The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Ambode

  • FOR AMBODE

    FOR AMBODE

    LAGOSIANS will go to the polls on April 11 to elect a governor. There are many in the race, but the top contestants are Akinwunmi Ambode of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Jimi Agbaje of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

    I have never met Agbaje, a pharmacist and politician who many have described as a good guy in a doubtful company, the PDP. Ambode, son of a teacher and former accountant-general of the state, I have met. Of today’s army of politicians, about only a few can you say: “Yes, he surely knows the terrain.”

    Lagos is like a cruising aircraft; It needs an experienced pilot to assure us all that the economic turbulence Nigeria is facing will not make us lose altitude. Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu revved the engine and took off successfully. Mr Babatunde Raji Fashola (SAN), the governor, is in the cockpit, ensuring the smooth flight we are having. Ambode, I have no doubt, will take us to our dream state – a home for all, an economic giant and an Eldorado of peace where talents will continue to blossom. Let’s vote him in.

  • ‘How Epe united for Ambode ’

    ‘How Epe united for Ambode ’

    The presidential elections in Epe, Lagos State, was not without minor hitches. RAYMOND MORDI who was at the picturesque coastal town during the election, examines the significance of the exercise for the community.

    THE attitude of the people of Epe, Lagos State, suggests that they were eager to vote during the historic presidential election. Before 8.00am, people were already gathered at the various polling units, waiting for the ad hoc staff of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to arrive. Some persons were noticed going round some of the neighbourhoods, reminding people of the imperative of coming out in their numbers to decide those who would lead the country in the next four years with their votes.

    Though people have been on ground as early as 8.00am, the March 28 presidential election took off on a slow pace in the town. In almost all the polling units visited by our correspondent, accreditation started late. There was a considerable attention on the two polling units located within the Ogunmodede Junior and Senior College complex in Papa, Epe. This is because one of the polling units is where the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate for Lagos State, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode, voted.

    Like elsewhere in the town, accreditation started late at the two polling units. It started about 09.00am. After waiting for over an hour, the people had become apprehensive before INEC ad hoc staff showed up. So, the Youth Corpers in-charge of the exercise had to apologise to the electorates, which included a lot of elderly citizens. The Corpers said they could not locate the polling unit on time and has been going round, asking for directions.

    The situation in Oke Balogun area of Epe was even worse. At Ward 7, Polling Unit 3, accreditation started as late as 11am. The reason was that the polling officials had problems with the card reader assigned to the unit; they had to return it to INEC office and were allocated with another one. As a result, as at 15.50pm, when voting should have almost completed, they were still doing accreditation manually for those whose fingerprints could not be captured by the card reader.

    At the Ogunmodede School complex, the governorship candidate of the APC, who lives just a stone throw away, arrived at the venue at about 09.30am with his wife and promptly joined the queue. Four hundred and fifty seven persons are registered to vote at this polling unit.

    Ambode completed his accreditation at 10.45am, after queuing for about one hour and fifteen minutes. Speaking with reporters after the accreditation, he expressed satisfaction with the process so far. He acknowledged that the process was slow, but he thanked the people for their patience. His words: “So far, so good. Accreditation started in this polling unit at 09.00am and it’s been peaceful; it’s been orderly. Everybody is taking their turn. I was on the queue myself. What’s important is that I’ve been given the chance to exercise my constitutional right and I’m happy doing that.”

    As at the time Ambode did his accreditation, there were six incidences of fingerprints of prospective voters not being captured by the card reader. One of such person is Rebecca Sanni. The INEC ad hoc staff who attended to her, politely asked to come back later to fill the incidence form to enable her to vote.

    But, it was four hours after Ambode did his accreditation that he had the opportunity to vote. Voting could not commence due to the late arrival of ballot papers. Prospective voters were however orderly; they did not leave the premises, but waited patiently for the exercise to begin.

    Voting eventually got underway by 2.30pm. Ballot papers arrived at 1.55pm. The APC governorship candidate arrived the scene at 2.40pm to cast his ballot, with his wife and a retinue of followers. But, the second polling unit located within the same premises had to wait much longer to commence voting. Ballot papers arrived after 3.00pm.

