lose its industrial base. The budget will change the topography of Lagos,’’ he said.

    The lawmaker, however, said that there was the need to sustain the robust relationship between the legislative and  executive arms of the government for expedited implementation of the budget.

    On whether the budget will be passed before January, the spokesman said that it might not be possible as the Assembly would do proper scrutiny of the budget before its passage.

    Braimoh, however, said that the lawmakers would sacrifice their comfort to ensure quick passage of the budget without compromising standards.

    Also speaking, Mr Setonji David, the Acting Chairman of the House Committee on Physical Planning and Urban Development, said : “It is a great thing that the budget of Lagos State is over N1 trillion.

    “It means Lagos is moving and more infrastructure development on the way. The ratio of capital expenditure to recurrent expenditure is fantastic, and this means the governor is visionary.

    “It is quite impressive that the governor budgeted massively for the embedded power project to light up the state for industrialisation,” David said.

    Mr Olusegun Olulade, the Acting Chairman, House Committee on Health Services, said that the budget would galvanise result in accelerated development of the state.

    The Acting Chairman of the Assembly’s Public Accounts Committee (Local), Prince Adebisi Yusuf , who expressed satisfaction at the 2017 budget performance, said that the 2018 Budget would be better implemented.

    Ambode stated during the budget proposal that his administration would have direct intervention in the power value chain toward generating 3,000MW Embedded Power Programme-  a three-year plan to achieve regular  power supply for the state in 2018.

    “The challenge of inadequate power supply must be resolved for our economy to perform optimally, and we believe the provision of this essential utility can no longer be left in the hands of the Federal Government alone.

    “We must complement each other for the overall development of our nation,’’ the governor said.

    NAN

  • Boko Haram: Lagos Assembly calls for intensified to end attack

    Boko Haram: Lagos Assembly calls for intensified to end attack

    The Lagos State House of Assembly on Friday urged President Muhammadu Buhari to intensify efforts to wipe out all manner of insurgency.

    The Chairman of the House Committee on Information, Publicity and Strategy, Mr Tunde Braimoh, made the appeal in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos.

    Braimoh, who spoke on behalf of the House, said that the latest bomb attack by the Boko Haram sect in Mubi, Adamawa, was regrettable.

    “We implore President Buhari to renew his resolve to abate all manner of insurgency and incivility and wipe out same.

    “The Adamawa blast is most excruciating.The irritants reared their ugly heads again as one was beginning to heave a sigh of relief.

    “Considering the assiduousness deployed against the matter by President Buhari, one had thought the worst was over.

    “We commiserate with the families of those innocent men, women and children who lost their lives, and pray for repose of their souls,’’ Braimoh said.

    The lawmaker said that such a blast should not be allowed at a time like this “when well-meaning citizens are striving to rebuild Nigeria.

    According to him, insurgency is repressive to the growth and development of any nation.

    NAN reports that a suicide bomber, who disguised as a worshiper, killed dozens of people and injured many during an early morning prayer in a Mosque in Dazala area of Mubi on Tuesday.

    The attack was the first in three years in Mubi.

  • Lagos Assembly, others mourn Ekwueme

    Lagos Assembly, others mourn Ekwueme

    The Lagos State House of Assembly on Monday described the late Dr Alex Ekwueme, Second Republic vice-president of Nigeria, as a patriot and true nationalist.

    The Acting Chairman, House Committee on Information and Strategy, Mr Tunde Braimoh, said this in Lagos that the death of the elder statesman was a painful loss to the country.

    Ekwueme died in London on Sunday at 85.

    Braimoh, who spoke on behalf of the House, said late Ekwueme’s meritorious service as vice president between 1979 and 1983 remain indelible.

    “He was highly dignified and principled.

    “Juxtaposed to his forthrightness, industry, ingenuity, intuition, moral rectitude and upright leanings, his demise is very regrettable,” the lawmaker said.

    According to him, Ekwueme, who held the nation’s number two office when Alhaji Shehu Shagari was president, would be remembered for his belief in the unity of Nigeria.

    He described Ekwueme as an astute, clairvoyant, quintessential politician and elder statesman.

    Braimoh, who noted that death is unavoidable to all mortals, said: “What is important is the legacies for which we shall be remembered.

