The Nation Newspaper

Author: The Nation

  • President-elect: Now the hard part

    President-elect: Now the hard part

    SIR: With the declaration of Bola Ahmed Tinubu as Nigeria’s president-elect, the next journey to our nationhood begins at inauguration on May 29.

    However, in the struggle for attainment of power and having regard to the February 25 presidential elections, kudos must go to some certain quarters.

    First, Nigerians’ resilience is unparalleled! Despite the series of challenges and contours placed on their path to general election, Nigerians demonstrated their will-power in enacting their sovereignty through voting-power.

    The president must be congratulated at least for not to torpedoing the electoral process despite the calls by many. This may go down as his lasting legacy in spite of his failure in other directions.

    The electoral body, both its formal and auxiliary frontiers, civil organisations, foreign observers, poll observers  and non-state actors including the press must be congratulated for facing the risk and overcoming the challenges.

    All the actors, political parties, candidates, winners or losers must be congratulated for their spirit of participation, as the saying goes; “the essence of going to Olympic is not necessarily to win but in the Spirit of participation”. The losers today may become the winners tomorrow especially the young and promising ones in the race of February 25.

    Now that a winner has emerged in the person of Bola Ahmed Tinubu, he must be commended for his undying spirit, Spartan focus, passionate patriotism, vigilant perceptiveness, bold and audacious speeches, at desired moments. His agile and robust campaign team matched his craving desire to fulfil an ambition.

    But the mandate comes with the daunting challenges of statehood; with pervading insecurity across the country, infrastructural deficits, comatose economy, cries and crow for restructuring, educational deficits, failure of health system, religious extremism and ethnic exclusiveness among other pervading illnesses which have all massively invited poverty, want, diseases, inequities, penury, discontent and frustration to the world black most populous country – the question is, what to do?

    The president-elect must on May 29 declare a state of “emergency” in these afore-mentioned sectors of our national life with a view to assembling an unusual and unprecedented team with a track record to solve them.

    By this corollary, a government of national harmony, unity, peace and stability cutting across all the political parties in recruitment tenor and non-governmental actors must be sought and put in place.

    A broad-based national team reminiscent of American Frederick Delano Roosevelt presidency in United States is in dire need at this time to dislodge all negativities from our land!

    The security architecture will need a synergy between our military, paramilitary and secret intelligence agencies with foreign partners. A state of emergency must be declared on education, health, power, security, social infrastructure and even in our agricultural sector. The health sector reform must drastically address the dearth of manpower in the sector: doctors, nurses, specialists who are acknowledged as geniuses, drifting to the foreign land for lack of adequate equipment and welfare packages.

    The restructuring agenda will not go away with the passage of time except it is holistically addressed. Try as much any political leader may try in our present dichotomies, it will not wash off our unbundled federalism, ethnic domination, natives/settlers syndromes and other dividing faults in our polity. All must be addressed at a round table with a view to producing a people’s acceptable constitution that adequately addresses our diversities.

    The decentralization of the centre will have to come on board with the issue of federating units, state police, local council police and other interwoven security and system analysis.

    The kind of industries that Nigeria needs with the rate of unemployment will have to focus on agro-businesses. Power sector and allied industry must be reorganized and decentralized.

    The Chinese aphorism provides an instructive lesson “that it does not matter whether the cat is white or black so long it catches the mice”; until these issues are brought out and tackled by broad consultations midwifed by the president-elect and other state collaborators, it will still be “not yet Uhuru on the summer day”.

    •Omotayo Ishola, 

    Ilorin, Kwara State.

  • Yakassai’s call for all-inclusive government

    Yakassai’s call for all-inclusive government

    SIR: Revered elder-statesman and a founding member of the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF), Tanko Yakassai, was quoted in a newspaper interview to have called on the president-elect, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu to run an all-inclusive government that will give all Nigerians a sense of belonging.

