Gbenga Omotoso hails Lagos 2025 budget with 80% performance, highlighting infrastructure growth while dismissing claims of bias over Trade Fair demolitions

Gbenga Omotoso, Lagos State Commissioner for Information and Strategy, has revealed that the state’s ₦3.366 trillion 2025 budget achieved an impressive 80 per cent performance, describing it as a reflection of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s commitment to inclusive development and grassroots impact.

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Speaking with journalists over the weekend, Omotoso noted that as of September, the budget had recorded around 79 per cent performance, which has since surpassed the 80 per cent mark.

He explained that both revenue and capital project execution had remained strong, with visible progress across communities.

“In terms of revenue, we are doing very well, and in terms of capital projects, we have done about 80 per cent,” Gbenga Omotoso said.

“There is no community that has not felt the positive effects of this administration. When we had the community day, the excitement among residents was genuine and overwhelming.”

He emphasised that the Sanwo-Olu administration’s approach to governance ensures that development projects are evenly distributed, with close collaboration between the state and local governments.

“At one point, local governments were asked to construct a certain number of roads while the state government matched their efforts.

That synergy has transformed several communities — people now want to live in Badagry, Ikorodu, and Igbogbo,” Omotoso explained.

He also highlighted infrastructure improvements such as the development of over 15 jetties, which have enhanced connectivity and reduced travel times.

“Travelling from Ikorodu to Lagos Island now takes less than 30 minutes because of what the Lagos State Government has done,” he added.

Turning to the ongoing demolition exercise at the Trade Fair Complex, the commissioner dismissed suggestions that the move was politically or ethnically motivated.

He described such claims as “absurd and unthinkable,” stressing that Governor Sanwo-Olu’s administration is guided by fairness and adherence to the law.

“Governor Sanwo-Olu has led Lagos for nearly six years, and no one has ever accused him of discrimination — not in religion, race, or background,” Gbenga Omotoso said. “Lagosians are Lagosians.

People making such allegations are often not even residents of the state.”

He explained that the affected structures lacked legal building permits, contravening planning regulations.

“You cannot build anywhere in the world without a permit. Whether in New York, Los Angeles, Mumbai, or Lagos — the rules are the same,” he said.

Citing a Supreme Court judgment from 2003, Omotoso reiterated that only state governments have the legal authority to issue building permits, even on federally owned land. “

The idea that people can erect skyscrapers without permits and then claim victimisation is simply unacceptable,” he added.

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Omotoso reaffirmed that the administration’s policies aim to maintain order, safety, and urban renewal ensuring Lagos remains a model megacity where development follows due process and sustainability principles.