Given the successes of his predecessors in office and the expectations of Lagosians under the new direction of “change” being charted by the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), the Lagos State Governor-elect, Akinwunmi Ambode, has a task on his hands. Deputy Political Editor RAYMOND MORDI looks at the challenges facing the incoming administration.
NO governorship election in Lagos State since the return to civil rule in 1999 has been as competitive as the recent one. The stakes were high. After losing the presidential election, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) was desperate to take over the prime state. But the All Progressives Congress (APC) did not want to lose the state it has been controlling in the last 16 years. At the end of the day, the APC proved its mettle once again, with its standard bearer Akinwunmi Ambode defeating Jimi Agbaje, his PDP counterpart, by 811,994 to 659,788 votes.
Now that Ambode has put the sweet victory of April 11 behind him, he must begin the onerous task of sustaining the noble legacies of his predecessors the moment he is sworn in on May 29. On that day, Ambode will become the 14th governor of the state. He will be taking over from Governor Babatunde Raji Fashola. Given the precedent set by his predecessors, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu and Governor Fashola, Ambode no doubt has his job cut out for him.
All eyes would be on him to sustain the lofty achievements of Tinubu and Fashola. Ambode in his acceptance speech acknowledged that the task ahead is an enormous one; though he noted that it is not an insurmountable one. “With wisdom, creativity and strength of purpose we can accomplish great things for this great state. By God’s grace, we shall make this our way,” he added.
One thing that he has going for him however is the fact that Lagos, for the first time, will be controlled by the same party at the federal level. The expected collaboration with the APC-controlled Federal Government should engender the drive for attaining the long-awaited special status. Lagos should be given special funds by the Federal Government to maintain its status as the commercial capital of Nigeria and the state that carries the burden of catering for citizens from the four corners of the country. This, among other things, will make Lagos one of the fastest developing cities in the world.
Unarguably the most populous and cosmopolitan state in the nation, Lagos is a major driver of the country’s economy. Despite being ruled by the opposition party since 1999, the state has prospered with increasing of Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) through which it has managed to keep the state comparatively viable. According to the Nigerian Bureau of Statistics, the state has an IGR of over N219billion yearly, with Rivers and Delta states trailing at a far distance with N66billion and N45billion.
The incoming governor has inaugurated a transition committee to ensure a seamless transfer of power to his government. The committee is headed by the Deputy Governor-elect, Dr. Idiat Oluranti Adebule. The transition committee is expected to submit its report prior to the inauguration on May 29. But, as the handover date draws nearer, citizens and stakeholders have started setting agenda for the incoming administration.
The Director-General, Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Mr. Muda Yusuf, says it is crucial for the incoming governor to sustain the infrastructural development programme of his predecessor as a necessary climate for business to thrive. “We need to improve productivity in the economy and so it is important for the incoming governor to sustain what Governor Babatunde Fashola has done in the area of infrastructural development. He will also need to look in the area of taxation and tackle multiple charges imposed by some of the state’s agencies. It is also important for him to sustain dialogue with the private sector so that he can get feedback on the impact of government policies,’’ he says.
Recently, the Chairman, Lagos Internal Revenue Service, Mr. Tunde Fowler, said the state has a monthly IGR of N23bn monthly.
APC chieftain Mr. Fuad Oki believes the challenge that will confront the governor-elect will be that of wanting to do much and not having enough. The Lagos Central Vice Chairman of the party said it is not for nothing that Ambode is called the consolidator. He said: “The challenges that will confront Ambode will be the challenge of wanting to do much and not having enough. It is not for fun that we call him the consolidator. In 1999, we decided that we will take Lagos to the Victorian era that it used to be in the ‘40s and ‘50s, ‘60s and during the civil war.
“We have been doing that consistently. Even, PDP leaders have come out to say that Lagos is working. We want to keep it working. We want to do much, but, we have less. As a result, we have embarked on serious financial engineering and re-engineering in making the state a Triple A in the reckoning of international financial institutions. Lagos State government is reputed for best practices in terms of prudence and financial management. We have financial blueprint for the management of resources. In terms of service delivery, mega city status, Lagos is becoming the third.