    After casting his ballot, Ambode lamented the fact that the election has not been hitch-free across the state. He said: “So far, so good. But, the feedback we’re getting from other points indicate that there’s been some shoddiness by INEC. The feedback suggests that accreditation has not started as we speak in areas like Ketu, Gbagada, Agric-Ikorodu, Ikoyi. We also understand that the people who collected ballot papers and result sheets for some part of the riverine areas in Epe here are nowhere to be found.

    “So, we’re wondering what’s going on in INEC? They need to answer to some of these troubling questions. We believe strongly that with the amount of resources committed to that institution and the level of prepardness that it is believed to have put in place, one had believed that it was going to be hitch-free. I want to strongly appeal to INEC that it should be responsive enough to find out where those hitches are and respond quickly. It is either they extended the voting time or ensure that those that have been disenfranchised are able to observe their civic obligations at the end of the day.”

    There were similar reports of people whose fingerprints could not be captured by the card reader all over the town. In most cases, such people eventually voted, after filling the incidence form and getting accredited manually. But, in a particular polling unit located within Zumratul Islamiyyah Primary School, about 20 persons whose fingerprints could not be captured by the card reader were very eager to vote. As at 1.00pm, they had not been accredited. One of the party agents was noticed complaining to the polling officers about the fate of such persons, in the light of the explanation that only five incident forms were available. The implication was that 15 others would not vote. But, when our correspondent returned to the polling unit later, the issue was said to have been resolved.

    There was a mild drama at Oke Owode area of Epe, Ward A7, Polling Unit 5, when one Ikuforiji Mosidat alleged that someone has voted in her place. According to Ikuforiji, she went back home after doing her accreditation in the morning, but when it got to her turn to vote, she was told that she had voted.

    She said: “Look at my left index finger, they marked it, indicating that I have done my accreditation. Bit look at my right index finger, it has not been marked. I’m surprised, they have marked my name in the register, saying I have voted, but I have not.”

    Generally, the people of Epe conducted themselves peacefully. They waited practically the whole day at polling units to vote and to see the end of the process. But, the process was marred by logistic problems such as the late arrival of ad hoc staff and electoral materials, the failure of card readers to identify fingerprints, the unavailability of incidence forms and unavailability of result sheets in some polling units. Epe started as a traditional settlement of the Ijebu people. But, it has since evolved into a cosmopolitan centre.

    When the news of the boat mishap broke, voting was disrupted, as some of the women were distraught with grief.

  • Hausa/Fulani, Ndigbo, others endorse Ambode

    Hausa/Fulani, Ndigbo, others endorse Ambode

    Lagosians expect the dawn of a new era next month. Ahead of the governorship elections, indigenes and non-indigenes are mobilising support for the candidature of Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode, the standard bearer of the All Progressives Congress (APC). A member of the Akin Ambode Campaign Group, Odunayo Akinsiju, examines the impact of the volunteer group in its engagement with ethnic nationalities in the Centre of Excellence.

    It is not so much of a walk in the park as it is a long, hard haul to the top with a man who looks set, perhaps destined, to becoming the next governor of Lagos State. I am talking about Akinwunmi Ambode, the 51-year-old chartered accountant who is contesting as the Lagos State governorship on the platform of the All Progressive Congress (APC) come April 11, 2015.

    This is an account of a volunteer who had a ring-side view of this amiable candidate’s busy schedule last Saturday. And what a difference that day made in accentuating the point that this is a candidate who would leave no stone unturned in reaching out to every stakeholder in Lagos State with his message of continuity and sustainability. His body language and his remarks at each occasion revealed why he is the ideal candidate that is arguably the most qualified and better prepared at this period to continue with the legacy of successes that Lagos State has been witnessing in the past 15 years.

    The day started with the biggest revelation. The Igbos, contrary to insinuations, are indeed behind the candidacy of the APC candidates and are not averse to the type of progressive ideology that the ruling party in Lagos State preaches. And so the day began with a grand rally at Onikan Stadium, where a full house of professionals, elders, women, traders, youths and students – all of Igbo extraction and based in Lagos State – trooped out to unequivocally make their stand known: they were out to endorse the Buhari-Osinbajo team for the Presidential election as well as the Ambode-Adebule team for Lagos State governorship.