    This call is poignant and resonates with all patriots because in the build-up to the just concluded presidential polls, the nation was badly fragmented along ethnic and religious lines and the results are evidence of this.

    Tinubu should not repeat the mistake of Buhari which made many Nigerians to accuse him of nepotism and favouritism. Appointments into public offices should be made to reflect national spread and adhere strictly to the principle of federal character. Talent is not the nativity of any region and no region should be marginalised because they didn’t vote for the ruling party. Some party members who have laboured and toiled to ensure the victory of the party at the polls can be compensated with patronage and appointments into ceremonial positions like board appointments, ambassadorships, etc.

    We cannot afford a government that will be dominated a hundred percent by politicians. Different segments of the society need to be brought on board to contribute their own quota to the development of the nation. An all-inclusive and equitable government is what is needed to heal the fault lines which divide us and ensure peace and prosperity.

    •Peter Ovie Akus,

     New Jersey, USA.

  • Can we begin to believe again?

    Can we begin to believe again?

    SIR: If these past weeks have taught us anything, it’s that there are really no answers where we seek them. Our prophets and pastors suddenly became soothsayers, foretelling things that are beyond their ecclesiastical purviews. Some even claimed they’ve seen the night visions and have been granted the crystal ball to look into the future and tell the mind of God concerning the election. As expected, their prophecies fell short. God hadn’t revealed to them anything; they only spoke according to the spur of their emotional state. 

    But the damage they’ve done to the faith of those who look up to them as spiritual figures and God’s representatives on earth isn’t inconsequential. These people have begun to question their faith in God, asking and probing His existence because the election didn’t go in their favour. This is the problem with mixing religion with politics. Like water poured into a bowl of oil, one soon finds out that both entities are never bedfellows. These doomsday prophets do more damage to the Christian faith than a well-thought-through atheistic verbiage. 

    Who knew that the greatest argument against faith in Christ isn’t the writings of Bertrand Russell, Christopher Hitchens or Richard Dawkins, but the in-working of an electoral process in Nigeria? 

    Bad things happen to good people. We don’t always get our way in life simply because we are believers. God never promised Christians that all their leaders will be a David, a man after His heart. He never hinted that His sovereignty will be only made visible when our preferred politicians emerged as winners of election. Talks around doubting God because of an election is at best childish reasoning, and at worst plainly foolish. A true Christian knows that faith isn’t tied on the outcome of the game of power, but on the eternal truth that stretches beyond here into the deep blue sky of the world to come. 

    Needless to say, the damage has been done to our collective experience of faith due to those who played the politics of religion, or should I say the religion of politics. Christians need to start rebuilding their trust back in God amid the crucible of political imperfections. If politics only defines your worldview about God, you need a new lens to see God with.

    We can believe again in the God who has brought us this far. Politics is a human mechanism that only mimics the higher power of the world to come. It’s a human game played by the transient and faulty rules of human system. Indeed, God is sovereign and He can interfere in our political process whenever He sees fit. But just as we can’t always expect Henry Ford to meddle with the internal combustion of an automobile to avert a fatal car accident, we shouldn’t expect God to always cheat nature to make things go our way. God transcends the natural process of human system. He’s not in any way enslaved by it. 

    Let’s not cast away our faith because things don’t go the way we want them to. Elections have come and gone; let’s not throw out our Christian heritage because of our conceived loss. Now, that it’s all over, can we begin to believe again? 

    •Cyrus Ademola,

    cyrusademola@gmail.com. 

  • On Lalong’s senatorial loss

    On Lalong’s senatorial loss

    SIR: Conspiracy theories have always been a part of Nigerian politics, with individuals and groups engaging in all manners of intrigues to gain an upper hand in elections. The latest victim of such a is Rt. Hon Simon Lalong, the governor of Plateau State and the director general, APC Presidential Campaign Council, whose defeat in the senatorial elections was orchestrated by some powerful individuals and groups from within and outside the Plateau.