    “In the case of Dr Ekwueme, it is gratifying that we have fond memories of him.

    “It is also reprieving to recall the herculean efforts and battles to save his life, and that his death might as well be a well-deserved rest after the struggles of life and living”.

    He commiserated with Nigerians, especially the people of the South-East, on the death of Ekwueme.

    Prof. Oluremi Sonaiya, a former Presidential candidate of KOWA Party, also condoled with the Ekwueme family and prayed that God would grant them the wisdom to carry on.

    Chief Martin Onovo, a former Presidential candidate of National Conscience Party, prayed that the late Ekwueme’s soul would rest in peace.

    “We commiserate with the Ekwueme family of Oko in Anambra and all Nigerians on the death of Dr Alex Ekwueme.

    “He was a democrat of high intellectual capacity and achievement. May his soul rest in peace,’’ Onovo said.

    Also, Prof. Lai Olurode, a former National Commissioner of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), urged politicians to learn from late Ekwueme’s politics of “live and let live’’.

    “A fine gentleman, a distinguished architect and a formidable pillar of the second republic is no more.

    “Other politicians and public figures should learn from his `politics of live and let live’.

    “The late Vice President Ekwueme was a man of peace, a symbol of politics without bitterness and a bridge builder who was a son of the east, an ally of the South-South, well trusted by the North and a friend of the West.

    “May God grant the family the grace to bear the loss,’’ Olurode said.

    NAN

  • Lawmaker berates presidential media aides 

    Lawmaker berates presidential media aides 

    Chairman, Committee on Information of the Lagos state House of Assembly, Tunde Braimoh has advised President Muhammadu Buhari’s media handlers to treat the exalted office of the president with all the veneration and reverence it deserves.

    He was reacting Wednesday to a statement credited to Buhari’s aide that the President was working from his residence because his office was infested with rodents, saying it is pedestrian and an embarrassment.

    The spokesperson of the Lagos Assembly said, “The President working from the office in his residence is not exactly a new or unfamiliar phenomenon neither does it portend any grave or strange omen.

    “In any case , the office in the residence was not built for the fun of it and if the President uses it , it is a justification of its function and provision.

    “It becomes superfluous, superficial and verbose of the media office to talk so tersely and scantily of the country’s highest office as to say it was infested by rodents. It is a national embarrassment which smirks of systemic failure and abject degradation.

    “Methinks it would have simply sufficed if the handlers had said the office needed to be renovated, cleaned up and made more compliant to the personal health and hygiene requirements of Mr. President.

    “Such condescending statements as the President’s office being infested by rodents is at the best unnecessary and at the worst pedestrian,” he said.

    According to him, without doubt, the office is the pivot around which the wheel of the country rotates and it is the mirror against which we are reflected.

  • Buhari’s address exudes courage — Lagos lawmaker

    Buhari’s address exudes courage — Lagos lawmaker

    A Lagos lawmaker, Mr Tunde Braimoh, said on Monday that President Muhammadu Buhari’s national broadcast exuded courage and statesmanship.

    Speaking with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos, Braimoh said that Buhari’s declaration that Nigeria’s unity was already “settled and not negotiable” portrayed him as a president still in charge.

    The lawmaker said: “The President’s speech is an apt response to the insensitive and mindless cravings of some self-serving citizens from certain sections of the country to compromise Nigeria’s unity and strength for untenable and unreasonable purposes.

    “Unity is the forerunner of peace and peace is the harbinger of progress.

    “Without unity and peace, the much desired and long overdue progress and prosperity of Nigeria will continue to be elusive.

    “The President in his speech minced no words, neither was he equivocal nor vacillating in stating clearly that terrorism, insurgency and sundry criminal acts under whatever guise will no longer be tolerated.”

    Braimoh, who is the Chairman, Lagos State House of Assembly Committee on Information, Strategy, Publicity and Security, said that the absence of peace and unity would not augur well for the country and its people.

    “At the end of the day, perception is very important. Of what attraction can a country plagued by wanton and spurious ethnic determination caprices be to any serious foreign investor?

    “Without ample and adequate direct foreign investment, what happens to our already depleted Gross Domestic Product?

    “I salute the courage and statesmanship of Mr President in that decisive speech, which depicts he’s actually in charge and not sick again,” the lawmaker added.

