Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, on Thursday, urged the Federal Government to grant the city-state special economic status.
The governor, who described the state as a “national asset,” stated that the benefits of Lagos extend beyond a single region of the country, as all Nigerians benefit from the state’s prosperity in some way.
Sanwo-Olu stated this during the presentation of the 2023 Budget Estimates to the Lagos State House of Assembly in the Alausa neighborhood of Ikeja, the state capital.
He presented Budget Estimates of N1,692,670,759,894 with Recurrent of N759,958,569,792 (45%) and Capital of N932,712,190,102 (55%).
The governor dubbed the budget the “Budget of Continuity,” and stated that its effective implementation will benefit everyone.
He said, “Lagos continues to experience increased pressure on social services due to unhindered migration from other parts of the country.
“It is for this reason that I always sought and I will still continue to reiterate the need for Lagos to be accorded a special status as a national asset.
“Lagos is too big for this country to allow it to fail. Lagos is too strategic for us not to see it that the wholesome of Lagos is the wholesome of this country, that the benefits of Lagos transcend one region, one part or one scope of this country.
“As a microsome of the entire country, Lagos deserves all the support it can get at the national level.”