    As a leader who believed in competence and capacity over religion and ethnicity, Lalong understood that the most important thing was to deliver the best candidate for Nigerians, regardless of their religion or ethnicity. In this case, the best candidate was Asiwaju Bola Tinubu and Kashim Shettima, who he believed could lead Nigeria to greater heights. The duo had been tried in the past, both having  served their respective states of Lagos and Borno as governors and set a very high standard of governance cutting across infrastructural development, agricultural advancement, improved security architecture, sustainable economic growth and other aspects too numerous to mention.

    Lalong’s belief in the competence and capacity of Tinubu and Shettima was not unfounded. He saw the ticket as a pan-Nigeria ticket, without any religious colouration. His decision to support the Muslim Muslim ticket was not without consequences. Although he had never lost an election in his entire political career, the senatorial elections of February 25 would prove different. He lost.

    Despite the setback, Lalong remains the hero of the 2023 elections. By rejecting religion and ethnic divide to deliver Asiwaju to Nigerians based on competence and capacity, Lalong showed that a united Nigeria was possible. He demonstrated that leaders who put the interest of the nation above personal ambition and sectional interests could achieve great things.

    Lalong’s defeat in the senatorial elections was not just a loss for Plateau State but for Nigeria as a whole. It is a reminder that the forces of division and sectional interests are still alive in Nigerian politics. However, Lalong’s sacrifice for the greater good should be a source of inspiration to other Nigeria leaders. It should remind them that true leadership requires courage, sacrifice, and the ability to put the interest of the nation above personal ambition and sectional interests.

    Congratulations, Rt. Hon Simon Bako Lalong, Governor Plateau State, the victorious Director General APC Presidential Campaign Council.

    •Dr. Abubakar Abdullahi Kuso,

    Jos, Plateau State.

  • Not far-reaching

    Not far-reaching

    • Like the previous one, the new tenures for bank executives will not entirely address corporate governance abuses in the institutions.

    Nigerians would ordinarily have welcomed the directive of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) vide its circular dated February 24, imposing new tenure limits on executive management and non-executive directors of banks and financial institutions in the country, save the need for further clarification. The tenure limits, said to be part of measures aimed at strengthening governance practices in the banking industry pegs the tenure of executive directors (EDs), deputy managing directors (DMDs) and managing directors (MDs), at 10 years.

    According to the circular: “Where an executive who is a DMD becomes the MD/CEO of a bank or any other DMB before the end of his/her maximum tenure, the cumulative tenure of such executive shall not exceed twelve (12) years.

    “However, for an executive (ED) who becomes a DMD of a bank or any other DMB, his/her cumulative tenure as ED and DMD shall not exceed 10 years.”

    “Non-executive directors (NEDs), with the exception of independent non-executive directors (INEDs), shall serve for a maximum period of 12 years in a bank, broken into three terms of four years each.

    “EDs, DMDs and MDs who exit from the board of a bank either upon or prior to the expiration of his/her maximum tenure, shall serve out a cooling-off period of one year before being eligible for appointment as a NED to the board of directors”.

    In all, the executives can only serve a cumulative tenure of 20 years across the banking industry.

    To the apex bank, the measures would help strengthen the governance structures of the institutions, while creating a systemised pathway for promoting and retaining talents in the industry.

    Surely, only the undiscerning would fail to see the façade for what it is. In 2010, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi as CBN governor had initiated a similar measure to address what he proclaimed as “corporate governance issues”.

    “All CEOs who would have served for 10 years by July 31, 2010 shall cease to function in that capacity and shall hand over to their successors,” the apex bank boss had pronounced at the time.

