-To start implementation of electoral promises in first quarter
The senator representing Lagos East Senatorial District, Senator Tokunbo Abiru, on Thursday, December 2020, appreciated the effort of the federal government in implementing its Economic Sustainability Plan (ESP), noting that 2021 would be the beginning of the economic recovery and transformation of the nation and its teeming citizens.
Abiru, a former Executive Director, First Bank, and the immediate past Chief Executive Officer, Polaris Bank, also disclosed his plan to inaugurate an endowment fund in the first quarter to complement the efforts of the federal and state governments in skill acquisition and capacity development.
He made the projection and disclosure in a 2-page release to mark his inaugural New Year message as a Senator.
“Welcome to Year 2021’’, he said while welcoming his constituents to 2021, while he also thanked God that they “are alive, hale and healthy to witness the New Year amid hope and optimism.”
He, specifically, acknowledged the effort of the federal government to implement its Economic Sustainability Plan (ESP) valued at N2.3 trillion and the Government of Lagos State for rolling out different initiatives to improve the quality of life in the state.
He, therefore, promised that he would always join hands with his colleagues in the Senate “to provide necessary legislative support required towards repositioning our economy in the New Year.”
The lawmaker disclosed that before the end of the first quarter, he “will formally inaugurate an Endowment Fund, a personal empowerment initiative set up for the indigent brilliant students, the aged, the youths and the vulnerable, including persons with special needs”.
“The Fund will complement the efforts of the federal and state governments in the areas of skill acquisition and capacity development”, Abiru said while promising his constituents a new dawn in legislative representation in the district.
He, however, noted that 2020 was possibly the most challenging year in the recent times, citing the outbreak of COVID-19 that plunged the economy into a recession and the eruption of #EndSARS protests that called for a more accountable, transparent and citizen-focused policing structure.
He also noted that the year would remain unforgettable for the people of Lagos East, first, for the demise of Senator Adebayo Osinowo, Chief Lanre Rasaq and Hon. Tunde Braimoh at the height of the first wave of the COVID-19 outbreak.
He prayed God Almighty to continue to comfort and uphold the families of the deceased.
More so, Abiru recounted that the year would remain unforgettable for the 87.19% landslide victory recorded in the senatorial contest and 82.61% in the state legislative race by the All Progressives Congress (APC) with the support of his constituents across Lagos East.
He, however, said that despite all its low moments, there “are causes to appreciate God for all the events of Year 2020. We are alive, hale and healthy to witness the New Year amid hope and optimism”.
“For this reason alone, I rejoice with you all, believing that Year 2021 will, by the grace of God, be the beginning of our economic recovery and transformation.
“As we step into the New Year amid great expectations, let me first assure that I shall, by God’s grace, keep and fulfill the promises made during our electioneering campaigns.
“As a Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, I have the onus of making laws, exercising legislative oversight and quality representation for my constituents for the purpose of good governance, a duty I pledged to discharge to the best of my ability”, he assured his constituents.
