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Lee Kuan Yew, the architect of the modern day Singapore, visited Nigeria a few days before the military struck on January 15, 1966. His visit was in connection with the Commonwealth Conference held in Lagos on Rhodesia, now Zimbabwe. His conclusion about Nigeria in 1966 is contained in a book he wrote in 2000 titled, ‘From Third World to First’. In the book, he concluded: “I think their tribal loyalties were stronger than their sense of common nationhood”.

The tragic preference for tribal loyalties at the expense of good governance has made Nigeria arguably the worst run of the world’s seven most populated countries. For too long, our country is used as a symbol for anything that is wrong in terms of countries that are endowed with resources. In spite of hundreds of billions of dollars that we have made from oil, Nigeria still has the second-most destitute people in the world, after India.

Unarguably, the country has structural problems. But any talk about restructuring without good governance from the constituent states amounts to beating about the bush. Today, State and Local Governments give the impression that their entire operations depend on the statutory Federal allocation. Apart from the Federation Account, each tier of Government is required by the Constitution to raise its own local revenues upon which they should run the services allocated to them under the constitution. It was evident before oil became an important source of income that this country possessed abundant natural resources and a vigorous and dynamic human resource to develop into a prosperous and progressive nation. One still believes that it is still so if we turn our attention away from oil as our main source of wealth.

With an exploding population of an ethnically and religiously diverse people, estimated at 24 million, Lagos stands out as a model of how good governance can enhance peaceful co-existence and spur growth and development. The state has seen steady improvement in its governance since 1999, when Nigeria returned to democracy. In similarity to how cities such as Chennai and Hyderabad in India and Medellin in Columbia had in the past outperformed and outshone their national government in promoting growth, child education and crime and poverty reduction, Lagos has become a laboratory which  the federal government and other states of the federation can emulate for  practical lesson.

A unique combination of visionary leaders, vibrant and pro active public service, an active and engaged civil society and progressive development plan have worked together to lead what was once the poster child for a slum-ridden and largely impoverished lawless metropolis, into a new modern era.

The economy of Lagos State is fast outpacing economic growth in other parts of the country and, indeed, in the sub region as the state’s non-oil revenues now sustain increase investment in infrastructure and other social amenities. While other states have been left almost bankrupt, following the drying up courtesy current economic recession, Lagos raked in N287 billion in Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) in 2016, well above the total budget size of more than 20 states.

With about N600 million in 1999, when Asiwaju BolaTinubu took over, the IGR rose to between N10 billion and N11 billion by 2007 when Tinubu left office. With continuing reforms in the internal revenue system, aggressive tax drive, capacity building and professionalism of the Lagos Internal Revenue Service (LIRS), the IGR of the state had by 2015 when Mr. Babatunde Fashola (SAN), left office, risen to about N23 billion monthly.

A key secret of Lagos’ economic growth is infrastructure development which has been the hallmarks of succeeding administrations since 1999. This is premised on the principle that the better the infrastructure the more the likelihood of tax compliance. This is in sharp contrast with what obtains at the federal level where a large proportion of revenue projection has little to do with government’s performance, since about 75 percent of the national budget is projected in anticipation of oil receipt.

Aside its creative revenue base, Lagos flexibility in sourcing competent and resourceful personnel, irrespective of typical Nigerian considerations, partly accounts for its socio-economic stability. In Lagos appointment or recruitment into public office is mainly anchored on competence.  Lagos is the only and truly melting point in Nigeria; a land of opportunities for all. Lagos has continued to show the way forward in its commitment to an indivisible Nigeria where no one is denied of opportunities for self actualisation on mundane considerations. The state’s primary, secondary and tertiary health facilities and, indeed, other such infrastructure remain accessible to all Nigerians without any discrimination. The State Security Trust and Employment Trust Funds are available for the good of Lagos residents.

Now, the question is can Lagos really save Nigeria? Alone, it’s unlikely — one factor is that the country’s population is expected to hit 400 million by mid-century — but Lagos can now be the model for transferring more authority to other States. And they, in turn, could help to shift the polarized national politics. Another way forward is replication of collaboration that gave rise to LAKE Rice, a kind of recession soother champion by Lagos and Kebbi state governments which also has other benefits of renewing investors’ interest in agro-based industries, boost for agric related cooperative societies among others.

