The Lagos State House of Assembly has constituted an eight-member ad hoc committee to identify, document and facilitate the recovery of government-owned assets across the state.
The committee was also mandated to establish the status of both documented and undocumented properties and other assets belonging to the Lagos State Government.
Chairman of the committee, Obafemi Saheed, disclosed this on Friday, saying the exercise formed part of the Assembly’s oversight responsibilities aimed at strengthening accountability and ensuring the prudent management of public resources.
Saheed said the committee would scrutinise government expenditure, monitor the utilisation of public funds and ensure that taxpayers’ money was applied strictly to approved purposes.
According to him, the exercise would provide the government with a clearer picture of the assets it owns, their current conditions and whether they were being effectively utilised for the benefit of Lagos residents.
“This exercise will help determine the assets owned by the state, assess their current conditions and establish whether they were being effectively utilised for the benefit of residents,” he said.
The lawmaker urged Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) that had yet to submit the documents requested by the committee to do so without further delay and appear before it as scheduled.
He warned that heads of MDAs and other institutions that failed to honour invitations or treated the proceedings with disdain could face legislative action.
Saheed said the committee had the authority to subpoena individuals and could seek the approval of the Assembly to issue arrest warrants against persons who refused to comply with its directives.
MDAs submit to asset verification exercise
Several government agencies and ministries have already appeared before the committee as the exercise gathers momentum.
Those that appeared include the Lagos State New Town Development Authority (NTDA), Lagos State Waterways Authority (LASWA) and Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority (LAMATA).
Others are the Lagos State Council for Arts and Culture; Ministries of Basic and Secondary Education, Tertiary Education, and Wealth Creation and Employment; Lagos State Ferry Services; Lagos State Printing Corporation; Lagos State Agriculture Input Supply Authority; and Lagos State Agricultural Development Authority.
During the engagements, the committee sought clarification from the agencies on assets under their respective custody and directed them to provide comprehensive records covering both documented and undocumented properties.
The exercise is expected to enable the Assembly to establish the ownership, location, condition and utilisation of government assets across Lagos.
It could also provide a basis for identifying public properties that may have been underutilised, abandoned, improperly documented or otherwise removed from effective government control.
The committee is expected to continue its engagements, with additional MDAs scheduled to appear before it.
Other lawmakers present at the meeting were Jubreel Abdulkareem, Olayinka Kazeem, Samuel Apata, Sobur Oluwa and Bonu Solomon.
