SIR: Governance at all levels is a very serious business. Indeed, governance is a sensitive enterprise that people shouldn’t aspire to be involved, if their leadership capacity and effectiveness is suspect.
It’s a one human endeavour that requires everything from those who are aspiring to be involved-resourcefulness, hard-work, probity and accountability, decisiveness, steadfastness, emotional and psychologically stability and of course, being trusted and tested.
It becomes more difficult and very demanding if a whole nation is involved or a state, with so much at stake like Lagos. Even though, FCT Abuja is the nation’s administrative capital, Lagos remains the commercial capital and nerve centre of the country. Lagos conveniently connects the whole country with the entire globe.
It’s therefore imperative and germane that Nigerians, both at home and in Diaspora continually pray for stability, as well as continuity of governance in Lagos State. This is the only path to the continual prosperity and general wellbeing of the state.
The incumbent governor, Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu of APC has been in the mainstream and heart of governance in the state for about 20 years.
He was Special Adviser to an ex-Deputy Governor. He was acting commissioner in the Ministry of Commerce for years before he was moved in a substantive capacity to the Ministry of Establishments, Training and Pensions as Commissioner. He also got involved as MD/CEO of Lagos State Property Development Corporation (LSPDC).
Those are the reasons he’s seamlessly fits into the office of the governor. That accounts for his unusual maturity, emotional and psychological stability in governance.
That’s why he’s been able to paddle the affairs of the state with some measure of success in the last four years. That’s why he’s been able to optimally deploy the civil service as engine room of governance.
Its same resourceful and tested and trusted governor that the opposition leaders are comparing with PDP’s Olajide Adediran (JANDOR) and Labour Party’s Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivor. These are political neophytes, very anonymous and largely unknown in the state’s political sphere. Both of them have never been involved in any governance activities at any level in the state.
This is therefore a clarion call to the good people of the state of the need for them to be circumspect, cautious and be very thoughtful of what becomes of the glory, prosperity, growth and development, as well as excellence status of the state if the state is handed over to people who have never proven their mettle.
It’s also important for the state electorate to use their votes to politically extinct permanently all those who don’t wish the state well. That’s the only path to go.
•Kola Amzat (FCA,FCIB)
Lagos.