“We are reviving the abandoned rail line project. But, there has been lack of understanding by the Goodluck Jonathan, led Federal Government. We are developing our waterways. We must promote our eco system in this state of aquatic splendour. We want to continue to add value to the lives of the people,” he averred.
On the new things that Ambode will do for Lagosians, Oki said the incoming governor will implement the APC manifesto as well as continue to build on the legacies of Tinubu and Fashola.
His words: “He is a party man who subscribes to the party manifesto. He will continue to b he build on the legacies of the Tinubu and Fashola administrations. He will take Lagos to a higher level. He will create jobs and defend all the sectors. He will implement our manifestos.”
One of the critical areas that Ambode must consolidate on is security. Here, he does not have to reinvent the wheel; Fashola has already put in place a Security Trust Fund. Stakeholders expect Ambode to consolidate on what is on the ground by, among other things, embarking on the acquisition of the latest advanced security communications technology. These would help to track and monitor the daily activities of citizens.
Ambode has promised free education up to secondary school level, as a basic right for the child. He has also pledged to continue the current schools renovation programme, upgrade of libraries to e-libraries as well as making Lagos State University, LASU, and the Lagos State Polytechnic as centres of academic excellence. Lagosians earnestly await the fulfilment of this noble promise.
The new administration is also expected to do something to curb the menace of ‘area boys’ and youth restiveness generally. While urging the governor-elect to tackle youth restiveness when he assumes power, the Coordinator of the Young Achievers Campaign Organisation of Nigeria (YACOON), Temitope Adewale, said the youth voted for Ambode because of his pledge to tackle unemployment and social decadence in the society. Adewale added that youths take to crime because of the lack of an enduring programme to keep them busy.
The Ambode administration must also do more in health and housing. The governor must improve primary health care system to make it more affordable and accessible. According to experts, one thing he must do in this regard is to establish medi-parks and bio-parks in collaboration with health experts and organisations. This would stave off the capital flight occasioned by overseas medical trips.
On affordable houses to Lagosians, stakeholders are of the view that the incoming administration must not only expand the Lagos Home Ownership Mortgage Scheme (HOMS) to involve more people, but also focus on affordability. In this regard, the administration is expected to embark on mass housing scheme to target the lower cadre of the working class.
In transportation, Ambode is expected to build on the solid foundation laid by his predecessors. Though the Fashola administration, which actualised the blueprint fashioned by the Tinubu administration, made giant strides in road construction, the incoming administration should build new roads while old ones and ongoing road projects must be maintained and completed. This will help to reduce traffic jams, which is the bane of the city.
Nowhere is the traffic jam more pronounced than Lekki. Movement along the Lekki corridor, which is otherwise known as the ‘New Lagos’, with its sizzling real estate, huge construction projects, seaport and airport projects, during the rush hours is traumatic. According to stakeholders, to decongest the road, the Ambode administration will need to build overhead bridges and prevent people from trading at bus stops. The incoming administration will also need to increase the usage of waterways for public transportation through channeling and dredging.
The incoming governor should know. He is from Epe, which is located within the corridor. The traditional ruler of Epe, Oba Kamorudeen Ishola Animashaun, expects Ambode to complete the projects already started by the outgoing administration. “We know he has been part and parcel of the APC administration in the state and he knows what to do,” he said.
Oba Animashaun enumerated the demands of the people of Epe: “One, electricity; two, water; three, roads; and, four, creation of employment opportunities for youths. We also want Ambode to facilitate the completion of the development projects initiated by the outgoing administration in and around Epe. These include: the Lekki-Epe International Airport project, the Lekki Free Trade Zone and the Lekki Deep Seaport.
“We also expect Ambode to support Dangote to complete the refinery project. Once all these projects are completed, there would be a lot of rooms to create jobs for our youths.”