From the LAKE Rice example, it is obvious other states need to look inward for more of such progressive and productive partnership, especially in terms of regional economic integration. It will be a fascinating idea for business to flourish and encourage industrialization. If income levels rose, improved education and a rising middle class will naturally follow. Greater affluence and aspiration, in turn, tend to act as a useful brake on population growth.

Another lesson from Lagos is the culture of peaceful coexistence and religious tolerance among residents. An atmosphere of peace and tranquility is the bedrock for any sustainable societal growth and development in a cosmopolitan City like Lagos. This is why the state government, through the Ministry of Home Affairs, is promoting peaceful, harmonious relationship among the diverse religious groups in the State as well as ensures the sustenance of peaceful co-existence among residents irrespective of their ethnic and religious persuasion. The State has continued to operate a multi-prong approach strategy which includes a mix of public enlightenment campaign, sensitization and advocacy programmes against hate preaching and religious intolerance.

On a final note, with the recent discovery of oil in Lagos, its journey into prosperity seems to have just begun. But then, for Lagos to remain a leading light in the country, both residents and visitors alike must abide by all rules and laws that regulate socio-economic interaction. It is only in doing this that Lagos could continue to be a haven of hope for all.

• Musbau is of the Features Unit, Ministry of Information and Strategy, Alausa, Ikeja, Lagos.

WHEN Professor Abdalla Uba Adamu was appointed on February 10, 2016 as the Vice-chancellor of the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) by the federal government, he came with an uncommon zest to lift the institution to the next level of its development. He did not just come to do it “the way it has always been done”. Playing on the university’s acronym, he told anyone who cared to listen that he had come to move the premier Open and Distant Leaning (ODL) institution “from NOUN to verb”, clearly indicating that he had come for action. One of the many groundbreaking actions he took was moving the university from its temporary headquarters in Lagos to its permanent site in Abuja.

This singular act was one of the most revolutionary moves seen ever since the university came on stream in 1983. So many things had taken place under the previous two Vice-Chancellors, but this one was unique in its ripple effects. Some may equate it with the movement of the nation’s capital from the same city to the same city, which had some drawdown but was in large part the most sensible to do at the time. To begin with, it was not even Adamu’s idea to relocate NOUN to Abuja; it was a move that had been in the pipeline for years. Under the former Vice-Chancellor, Professor Vincent Ado Tenebe, the land given by the government for the construction of the permanent headquarters in the Jabi area of the city had been fully developed, complete with Senate building which serves as the administrative block, faculty buildings, a teaching hospital and other structures.

The construction was funded by the Buhari Administration under the TETFUND programme. In fact, Adamu was taken aback when he first visited the site and discovered that the headquarters was almost ready to be occupied. All he needed to do was to connect it to electricity grid! With government approval, the process of moving from Lagos to Abuja was begun within the month he took over. While some inconveniences were suffered, especially by staff who had to physically relocate to a “strange town”, the overall benefits to the university in the long run cannot be quantified. Those who conceived the idea of the relocation prior to Adamu’s appointment couldn’t have made a better judgment. The Abuja site was more spacious, modern, closer to the key government agencies NOUN has to relate with on a constant basis, and costeffective.

Of course, some Nigerians who have been used to NOUN being in Lagos may have found the relocation unwelcome. It was a change matter, and some people naturally find change unsettling. They fear that change in whatever form can affect them negatively on a personal basis, not minding the overall benefits to both the institution and the nation. And they ask: what happens to the old structure? Where NOUN is concerned, however, the old structure in Lagos remains. Administratively, the vice-chancellor as the chief executive officerhas moved, as well as many of the principal officers and support staff. But the former headquarters, located in Victoria Island, continues to be an integral part of the university. In fact, the Deputy Vice-chancellor (Academic), Prof. Patrick Eya, remains in Lagos to superintend the university’s many operations in the city.

This strategic move aims at ensuring that the relocation to Abuja is not felt adversely by the thousands of students of the university within the Lagos area and indeed the Southern states. All the academic activities of the university in Lagos are going on uninterrupted. The students there have seamlessly participated in the recent e-exams conducted by NOUN nationwide. In Lagos, NOUN has six study centres. Two of them, McCarthy and NN Apapa, have 15,000 and 15,328 active students respectively. This makes Lagos the hub of the academic life of the university. None of the six study centres has been shut down or was affected by the relocation of the headquarters because, like in other states, the study centres are institutionalised in the states.