    Twelve-years-plus on, nothing could be said to have changed in practical terms. For instance, Tony Elumelu retired from the United Bank for Africa (UBA) Plc in 2010 only to come back in August 2014 as the bank’s chairperson. Ditto Jim Ovia; he left Zenith Bank Plc in July 2010 and returned as the bank’s chairperson on July 16, 2014. Segun Agbaje, the erstwhile helmsman of Guaranty Trust Bank (GBT) retired on July 15, 2021 and immediately became the holding company’s (holdco’s) chief executive officer (CEO) in the same month, the same manner that Herbert Wigwe of Access Bank Plc (until May 2022), became the chief executive officer of the bank’s parent holding company and has remained the chairperson of Access Bank, United Kingdom (UK) since 2008.

    To the extent that these corporate chieftains have not only remained permanent fixtures in their respective banks but are still firmly entrenched under the new-fangled structure of ‘holding companies’ of the entities which they also created, the question of whether or not the directives are a nullity is not even moot.

    We deplore the situation whereby a few individuals would entrench themselves in the banks, becoming demi-gods, more or less, and understand the apex bank’s acknowledgment that this is bad for the financial sector. It is just like some of our political officers who, after tasting the fruits of political offices, do not want to leave the system till death do them part. Thus, you have a situation where someone steps down as governor after eight years, moves to the senate and from there becomes minister or an ambassador, etc. This recycling has not been helpful in the banks as it has not in the political system. The problem with the new CBN directives is whether they are far-reaching to address the issue of corporate governance in the banks.

    Surely, for us, it is hard to see any real changes coming in the aftermath of the new tenure rule. What we do know is that the 10-year rule that applies to bank managing directors still does not extend to bank chairpersons. Or, is the CBN saying that the matter of the relationship between a holdco and a bank (operating entity) and the boards of directors does not matter? Isn’t that, in practical terms, conveniently side-stepping the weightier issue of corporate governance advertised by the apex bank as underlying the issue of tenure?

  • The anarchist

    The anarchist

    • 2023 poll: Ex-President Obasanjo’s proposition has no basis in law or morality

    Former President Olusegun Obasanjo seems unable to stay out of controversy. He stirred the hornets’ nest again early last week with a gratuitous proposal that the 2023 presidential election, results of which at the time were being collated by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), should be upturned and another poll conducted under circumstances that at best would be arbitrary. He cited as reason for his proposal alleged discrepancies that needed correction in results of the election held on February 25. But the remedial steps he canvassed  could have led this country into a constitutional crisis.

    In an open letter to Nigerians, but by which he pointedly addressed President Muhammadu Buhari while sharing some word of counsel with INEC chairman Professor Mahmood Yakubu, the ex-president unleashed expansive claims that he made no effort whatsoever to substantiate. Among others, he alleged that the Bi-modal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) device that INEC used for the election and its results transmission server were manipulated, that the electoral body’s field personnel were compromised and the election process corrupted, and that results emerging from collation were erroneous because they had not been uploaded through the results transmission server of INEC. He threw in incendiary allusions to purported schemes to destabilise the country, but anyone could see through those as coded metaphors to inflame passions against the ongoing electoral process. His ultimate recommendation was as spurious as it was curious: “Your Excellency, President Buhari Muhammadu, tension is building up and please let all elections that do not pass the credibility and transparency test be cancelled and be brought back with areas where elections were disrupted for next Saturday, March 4, 2023, and BVAS and server officials be changed,” he said.

    The former president was not by any means dispassionate in the matter, having previously endorsed Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate, Mr. Peter Obi, against who the tide of the election results collation was running. Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) emerged victorious in the keenly-contested poll and has since been declared president-elect by the electoral commission. Even then, Obasanjo as former president is an elder statesman and expected to offer counsel rooted in statutory provisions and in the best interest of the country he once watched over. But that wasn’t the case with his letter. His proposal that President Buhari should interrupt and cancel elections that, in his words, “do not pass the credibility and transparency test” has no basis in Nigerian law. Neither is his recommendation that a panel comprising INEC personnel, representatives of the four major political parties and the chair of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) be constituted to “look into what must be done to have hitch-free elections next Saturday (4th March).” We could ask the former president: what would be the legal status of such a panel?