    It was their show, the Igbos in Lagos. Funded and organized by them to express their position. And although the rally had in attendance key APC leaders and candidates like Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, the national leader of the party with his wife, Oluremi; Ambode and his running mate, Dr. Oluranti Adebule and several other candidates of the party, it was still a platform decidedly mounted to demonstrate where the Igbos stand in the forthcoming election.

    It was a necessary and commendable stand to make at this time when endorsement of certain candidates has become desperate and dollarized. Anybody who claims to be on your side ought to be able to stand up and be counted for you. This is what the Igbos have done, just like the Arewa people did last month at the same venue, declaring in one voice that no amount of last-minute transactional overtures would make them vote against their conscience.

    This principled stand did not escape Ambode in his remarks. By that rally, the Igbos have reciprocated the good gesture of the successive administration in Lagos, a state where they have kept a commissioner’s slot for several years and where one of their own has been the official spokesperson of the party for many years. The next four years will witness more cordial relationship between the Lagos State government and the Igbo whose contribution to the commerce and fortunes of the state is well acknowledged, Ambode said clearly. His promise was that in his administration, if elected next month, no one will be discriminated against on the basis of tribe, religion or creed, while also promising an improvement in the business environment of the state.

    The Arewas were next and this Epe-born technocrat is showing no sense of fatigue or irritation even though he had been out the previous night till the wee hours of the morning attending a dinner meeting with all the aspirants who contested the party’s slot with his last December. The meeting with the Hausa leaders in Lagos was as strategic as the Igbo rally. The non-indigenes’ votes in the state, said to be between 35 and 40 per cent of the total registered voters is a voting bloc that cannot be ignored. Both the Igbo and the Arewa are said to account for the largest chunk of that total.

    Warm welcome and a promise of total support for his continuity agenda awaited Ambode from the Sarkin Hausa and the entire Arewa community, when Ambode’s campaign train arrived in Yaba. How can a candidate be so blessed in one day, getting the endorsement of both the Igbo and the Arewa in Lagos the same day, two weeks to the Presidential elections and four weeks to the governorship poll? To these ‘non-indegene Lagosians,’ apart from his own sterling qualities as a well-read, and well-experienced Public Finance expert, Ambode is reaping the fruits of the labour that his party, the APC, has sown in the past 15 years in Lagos.

    While the federal government struggles to deliver on its promises and is adjudged to have failed in the key areas of national security, accountability, power, oil and gas and in provision of social infrastructure, thereby making the desire for change at the centre a necessity, Lagos State on the other hand has been exemplary in how to grow Internally Generated Revenue and deliver on promises, thereby making the state attractive not just to indigenes of other states but to foreigners as well.

    Such a working state, the Igbo and Arewa communities are unanimous in their verdict, deserves the services of a technocrat who has the requisite experience, who understands the workings of government and who was part of the painstaking effort to grow the finances of the state in continuing with the good works of the incumbent governor. In their wisdom, that man is Akinwunmi Ambode, the University of Lagos-trained Chartered Accountant who spent 27 years of meritorious service in the Lagos State Civil Service, rising to become the Auditor General for Local Governments and later as Accountant General/Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Finance.

    But Ambode was not done on that interesting day. And he chose a community in dire need of government attention as his next point of call. Makoko, next on the schedule, provided a platform for the governorship candidate to hear first-hand the yearnings of that community and to address a town hall meeting that sought to reassure on the type of change they should expect in the next four years. While slums and shanties may be an unfortunate feature of most mega-cities in the world, due to inadequacy of resources, Makoko, from Ambode’s assurance, will witness a true transformation in the new dispensation. “The Lagos of our dream is here. It is a Lagos that will work for everybody. We will build on the achievements of Asiwaju Bola Tinubu and Governor Babatunde Fashola administrations. We are coming to consolidate on those achievements and Makoko will not be left out in this new dawn,” said.

    If it is about roads, for instance, Ambode was confident that his Project 20-20-57 would come to the rescue of localities like Makoko. What this project means is that if elected, Ambode’s government, would have minimum of 20 roads and 20 streetlights constructed in each of the 57 local councils each year. “With this template, more than four thousand roads would have been completed across all the local governments and council areas in Lagos in four years.”