It would be interesting to know that many of the NOUN students in Lagos did not even know that the headquarters had moved to Abuja until several months later. That was due to the nature of the university’s distant learning system whereby the students scarcely find the need to visit the administrative centre for anything. All their needs are met at their study centres and online. For them, even if NOUN was sited on the moon it would not make much difference since all their study needs are met. No shaking. •Sheme is the Director of Media and Publicity, National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN)

I was born in Idanre, a hilly ancient town in Ondo state but I have spent more years in Lagos than in any other city in the world. Since the early sixties when I used to spend holidays with my cousin, Professor Ayo Akinbobola(1942-2008) at 92,Ogunlana Drive(Bus Corner) in Surulere, Lagos along with another cousin of mine Chief Babu Akinbobola(66),Lagos has always been my focus.

No matter my sojourn in the country be it in Eket, Calabar, Ogoja,Katsina,Bendi,Akure,Owerri,Maiduguri,Sokoto and many other cities in the country including of course Abuja—that artificial city—I always love to come back to Lagos—a city that never sleeps. In the past, Ikoyi was the best place to be in Lagos, hence my disappointment that the names of places we cherished in the past have been changed. A fact that cant be erased is that we were once colonized by the British and Lagos was also once the capital of Nigeria. Another fact was that some streets in Lagos especially in Ikoyi were named by the British to remind us that they were once here. Cameron road was named after Sir Donald Charles Cameron (1872- 1948). He was a British Colonial governor.

In April 1925, Cameron became the second governor of the British mandate of Tanganyika, taking over from John Scott, who was acting governor for Sir Horace Byatt. From 1931 to 1935 he was governor and commander-in-chief of Nigeria. Glover road was named after Sir James Hawley Glover (1829-1885). He was a Captain in the British Royal Navy and later a colonial governor. On 21 April 1863 he was appointed administrator of the government of Lagos Colony, Victoria Island in Lagos was named after Queen Victoria (1819-1901) who was the Queen of the United Kingdom and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death.

From 1 May 1876, she adopted the adopted the additional title of Empress of India. Milverton Road in Ikoyi was named after Baron Milverton. Baron Milverton, of Lagos and of Clifton in the City of Bristol, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1947 for the colonial administrator Sir Arthur Richards.

He had previously served as Governor of Nigeria. As of 2010 the title is held by his eldest son, the second Baron, who succeeded in 1978. Moloney street in Lagos was named after Sir Cornelius Alfred Moloney KCMG(1848-13 August 1913) who was a British colonial administrator. He served as British administrator of the The Gambia from 1884 to 1886, Governor of Lagos Colony from 1886 to 1890, Governor of British Honduras from 1891 to 1897, Governor of the Federal Colony of the Windward Islands from 1897 to 1900, and Governor of Trinidad and Tobago from November 1900 to 1904.

Clifford Street in Lagos was named after Sir Hugh Charles Cliiford(1866-1941) who was a Briitish Colonial administrator. In 1903, he left Malaysia to take the post of Colonial Scretary of Trinidad. Later he was appointed Governor of the Gold Coast, 1912-1919, Nigeria, 1919-1925, and Ceylon, 1925-1927. Eric Moore Street in Surulere, Lagos was named after Eric Olawolu Moore, a member of the colonial legislative council and the first Lagos member of the united committee of experts and adviser on Labour conventions and regulations.

He was the father of Kofo Moore, the wife of Sir Adetokunbo Ademola, first Chief Justice of the Federation, who also established New Era Secondary School in Surulere, Lagos. Denton street in Ikoyi was named after George Chadin Denton (1851- 1928) who was the Colonial Secretary of Lagos in 1900. Freeman street was named after Sir Henry Stanhorp Freeman (1831- 1865) who was the first Governor of Lagos (1862-1865). He took over from acting Governor William Mccorskty. Alexander Avenue was named in honour of Cyril Wilson Alexander (1879-1947) who was Governor of the Southern provinces of Nigeria between 1929-1930.

Egerton street was named in honour of Sir Walter Egerton(1858-1947) who was the first Governor of the colony of Southern Nigeria between 1906-1912. Osborne in Ikoyi was named after Jack Osborne who died on August 15, 2012 at the age of 103. He served with Chindits behind enemy lines in Barma, commanding Nigeria Troops during world war two.

