Press Releases

Fashola Receives Report Of Committee On Management Of IGR In State Owned Tertiary Institutions
Urges vigilance to avoid disinformation through text messages

Apr 6, 2011 - Lagos State Governor, Mr Babatunde Fashola(SAN) on Wednesday received the report of the committee to examine sources and management of internally generated revenue in state owned tertiary institutions assuring that government will look at the various recommendations and action points of the committee.

Governor Fashola who spoke at the Conference Room of the Lagos House, Ikeja added that Government will set about very quickly hoping that it will have the understanding and cooperation of the tertiary institutions, the leadership, followership and membership.

"We cannot make that change if you are not part of it and therefore at every step of the process you must be a part of the change. I believe that every time we set at achieving a goal we have always achieved it".

Governor Fashola said the setting up of the committee is part of the commitment that Government and tertiary institutions made that it will help the institutions to make the very best use of assets that lie within their controls and their domains so that they can bring the most efficient returns that can be invested back in the educational system for the benefit of the students.

He described people as the greatest resource that the country has and the future clearly depends on the kind of investment that Nigeria makes on its young people.

The Governor expressed the conviction that if the State and the institutions work together, very useful portion of the report will be found which would be mutually beneficial to the common objective to return all institutions of higher learning to their place of eminence and have members and officers who serve in those institutions appropriately rewarded for the investment that they made in helping to build the human capacity.

Said he: "All of what we are doing today are endangered if we do not have properly educated generation coming after us to take it to higher frontiers, adding that it is not enough to handover to a generation that cannot move to the next level on what we have achieved".

"This is not a time for recrimination, but a time to roll up our sleeves to add one more push to make it better than we met it. We will set to work as quickly as possible. There are the I's to dot and t's to cross to give effect to the work that the committee has done".

The Governor who also used the occasion to urge the people to go out and vote said no other issue can be as important as each registered voter performing his civic duty on that day.

He informed that a lot of misinformation and disinformation are going on through text messages and urged people to receive and deal with those text messages with circumspection.

"The first started at around 10.30am on Saturday alleging that certain names were missing on the ballot papers at a time when nobody was supposed to have seen the ballot papers. That tells us that someone was out for mischief when we have all agreed with the umpire that between 8am and 12noon there would be accreditation and that voting will start at 12.30. How could anyone have seen the ballot papers before 12noon".

"From yesterday another series came out alleging some juju agreement or disagreement. I think for those of you who know -my faith and that of Asiwaju are matters of public knowledge".

"We are already out of March and the ides of March but this is the time to be particularly vigilant and not to take anything you see especially text messages as gospel. We have to be more aware, we have to probe information and apply some logic and commonsense to draw the proper meaning out everything that we see", the Governor explained.

He insisted that Nigeria must get the elections right as the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) alone will not give Nigerians good elections but will only make an effort.

"We have to make an even greater effort because it is by our fullest participation that we can express our will. And once we express our will, we will see who will stand against our will. When the people speak by the ballot, no force can stand against it.

"You can see it happening all over the world, so don't wish for a free and fair election alone, make a free and fair election possible by going out there to participate and vote. Those of you who went out on Saturday and faced difficulty, please try again".

"Nothing can be more important on that day and subsequent Saturdays. Because those three days alone will define what will happen to us in the next four years. It will determine what kind of progress we can make", he reiterated.

The Governor added that once Nigeria has a free and fair election, it has struck the biggest blow against unemployment and poverty because once there is free and fair election, the whole world is being told Nigeria is a politically stable country.

He explained that once the country can boast of political stability it can begin to talk about economic development as people will listen and investment will flow in, "See the example of Ghana, it is the political stability that it has that have made things work in that country.

"It lies in mine and your hand to go and build that stability by going out to vote", the Governor said.

Speaking earlier after submitting the report which was in four volumes, the Chairman of the Committee, Mrs O.M. Akinwolemiwa thanked the Governor for the opportunity given to the members to serve the State and assured of their commitment to the success of the administration and progress of the State.

He said the committee was saddled with the responsibility of identifying the sources of internally generated revenues in all tertiary institutions with a view to improving them as well as articulating all cash balances in all the accounts of tertiary institutions.

The Committee also examined the management and consultants of the Lagos State University Micro Finance Bank including the need to address land encroachment issues and proffering lasting solutions to it.

Also present at the event were the State Commissioner for Establishment and Training, Mr Jide Sanwo-Olu, Head of Service, Prince Adesegun Ogunlewe, some members of the committee and other top government officials.