    According to him, government is run by courage and not by sentiments.

    Braimoh, representing Kosofe II at the Assembly, noted that the return of the President was a good omen for the country, especially for the masses that stood by him while he was away.

    “Now that the President is back, a lot of grounds must be covered to reciprocate the love and confidence reposed in him by the citizenry,’’ he said.

    The lawmaker, therefore, urged the President to fulfil his campaign promises.

    Buhari left the country on May 7 for medical treatment in London and returned on Saturday.

  • Lagos Assembly member dies

    Lagos Assembly member dies

    The Lagos State House of Assembly on Tuesday announced the death of one of its members, Mr Kazeem Alimi (APC-Eti Osa I).

    The Chairman, House Committee on Information and Strategy, Mr Tunde Braimoh, made the announcement in a statement in Lagos.

    Alimi, a second term member of the assembly, died at the Lagos State Teaching Hospital  on Tuesday at the age of 50.

    He was the Chairman, House Committee on Local Government and Community Affairs.

    His death came two weeks after he celebrated his 50th birthday.

    “With heavy hearts , grief and a deep sense of loss; the , Speaker, Mr Mudashiru Obasa, principal  officers , honourable members , management and staff of the Lagos State House of Assembly  announce the passing of an illustrious , astute and distinguished member of the Lagos State House of Assembly; Mr Kazeem Alimi.

    “Alimi passed on in the afternoon of  Tuesday, July 18, after an intense battle to regain his health which suddenly took a bad turn  immediately after the celebration of his 50th birthday,” Braimoh said,

    He said the deceased did not show any sign of ill health during his birthday celebration, which was his last major public appearance.

    “As a matter of fact, he (Alimi) was a perfect host as he remained his suave, amiable and debonair self personally attending to guests and giving them his all throughout the event.

    “The ceremony was well attended by almost all honourable members of the house, notable political leaders from his constituency, Islamic clerics , families and friends.

    “Several odes were sang at the event in honour of the Honourable who turned 50. Alas !! Those odes are now dirges.

    “Until his demise, Alimi, a man with a cool, good and fine mien, was the Chairman , House Committee on Local Government Administration.

    “Alimi, a veritable and venerated Honourable member,  was a role model to many. His public and private conducts were instructive and exemplary.

    “Even in the shock and devastation of his unexpected departure , we find solace in the fact that his life was an illustration of courage , determination and greatness.

    “We are also consoled in the fact that he led a good life and he was well loved and reverted  by his colleagues and others till the very end,” Braimoh added.

    He prayed God to grant succour to Alimi’s family, especially his  wife and children, and afford them the fortitude to bear the loss.

    Alimi hailed from Eti Osa Local Government Area of Lagos State and attended Moba Primary School and Government College, Maroko.

    He attended Lagos State University where he obtained a B.Sc  in Economics before he began a career as an officer in the Accounts Department of the Lagos State House of Assembly.

    Alimi later transferred his service to the Lagos State Internal Revenue Service where he served from 2001 to 2010.

    He became a member of the Lagos State House of Assembly in 2011 and was re-elected  in 2015.

  • Lawmakers seek revival of Radio Lagos

    Members of House Committee on information and Strategy of the Lagos State Assembly, led by its Chairman, Tunde Braimoh have impressed on the management of Radio Lagos /Eko Fm, to restore the station to its lost glory.

    They gave this charge during a visit to premises of Radio Lagos/Eko Fm.

    Braimoh while addressing the General Manager, Mrs. Olufunke Moore, said she should seize her appointment as a litmus test and should  work hard to leave her name in the sands of time, noting that to whom much is given, much is expected.

    Responding, Moore expressed the appreciation of members of management of the stations to the Chairman and other members of the committee for the visit and promised to make Radio Lagos/Eko Fm the Radio Stations of choice within Lagos and its environs.

  • Another honour for Tunde Braimoh

    It was another day of honour for Lagos lawmaker, Hon. Tunde Braimoh, as he added another feather to his already studded cap recently, when he was conferred with the chieftaincy title of Otunba Bamofin of Ketu Kingdom by Oba Isiaka Oyero, the Alaketu of Ketu Kingdom.