    Moreover, Obasanjo didn’t seem mindful of national history. It was the suspension of the collation of June 12, 1993 presidential election results that led to eventual annulment of that poll by the Ibrahim Babangida junta and the monumental crisis into which it plunged the country. That experience possibly informed why INEC under the present republic has been wary of throwing the spanners in collation and declaration of election results, pending resolution of complaints by partisans. The commission resisted that pressure in 2011 and 2015, and lately when Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) agent Dino Melaye plied a riotous objection against delayed uploading of 2023 election results onto INEC Results Viewing (IReV) portal that the commission had earlier on acknowledged and moved to redress.

    Most egregious of all is Obasanjo’s lack of moral standing to crusade for election sanctity. As former president, he watched over the 2003 and 2007 elections that are reckoned among the most crooked in Nigeria’s history. The 2007 poll was so blatantly disreputable that the late President Umaru Yar’Adua, who was the major beneficiary, acknowledged in his inauguration address that the poll was flawed and committed himself to electoral reforms, which made him constitute the Justice Mohammed Uwais panel that re-drew Nigeria’s electoral process map.

    Lest we forget, the same Obasanjo it was who tried to get third term as president, when the law stipulates a maximum of eight years.

    And it wasn’t that Obasanjo ever showed respect in personal capacity for due process – even in private elections. In August 2004, he unilaterally overruled and tore up the election result sheet for selection of a new Olowu of Owu, Abeokuta. The action of President Obasanjo, who is the Balogun of Owu, was said to be in protest of the outcome of the selection that did not favour his preferred candidate. There’s, perhaps, no better way of surmising the ex-president’s latest intervention than how information and culture minister Lai Mohammed rejoined to him, saying: “As the whole nation waits with bated breath for the result of (the) national elections amid unnecessary tension created by professional complainants and political jesters, what is expected from a self-respecting elder statesman are words and actions that douse tension and serve as a soothing balm. Instead, former President Obasanjo used his unsolicited letter to insinuate, or perhaps wish for, inconclusive elections and descent into anarchy.” What dubious statesmanship!

  • Power belongs to God!

    Power belongs to God!

    • Text:”…..Nebuchadnezzar……was driven from men, and did eat grass as oxen…….” (Daniel 4:33)

    By Venerable Henry O. Adelegan

    God is not only the Ancient of days (Daniel 7:9,13,22), He is the Almighty God (Gen. 17:1). He has all powers at His command (Psalm 62:11) and gives it to whosoever He wills (Romans 13:1). He said that, “By me kings reign, and princes decree justice. By me princes rule, and nobles, even all the judges of the earth” (Proverbs 8:15-16). More importantly, He has the power to install whosoever He wills as king; and at His perogative, He can remove installed kings. When the Israelites demanded for a king, He was the One who gave them Saul the son of Kish, but when Saul went against His command, the Strength of Israel didn’t look at his penitent outlook and plea to give him another chance; He rejected, removed and replaced him in a jiffy (1Samuel 15).

    King Nebuchadnezzar was a very powerful King over Babylon. He had God’s delegated powers and authorities “… over the nations and over the kingdoms, to root out, and to pull down, and to destroy, and to throw down, to build, and to plant” (Jeremiah 1:10). One day however, King Nebuchadnezzar became self-conceited about all that God had blessed his life with and appropriated all the blessings to himself – he became so garrulous and egocentric (Daniel 4:29-31). “…….But when his heart was lifted up, and his mind hardened in pride, he was deposed from his kingly throne, and his glory was taken from him” (Daniel 5:19-29) King Nebuchadnezzar was chased out of the palace like an animal because of pride but when his sense was restored, he begged God for forgiveness and was restored after many years in the forest as an animal (Daniel 4:34-37).