Lugard Street in Ikoyi was named after Sir Frederick John Dealtry Lugard(1858- 1945), former Governor General of Nigeria. Sir Lugard also named Port- Harcourt in honour of Sir Lewis Vernon Harcourt(1863-1922) who was the British Secretary for the Colonies between 1910-1915. Lord Harcourt’s nickname was “Loulou”. Macgregor street in Ikoyi was named after Sir William Macgregor (1846-1919) who served as Governor of Lagos Colony Niger from 1899- 1904 where he instituted a campaign against the prevalent malaria.

Thompson street in Ikoyi was named after Sir Graeme Thomson(1875- 1933). He was appointed as Secretary for Ceylon in 1919,then Governor of British Guiana in 1922 and and of Nigeria in 1925. Adeniyi Jones street in Ikeja was named after Dr. Curtis Crispin Adeniyi-Jones (1876-1957), a Nigerian Doctor and Politician. His son Femi is at present a member of guild of Stewards at the Cathedral Church of Christ, Marina, Lagos. Macpherson street in Lagos was named after John Stewart Macpherson (1898-1971). He was a British Colonial administrator who served as Governor General of Nigeria from 1948-1955.

He was responsible for the introduction of the 1951 constitution, Macpherson constitution which provided for ”semi-responsible government”. His ADC during his tenure was General Johnson Thomas Umanakwe Aguiyi Ironsi(1924-1966) who later became the Head of State of Nigeria from January 1966 to July 1966. Carter Bridge in Lagos was named after Sir Gilbert Thomas Carter (1848-1927). Carter was appointed Governor and Commander-in-Chief of the Colony of Lagos on 3 February 1891.Carter ordered an attack on the Ijebus in 1892.

Carter travelled to various parts of Yorubaland, accompanied by soldiers, in an attempt to demonstrate the might of the British.Initially,Carter was not well received at Oyo, and the Egba chiefs advised him not to interfere with slavery, while the Ibadan chiefs said they were afraid that their slaves would “assert their freedom by running to the Resident” – and they refused to sign a treaty with Carter. However, in January 1893 the Egba chiefs signed a Treaty of Independence with the British Government. It was agreed that freedom of trade between the Egba Nation and Lagos was to be guaranteed by the British Government, in return for which no road would be closed without the approval of the Governor.

They further agreed that complete protection and “every assistance and encouragement” would be afforded to all Christian ministers”.

The British agreed that “no annexation on any portion of Egba Nation shall be made by her Majesty’s Government without the consent of the lawful authorities of the nation, no aggressive action shall be taken against the said nation and its independence shall be fully recognized.” He was promoted Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George (KCMG) on 3 June 1893, “in recognition of his services in conducting a mission to the Yoruba country which resulted in the negotiation of important treaties and brought to an end a long-standing war”. Carter was given Ife works of art in 1896 by the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adelekan Sijuade, in the hopes that a decision in his favour would be made about the resettlement of Modakeke residents outside Ife city.

These works (including three known as the Ife marbles), were sent by Carter to Europe. Governor Carter made a British expedition in Ijebu in 1892-1893. He forced the Ibadans and the Ekitis to sign a treaty. He trekked to Igbaji and Oke-Imesi where a treaty was signed between the Ibadans and Ekitis. On September 4 1894, Governor Carter signed a treaty with the Owa of Idanre, Oba Towurojoye Adegboye, Arubuefin I during which Idanre was ceded to be part of the British territory. A copy of the treaty is still with the present Owa of Idanre, Oba Frederick Gbolagunte Adegunle Aroloye, Arubuefin IV. After his tenure in Nigeria, he was transferred to Barbados as governor and he built the Governors’ residence there in 1904.

That house which is still the official residence of the Prime Minister of Barbados was designed by Lady Gilbert Carter, wife of former Governor Carter. The house was named by Governor Carter as Ilaro court on Tweedside road, St. Michael in Barbados. He named the house in remembrance of Ilaro which today is the headquarters of Yewa South, Ogun State. He died on January 18 1927in Ilaro Court.

The British did it their way when they were here and what they did is part of our history which we are still coping with today. In his book titled, ”CHARACTER AND OPINION”, George Santayana (1862-1952) wrote that ”things have their days and beauties in that day. It would be preposterous to expect any civilization to last forever”. •Eric Teniola, a director at the presidency, resides in Lagos.