    For a man whose selfless disposition is widely acknowledged, Ambode exudes real passion about his desire to serve as the governor of this prosperous state. His vision is clear and he has an infectious way of communicating it to the people. “We seek a clean, safe and prosperous Lagos, where justice and equity shall reign,” he reiterated at each function. And because he is real and demonstrably amiable, Lagosians, just like the band of hundreds of volunteers that have enlisted to his cause, believe him.

    He did not end that memorable Saturday without looking in at the Ikosi residence of Hon. Tunde Salau, who passed on last week. Touching words of condolence poured out from his pen, describing the departed as a strong pillar of support… a seasoned politician and leader. May your story never end.” He had more kind words to the family of the departed also.

    Campaigning with Ambode was like a long cruise, in which you hardly feel the strain. So it can be said of last Saturday, like the great American jazz singer once sang: what a difference a day makes, and the difference is Ambode.

  • Youths endorse Ambode

    Youths endorse Ambode

    The Lagos State Association of Indigenous Youths (LAIY) has endorsed the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate, Mr Akinwunmi Ambode.

    In a statement by its Chairman, Sofwan Temitope Ogungbo, the group said of all the candidates, Ambode stands out as the right man for the job.

    The group said as an indigenous group, it was concerned about who governs the state.

    Ogungbo said they endorsed Ambode because the candidate and its party demonstrated issue-based campaign and manifesto to develop the state further.

    “As a youth non-partisan  group but one concerned with political developments in the state, we are supporting Ambode to ensure peace, development and opportunities for indigenous youths across Lagos.

    “We are convinced that the APC candidate has the track record, experience, vision, commitment and passion to move Lagos to the next level,” Ogungbo said.

    He condemned the activities of the Oodua Peoples’ Congress (OPC) in Lagos.

     

  • Hausa/Fulani, Ndigbo, others endorse Ambode

    Hausa/Fulani, Ndigbo, others endorse Ambode

    lagosians expect the down of a new era next month. Ahead of the governorship elections, indigenes and non-indigenes are mobilising support for the candidature of Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode, the standard bearer of the All Progressives Congress (APC). A member of Akin Ambode Group, Odunayo Akinsiju, examines the impact of the volunteer group in its engagement with ethnic nationalities in the Centre of Excellence.

    It is not so much of a walk in the park as it is a long, hard haul to the top with a man who looks set, perhaps destined, to becoming the next governor of Lagos State. I am talking about Akinwunmi Ambode, the 51-year-old chartered accountant who is contesting as the Lagos State governorship on the platform of the All Progressive Congress (APC) come April 11, 2015.

    This is an account of a volunteer who had a ring-side view of this amiable candidate’s busy schedule last Saturday. And what a difference that day made in accentuating the point that this is a candidate who would leave no stone unturned in reaching out to every stakeholder in Lagos State with his message of continuity and sustainability. His body language and his remarks at each occasion revealed why he is the ideal candidate that is arguably the most qualified and better prepared at this period to continue with the legacy of successes that Lagos State has been witnessing in the past 15 years.

    The day started with the biggest revelation. The Igbos, contrary to insinuations, are indeed behind the candidacy of the APC candidates and are not averse to the type of progressive ideology that the ruling party in Lagos State preaches. And so the day began with a grand rally at Onikan Stadium, where a full house of professionals, elders, women, traders, youths and students – all of Igbo extraction and based in Lagos State – trooped out to unequivocally make their stand known: they were out to endorse the Buhari-Osinbajo team for the Presidential election as well as the Ambode-Adebule team for Lagos State governorship.

    It was their show, the Igbos in Lagos. Funded and organized by them to express their position. And although the rally had in attendance key APC leaders and candidates like Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, the national leader of the party with his wife, Oluremi; Ambode and his running mate, Dr. Oluranti Adebule and several other candidates of the party, it was still a platform decidedly mounted to demonstrate where the Igbos stand in the forthcoming election.

