The Lagos State Government has disbursed N700 million to over 2,000 vulnerable persons in 2024.
Special Adviser to the Governor on Political, Legislative and Civic Engagement, Dr. Afolabi Tajudeen stated this at a ‘Breakfast Media Chat’ where he outlined the Office’s achievements in the outgoing year and its plans for 2025.
According to Tajudeen, one core mandate of his office is to fulfill the THEMES+ agenda of the Babajide Sanwo-Olu administration, which also includes social inclusion. This, the office does, by interfacing with the people to ensure that no one is left behind.
To achieve its goal of citizen interaction, the government established the ‘Sanwo-Olu Listens’, to provide financial assistance to vulnerable persons in the state.
Over N700,000,000 was disbursed to 2,000 vulnerable persons in 2024 to help them meet their health, accommodation, business, and school fees challenges, among others.
Also, the ‘Lagos Citizensgate’ mobile app was developed for better grassroots participation, to strengthen governance, and ensure transparency. 111 agencies have been onboarded on the platform.
According to Tajudeen, these efforts are to foster a more inclusive and resilient Lagos, where every resident has the opportunity to thrive.
Deputy Governor Obafemi Hamzat said the app remains ‘a game changer in the administration’s commitment, as it has remained a veritable platform for citizens to engage the government, air their grievances, and for the government to provide solutions to such problems’.
Hamzat also called for collaboration between government and media to promote inclusive governance.
The Deputy Governor particularly emphasised the need for objective reportage, noting that it would be counter-productive if the media was expounding the negatives in their reports.
Citing the example of the narrative that Nigeria’s education is decaying, Hamzat argued on the contrary.
He said: “We should not succumb to the negative narrative that the Nigerian education system is going down. If our education is going down, why are the Western world, particularly, the British and America, recruiting our teachers, our doctors, and our nurses? This is the kind of label given to us and we have gullibly imbibed. I wish the practitioners should engage more in the positives in our activities, but also report when we are failing.
“As we know, there is a bouquet of things that we do, including roads, drainage, education health, transport waste management, various things. A lot of things that we do in Lagos seem not to be well disseminated to the public.”
Hamzat also stressed that it is important for people to understand that Nigeria is a developing country, and they must speak positively about the country, discuss facts and issues that are relevant to the growth and development of the country, rather than diminishing it.
The Deputy Governor also restated that the government is committed to fostering a Lagos that is inclusive and investor- friendly, and so it is undertaking over 189 projects aimed at enhancing the welfare of Lagosians, the younger generation, and streamlining business operations.
