The senator representing Lagos East senatorial district, Sen. Tokunbo Abiru, Thursday, canvassed support for the Economic Sustainability Plan (ESP), noting that 2021 would be the beginning of economic recovery and transformation.

 

Abiru, a former Executive Director, First Bank and the immediate past Chief Executive Officer, Polaris Bank, disclosed the 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 disclosed the plan in a two-page message, ‘Welcome to Year 2021’ he sent to his constituents to mark the advent of 2021, thanking God that they “are alive, hale and healthy to witness the New Year amid hope and optimism.”

 

Abiru, 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.”

 

Before the end of the first quarter, the lawmaker disclosed that 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 promised 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.

 

 

 

The lawmaker also noted that the year would remain unforgettable for the people of Lagos East, first due to the passage od Sen. Adebayo Osinowo, Chief Lanre Rasaq and Hon. Tunde Braimoh at the height of the first wave of the COVID-19 outbreak.

 

He prayed that God Almighty “will continue to comfort and uphold the families of the deceased.”

 

Abiru recounted that the year would remain unforgettable citing a 87.19% landslide recorded in the senatorial contest and 82.61% in the state legislative race with the support of his constituents across Lagos East.

 

Despite all its low moments, the lawmaker observed that 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.