    It was a necessary and commendable stand to make at this time when endorsement of certain candidates has become desperate and dollarized. Anybody who claims to be on your side ought to be able to stand up and be counted for you. This is what the Igbos have done, just like the Arewa people did last month at the same venue, declaring in one voice that no amount of last-minute transactional overtures would make them vote against their conscience.

    This principled stand did not escape Ambode in his remarks. By that rally, the Igbos have reciprocated the good gesture of the successive administration in Lagos, a state where they have kept a commissioner’s slot for several years and where one of their own has been the official spokesperson of the party for many years. The next four years will witness more cordial relationship between the Lagos State government and the Igbo whose contribution to the commerce and fortunes of the state is well acknowledged, Ambode said clearly. His promise was that in his administration, if elected next month, no one will be discriminated against on the basis of tribe, religion or creed, while also promising an improvement in the business environment of the state.

    The Arewas were next and this Epe-born technocrat is showing no sense of fatigue or irritation even though he had been out the previous night till the wee hours of the morning attending a dinner meeting with all the aspirants who contested the party’s slot with his last December. The meeting with the Hausa leaders in Lagos was as strategic as the Igbo rally. The non-indigenes’ votes in the state, said to be between 35 and 40 per cent of the total registered voters is a voting bloc that cannot be ignored. Both the Igbo and the Arewa are said to account for the largest chunk of that total.

    Warm welcome and a promise of total support for his continuity agenda awaited Ambode from the Sarkin Hausa and the entire Arewa community, when Ambode’s campaign train arrived in Yaba. How can a candidate be so blessed in one day, getting the endorsement of both the Igbo and the Arewa in Lagos the same day, two weeks to the Presidential elections and four weeks to the governorship poll? To these ‘non-indegene Lagosians,’ apart from his own sterling qualities as a well-read, and well-experienced Public Finance expert, Ambode is reaping the fruits of the labour that his party, the APC, has sown in the past 15 years in Lagos.

    While the federal government struggles to deliver on its promises and is adjudged to have failed in the key areas of national security, accountability, power, oil and gas and in provision of social infrastructure, thereby making the desire for change at the centre a necessity, Lagos State on the other hand has been exemplary in how to grow Internally Generated Revenue and deliver on promises, thereby making the state attractive not just to indigenes of other states but to foreigners as well.

    Such a working state, the Igbo and Arewa communities are unanimous in their verdict, deserves the services of a technocrat who has the requisite experience, who understands the workings of government and who was part of the painstaking effort to grow the finances of the state in continuing with the good works of the incumbent governor. In their wisdom, that man is Akinwunmi Ambode, the University of Lagos-trained Chartered Accountant who spent 27 years of meritorious service in the Lagos State Civil Service, rising to become the Auditor General for Local Governments and later as Accountant General/Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Finance.

    But Ambode was not done on that interesting day. And he chose a community in dire need of government attention as his next point of call. Makoko, next on the schedule, provided a platform for the governorship candidate to hear first-hand the yearnings of that community and to address a town hall meeting that sought to reassure on the type of change they should expect in the next four years. While slums and shanties may be an unfortunate feature of most mega-cities in the world, due to inadequacy of resources, Makoko, from Ambode’s assurance, will witness a true transformation in the new dispensation. “The Lagos of our dream is here. It is a Lagos that will work for everybody. We will build on the achievements of Asiwaju Bola Tinubu and Governor Babatunde Fashola administrations. We are coming to consolidate on those achievements and Makoko will not be left out in this new dawn,” said.

    If it is about roads, for instance, Ambode was confident that his Project 20-20-57 would come to the rescue of localities like Makoko. What this project means is that if elected, Ambode’s government, would have minimum of 20 roads and 20 streetlights constructed in each of the 57 local councils each year. “With this template, more than four thousand roads would have been completed across all the local governments and council areas in Lagos in four years.”

    For a man whose selfless disposition is widely acknowledged, Ambode exudes real passion about his desire to serve as the governor of this prosperous state. His vision is clear and he has an infectious way of communicating it to the people. “We seek a clean, safe and prosperous Lagos, where justice and equity shall reign,” he reiterated at each function. And because he is real and demonstrably amiable, Lagosians, just like the band of hundreds of volunteers that have enlisted to his cause, believe him.

