HEDA Reports Chides Lagos on Lack of Transparency in Budget Process, Preventing Building Collapse

Oluchi Chibuzor

A new citizens’ perception of leadership and governance in Nigeria, ‘Leadership Approval Rating’ released by Human and Environmental Development Agenda (HEDA) resource centre has chided the Lagos State Government on lack of transparency in budget process as well as preventing and managing building collapse.

The report, which showcased the result of an independent survey of people’s perception of government performances, shines the spotlight on different areas, sectors, arms and tiers of government with a view to gaining insight into how people perceive the government and its activities as well as measuring people’s expectation of government.

While the research tool was developed by HEDA, data was collected by Emani, a platform for rapid, robust surveys of hard-to-reach communities anywhere in Nigeria and across Africa.

Speaking at the launch of the report, the Chairman, HEDA Resource Centre, Olarenwaju Suraju, said he hoped that the government of Lagos state would thoroughly review the report with a view to evolving ways and strategies to improve citizens’ perception of governance and the government.

Meanwhile, the report seen by THISDAY

showed that on awareness about Lagos State annual budget, 23 percent of respondents know nothing about Lagos State budget, while another 38 percent only know the budget exists but have no clue about its content.

Similarly, 25 percent of the respondents were not satisfied at all with the performance of Lagos State Government, while 27 percent were satisfied; 35 percent expressed indecision, and nine percent said they know nothing about government performance.

On preventing and managing building collapse, 21 of the respondents said the approach of the state government to manage building collapse is unacceptable; 47 are of the view that the approach needs improvement, only 14 percent consider the approach effective while 17 percent consider it acceptable.

According to the report, “More than half (61 percent) of respondents have no idea what the Lagos State budget contains. Only five percent of the respondents expressed satisfaction with the Lagos State Government’s overall performance. About 40 percent of respondents believe that the Lagos State Government needs to improve its performance in critical sectors.

“Only 15 percent of young people consider the approach of the Lagos State Government to education effective; up to 43 percent of them say the approach needs improvement. 11 percent of female respondents consider the Lagos State Government effective in creating economic opportunities. About half of them (45 percent) said the situation needs improvement.”

The reports elicited responses from 457 respondents using stratified random sampling spread across age, gender, disability, socio-economic and religious statuses and across all local government areas of the state.

It also highlighted top priority areas where citizens want the state government to improve upon to include employment, road network, education, health and security, and “implored the government to ensure participatory budgetary process, as well as charged the state Assembly to make public and proactively publish copies of the budget passed immediately after passage.”