The National Assembly will revisit a bill seeking to grant a special status and federal grant to Lagos, the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Marine Transport, Sani Yerima, has said.
Speaking during a visit to Governor Akinwunmi Ambode on Tuesday, Mr. Yerima said everything must be done to support the state. He was in Lagos alongside other members of the committee.
“Lagos is not only for Lagosians,” said Mr. Yerima (APC, Zamfara).
“If you look at Lagos, it has been the national capital and up till this moment, you find people from all states of the federation earning living here and so anything we do for Lagos, we are not doing it for Lagos alone and I will call Lagos a mini Nigeria.
“So, by the grace of God, we are going to look at the bill again.”
Last month, Oluremi Tinubu, an All Progressives Congress senator representing Lagos Central, sponsored a bill seeking one percent of federally generated revenue as special grant for Lagos State as well as a recognition of the state by the federal government as Nigeria’s commercial capital.
But the bill, which elicited an uproar on the floor of the senate, was blocked by other senators.
On Tuesday, Mr. Ambode urged the visiting senators to support the bill, adding that its passage would translate to economic prosperity and well-being of Nigeria.
“If we have about 12 Senators here and we are looking for two-third, we are saying here that it would not be out of place to revisit our appeal and our bill,” Mr. Ambode said.
“Lagos is thoroughly cosmopolitan; it is a mini-Nigeria and then the wellbeing of Lagos is the total wellbeing of Nigeria and everybody has a stake here in Lagos and as a government, we have continually addressed the cosmopolitan nature of Lagos in a way that is suitable and comfortable for all Nigerians irrespective of tribe, creed or religion.”
While clarifying the essence of the bill, Mr. Ambode said it only seeks one percent special allocation from the revenue accruable to the Federal Government.
“If we are able to do that, you can imagine what we would have done 25 years ago based on the understanding of gentlemen that Lagos would not be left behind or forgotten,” said the governor, who noted that December 12 would mark 25 years since the capital of Nigeria was moved from Lagos to Abuja.
“So, that is the platform we want you to try and help us to have a re-look, a re-think and then think more of Nigeria in the bill rather than of Lagos because that is what that one percent assistance will address and then tends to create the image of the kind of commercial capital we want Lagos to be.”Premiumtimes
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