    The fashionable lawmaker, who has about 15 chieftaincy titles to his name, was honoured alongside his pretty wife, Yetunde, who bagged the chieftaincy title of Yeye Otunba Bamofin of Ketu Kingdom.

    Braimoh, who represents Kosofe II Constituency in the Lagos Assembly, was clearly the toast at the event, which marked the fifth anniversary of the Ketu monarch. Notable leaders of the APC in Lagos, including Pa Abiodun Sunmola, Chief Stephen Oyedele and Mr. Segun Akhigbe, among others, were on hand to support the ‘masses man’.

  • Lagos APC warms up for membership registration

    Lagos APC warms up for membership registration

    Lagos State All Progressives Congress (APC) has unfolded plans for the membership registration at the wards.

    Its Deputy Chairman Alhaji Abiodun Sunmola, said the first phase of the registration at the ward level will last for five days, adding that subsequent registration of members will take place at the party’s state secretariat.

    He said: “ The registration of the authentic members will take place at the ward meetings. After the five days, the registration venue will shift to the party headquarter. I urge you to mobilise our members for the exercise”.

    Sunmola spoke at the recent meeting of the Lagos East APC stakeholders’ meeting held at the Somolu Local Government Secretariat. Hailing the party leader, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, for his political shuttles across the six geo-political zones, in a bid to enlarge the APC’s coast, he urged the members not to let him down at the grassroots.

    Sunmola, who is the Lagos East leader, said: “As Asiwaju is working at the top, let us forge unity at the grassroots”.

    Three items were on the agenda at the meeting-the personality rift among the party elders, agitation for governorship by the East District and membership registration. Shortly before the meeting commenced, a member of the Publicity Committee, Mr. Tunde Temionu, said: We are not doing rally. We are not introducing anybody as candidates. We are here for the stakeholders’ meeting”. However, it was a carnival-like meeting.

    The mood at the gathering reflected the crisis among the party leaders. Prominent chieftains, including Otunba Busura Alebiosu, former Deputy Governor Abiodun Ogunleye, former Secretary to Government Olorunfunmi Basorun and former Speakers of House of Assembly, Senator Olorunnimbe Mamora and Joko Pelumi, were absent.

    The Lagos APC Vice Chairman, Alhaji Akanni Seriki-Bamu, also urged the gathering to ponder on the suspicion in the Publicity Committee between Temionu and Hon. Tunde Braimoh. Urging Sunmola to unite he fold, he advised him to shun bad advisers, who wanted to mislead the leadership.

    Party members protested their neglect by the some big wigs in elective and appointive positions. For example, they hailed Senator Gbenga Ashafa, former Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs Commissioner Prince Rotimi Agunsoye, his successor, Hon. Ademorin Kuye, Bariga Council Chairman Hakeem Sulaimon-Oris, Mrs. Yetunde Arobieke, and Education Commissioner Mrs. Funmilayo Oladunjoye, when they stormed the venue. But they jeered at other chieftains, claiming that they had neglected what they described as “personal infrastructure”. Ashafa said that “there is still time to correct the mistake”.

    Party chieftains at the meeting included House of Assembly Speaker Yemi Ikuforiji, Primate Charles Odugbesi, former Housing Commissioner Dele Onabokun, his Special Duties counterpart, Dr. Tola Kasali, House of Assembly member Hon. Segun Olulade, former legislator Hon. Goriola Agbara, former Rural Development Commissioner Hon. Lanre Balogun, House of Assembly Commission Chairman Chief Wale Mogaji, Bayo Balogun, Mrs. Folake Sokunbi, Hon. Muyiwa Adedeji, Hon. Bayo Osinowo, Hon. Suntai Agunbiade, Denga Anifowose, Chief Oyedele, Pa S.B. Banire, Hon. Tobun, Bode Alausa, Rotimi Abiru, Biodun Aigbe, Prince Busayo Adebayo, Alabi Macfoy, Hon. Folami, Alhaja Okulaja, and Hakeem Oso.

    Ashafa, who was the first to speak, urged members to cultivate the symbol of the party, the broom, which signifies unity. ‘Don’t allow cracks on the wall. 2015 will not be easy. We need to cooperate together. Our leader, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, is working. We should support him. Let us wake up every morning and pray for Asiwaju. He is leading us aright. Those of us in Abuja will also not let you down.