    It was the same with King Herod when one day, he adorned himself in royal apparel, gave an oration that made the people answer him that, “…… It is the voice of a god, and not of a man. And immediately the angel of the Lord smote him, because he gave not God the glory: and he was eaten of worms, and gave up the ghost” (Acts 12:22-23). He died like a flower that was plucked in its bloom! This is a word of caution and counsel to all that have been called to positions of authority in the country following the recent election of 25th February 2023 in particular and leaders generally.

    Beloved, whatever you are, who you are, where you are and the position you occupy, they are all products of God’s grace, and surely not predicated on your works (Ephesians 2:8-9). The only sustaining grace that is available to lift up, keep you standing and never allow you go down in relevance, influence and power is humility. Jesus Christ was an example of humility. Despite being God, He humbled Himself to the gruesomely end on the Cross of Calvary. On the third day, God raised Him from the dead and rewarded Him with a name that is above every other names and that at the mention of His name every knee shall surrender – Halleluyah! (Phil. 2:6-11). It is based on this backdrop that Paul the Apostle admonished in Philippians 2:5 of the indispensability of having the same mind of humility like Jesus Christ. Brethren, if you don’t want the hand of God to be against you, kindly ascribe all glory and honor to whom it is due (God Almighty) and take off that toga of pride because it will only lead to shame (Proverbs 11:2), bring quarrels (Proverbs 13:-10), lead to destruction (Proverbs 16:18) and bring down from the lofty height (Proverbs 29:23).

    During this time of lent brethren, take stock of areas where you have been exhibiting pride, ask God for forgive you, pray for the spirit of humility, amend your ways, learn to accommodate others, extend your hand of love to all around you, live in love with everyone and pray for grace of lift up. As Jesus Christ lives, you shall be located with a testimony that will shock you and astound the world; instead of going down, you shall continue to be lifted in Jesus’ name

    Prayers: Father, deliver me from pride and clothe me with the garment of humility all the days of my life, in Jesus’ name.

  • Ex-Commissioner canvasses votes for Sanwo-Olu

    Ex-Commissioner canvasses votes for Sanwo-Olu

    A cleric and former Lagos State Commissioner for Home Affairs, Dr. AbdulHakeem Abdulateef has appealed to Christians and Muslims in Lagos to come out en masse on Saturday to vote for re-elect Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu and all All Progressives Congress (APC) House of Assembly candidates.

    This, he said, was to ensure the symbiotic relationship between the state and the Federal Government.

    The former commissioner also congratulated the President-Elect, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, saying Almighty Allah elevated him and that his victory and was well deserved.

    He pleaded against allowing religious sentiments to determine the governorship poll.

    “Lagos needs to be retained under APC for continuous development. The incumbent governor and his deputy, Dr Obafemi Hamzat have done very well and therefore deserve to be returned,” he said.

    Abdulateef noted that all the votes cast for Tinubu would become a complete waste if Governor Sanwo-Olu election.

    “There must be a handshake between the federal and the state government. The Federal Government only has competence over the exclusive legislative list in the nation’s constitution. Still, the state has exclusive jurisdiction over the residual matters and both of them must work together on the concurrent list and that is what can translate into development. The reason Lagosians irrespective of religious or tribal affiliations must ensure Governor Sanwo-Olu is re-elected to ensure proper synergy between the state and federal government,” he said.

    He faulted those who voted against Asiwaju Tinubu due to the Muslim-Muslim ticket.

    “In Nigeria, we are one, the Muslim-Muslim ticket was electorally correct and it is the only politically expedient decision Tinubu could have taken. He loves Christians, Muslims and even pagans. The campaign against Tinubu and his party not to retain Lagos is meant to ridicule him (Tinubu), which will make him not having governor who will translate his policies at the federal level into domestic prosperity. We should remember that he is the architect of modern Lagos, hence this is the time to consolidate his vision for Lagos. Lagosians should ensure the ruling party in the state is retained,” he said.

    Abdulateef pleaded with Christian and Muslim communities and leaders to support Sanwo-Olu and desist from voting based on sentiments.

