Lagos dev plan beneficial to residents, says Ambode

 Governor Akinwunmi Ambode of Lagos State says a framework for the implementation of the state development plan has been fashioned out. Ambode added that the state permanent secretaries were already working on the implementation, saying the plan would be beneficial to the residents. The governor noted that the plan was geared towards achieving the vision of the government in all sectors. He spoke on Tuesday during the visit of a delegation of the United Kingdom’s Department for International Development, DFID, led by the Country Representative, Mr. Ben Mellor. Ambode said, “We should be able to put together issues that are germane to our people and the bottom line has always been that we should carry out programmes that will be of benefit to the people of Lagos State and that is what DFID also stands for.” The governor said he was a believer in the basic principles of good governance which thrived on accountability and all- inclusive governance. He added that he was committed to running a transparent government that would be accountable and people-driven. He said, “Lagosians must be able to speak about the kind of government they want. We must also be accountable to them. We should be able to explain to them in every facet of our administration what we are doing and the government should also be participatory.” Ambode said he had concluded plans to embark on a tour of the 57 local government and local council development areas in the state. He explained that the tour would afford him the opportunity to listen to the challenges of the people first-hand and address them accordingly. “We believe that we should scale up community governance in this state. It is more about communities; it is more about our people and what they want,” he added. The governor commended the partnership of the state government and the DFID over the years, saying it had impacted positively on the people. He expressed optimism that the synergy between Lagos State and the Federal Government, for the first time in 16 years, would also boost partnership with the DFID. Earlier, Mellor commended Ambode for his strides since he assumed office, saying his decision to run an all-inclusive government was one that conformed to the ideology of the DFID. He added that Ambode’s decision to align ministries and engender public service reforms would increase proactive and performance-based administration, and also improve service delivery to the people. Copyright PUNCH. All rights reserved. This material, and other digital content on this website, may not be reproduced, published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed in whole or in part without prior express written permission from PUNCH. Contact: editor@punchng.com