The Lagos State government has announced plans to install 2,000 ‘intelligent’ cameras in strategic locations across the city as part of its efforts at enhancing the smart city status.
Disclosing this at a media roundtable, tagged ‘Facts Behind The Figures on Y2021 Appropriation Budget’, held recently in Lagos, the state’s Commissioner for Economic Planning and Budget, Honourable Samuel Egube, stated that the cameras, with number plate and facial recognition capabilities, would go a long way in enhancing security and traffic management in the state, as well as help the state government in its revenue-generating drive.
The Commissioner described the state’s decision to come up with an ambitious budget size of N1.164 trillion, this year, as a reflection of its determination to rise above the challenges that had plagued its development indices in the past eleven months.
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As a way of leveraging technology to enhance the fortunes of residents, Hon Egube also said the state would, this year, deliver a 3,000 km metro-broadband fibre infrastructure to further enable the smart city initiative under an ongoing PPP agreement.
He stated that as a way of keeping the city ready for the rainy season, N14.937bn out of the total sum of N59.659bn earmarked for the Environment Sector, in this year’s budget, would be used to construct, upgrade and maintain drainage channels and procure specialised equipment for flood abatement purposes.
The commissioner also disclosed that, as a way of enhancing a 24-hour economy in the state, the state government had also budgeted the sum of N23.795bn to pursue an aggressive improvement and maintenance of street lighting in the state, while adequate provision had also been made in the budget to cater for the welfare of its security services in the areas of allowances and other needs.
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He added that the state government also decided to make it a 60:40 Capital Expenditure to Recurrent Expenditure ratio, as a way of demonstrating its commitment to driving growth and consolidating on its infrastructure development programmes across the state.
Egube expressed the state government’s delight that despite the troubles the state went through last year, remarkable progress was still recorded in all crucial sectors, especially Finance, Health, Education, Transportation, Agriculture, Infrastructure and the Environment.
“As at third week of December 2020, our total revenue performed at 93 per cent, while our total Capital Expenditure and total Recurrent Expenditure performed at 80 per cent and 86 per cent respectively,” the commissioner added.
Nigerian Tribune
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