    “I’m a Chief Imam supporting Sanwo-Olu, simply because my vote for Asiwaju Tinubu will be of no effect if the state government goes to the opposition party. I will not ever have a feel of what it means to have a Federal Government that is determined to right the wrongs in Nigeria. Let’s protect this land from the aggressors. Let us all vote for Sanwo-Olu for consistency,” he said.

    He expressed displeasure over the plan to take over Lagos State due to hatred conceive against the builder of the state, Tinubu, saying “Allah has used him to build the state they want to take over. Do you know it will be a great disservice for Lagos State to be in opposition when the builder of the state has been elevated by Almighty Allah to become the president of Nigeria?”

  • Tinubu’s path to victory was unusual, says Ondo APC chieftain

    Tinubu’s path to victory was unusual, says Ondo APC chieftain

    A member of the All Progressives Congress Presidential Campaign Council, Dr. Abiola Oshodi, has said that the pathway to Senator Bola Tinubu’s victory in the February 25th presidential election was unusual.

    Dr. Oshodi said Tinubu lost in Lagos, Osun and traditional KKK states of Kano, Kaduna and Katsina so that historians could dig in and reanalyze his  unusual pathway to victory .

    Oshodi, in a statement issued in Akure, assured Nigerians that Tinuby would hit the ground running once his administration is inaugurated on May.

    He said, “Asiwaju Bola Tinubu campaigned through all the nooks and crannies of Nigeria and that contributed towards his victory.

    “I look forward to the President elect  being  the father of Nigeria despite political differences and political affiliations even as he addresses and focus on radically reforming and , restructuring Nigeria for the common good as well as begins in earnest the  implementation of the agenda in his renewed hope manifesto. He will definitely hit the ground running.”

  • ‘Nigeria’s economic hub cannot be used for experiment’

    ‘Nigeria’s economic hub cannot be used for experiment’

    The Convener of Pro-Nigeria Group and Managing Director of CFL Group, Lai Omotola, has stressed the need for Lagos State to be governed by tested technocrats because it is the nation’s economic hub and Africa’s major financial centre.

    Omotola noted that as the country’s economic backbone, Lagos should not be left to ‘those who would use it to experiment their administrative acumen’.

    He said: “We should save Lagos from wicked conspiracy theories and attacks against the giant strides of development in Lagos. Since 1999 when we started our democratic journey, we have had four governors; from Asiwaju Bola Tinubu to Raji Fashola, Akinwunmi Ambode and presently Babajide Sanwo-Olu. From one election cycle to another, the governorship seat has been competitive but the progressives have always come out victorious.

    “However, the presidential election did not turn out as expected, and a careful study of the indices has shown mistakes on our part, and those mistakes must be corrected.”

    Omotola urged the people to vote Governor Sanwo-Olu and other candidates of the All Progressives Congress (APC) congress, saying the governor has demonstrated capacity.

    “We have realised concerted efforts by mischief makers to derail the development path of Lagos. They have provided minnows as alternatives to progressive government. They are asking for a change of government not rooted in genuine facts. But for the avoidance of doubt, Lagos is working very well under the Babajide Sanwwo-Olu-led administration. There is no state in Nigeria that can beat Lagos in all areas of development indices.

    “Lagos is where entrepreneurs thrive, where entertainment has been shot to the global stage. This is Lagos with the capacity to carry your dreams no matter how big, there is space for everyone. The London and Dubai of Nigeria come and see the wonders of Lagos in our towers of iconic infrastructure. Lagos leads on all indices. There are no abandoned projects in Lagos.

    “The reason for this success is because the leadership has grown organically, which means every governor has been an insider and has been part of the development blueprint.”

    “Therefore, if anyone is to lead this Centre of Excellence, we should interrogate the person’s experience and expertise in both public and private service. What have you been able to do for yourself and state? What is the balance sheet of the company you have led? What projects have you executed that we can see? Has your competence and capacity be tested?,” Omotola added.