    He did not end that memorable Saturday without looking in at the Ikosi residence of Hon. Tunde Salau, who passed on last week. Touching words of condolence poured out from his pen, describing the departed as a strong pillar of support… a seasoned politician and leader. May your story never end.” He had more kind words to the family of the departed also.

    Campaigning with Ambode was like a long cruise, in which you hardly feel the strain. So it can be said of last Saturday, like the great American jazz singer once sang: what a difference a day makes, and the difference is Ambode.

  • Ambode promises to fix 5,000 roads

    Ambode promises to fix 5,000 roads

    The governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Lagos State, Mr Akinwunmi Ambode, has promised to build 5,000 roads in four years, if elected.

    He said all inner roads in the local governments will be reactivated.

    Ambode, who spoke at a Town Hall meeting at Eagle Club, Surulere, said  his government will complement efforts of the local governments by ensuring that a minimum of 20 roads with street lights are built by each local government every year.

    He said: “In four years, 5,000 roads would have been built. I want to light up Lagos to ensure security of life and property. When every street is lit, people can move from one end to the other with ease.

    “APC will make Lagos safer, cleaner and more prosperous. Our mission is that nobody in Lagos is discriminated against, irrespective of tribe or religion.

    “Asiwaju Bola Tinubu laid a solid foundation for the development of Lagos.

    “Governor Babatunde Fashola  came to actualise the dream. I am ready to propel Lagos to another level.

    “I am prepared to do that with the support of members of our great party.”

    He reiterated his promise to ease traffic on Lagos roads when he said “with Gen Muhammadu Buhari at the centre, the problem of petroleum tankers on Apapa road will end”.

    The APC candidate said the Federal Government owes Lagos N51 billion spent on the maintenance of federal roads.

    He said his administration will continue with the policies of Fashola by repairing federal roads.

    “We will not wait for the Federal Government to repair its bad roads because it is the people of Lagos who ply such roads.”

    He promised to commit N25 billion towards providing loans for traders and provide conducive environment for business to thrive.

    “We will ensure markets are clean; there will be no indiscriminate closure of markets. We will open line of communication with market leaders on issues affecting them.”

    In his welcome address, the chairman planning committee, Yomi Odunlami, noted that Ambode is the right choice for Lagos.

    According to him, Ambode’s experience  will help in moving Lagos forward.

    The hall was filled with APC supporters and Eagle Club members.

    The Minority Leader in the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila and Chairman, Eagle Club,  Yomi Pearse, were present.

  • Agbaje vs Ambode: Beyond the résumés

    Segun Ayobolu’s column, ‘illuminations’ of last and penultimate Saturdays, in the Saturday Nation provided a great opportunity to have another close look at the gubernatorial gladiators that are jostling to rule Lagos state. They are: Jimi Agbaje of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Akinwunmi Ambode of All Progressives Congress (APC). In the said publications, Ayobolu dwelled on the Curriculum Vitaes(CVs) of both candidates, and consequently raised a poser.

    Attempting to answer the poser raised by Ayobolu is for me a duty not only to Lagosians or its residents but of course to an average Nigerian whose interest directly or indirectly has to do with Lagos. For the avoidance of doubt, let us look at the question again. In whose hand – Agbaje or Ambode, will it be safer and wiser to entrust the almost one trillion dollar economy of Lagos State, especially at this critical period of the state’s evolution?.

    Ayobolu was generous enough to lead us into the contents of the CVs of these two men who are angling to take over the governance of Lagos come May 29th, 2015. As characteristic of any debate, participants are expected to take  the side  of the discourse convenient to marshal their  points. However, the slight difference here is that the Ambode/Agbaje discourse has been helped with the candidates credentials thrown into the public domain. The basis for comparison has thus been made easy and convenient.

    My immediate reaction was to verify the source of CVs of the candidates Ayobolu referred to. That the information was obtained from the WEBSITE did not only make it authentic but representative of an official information that each aspirant would want the public to know about them at this material  point. The investigator in me did check the two candidates websites and confirmed the correctness of Ayobolu’s CVs claims.

    Discussing in whose hand Lagos will be safer and wiser, majority of the answers will surely favour Ambode. A quick perusal of the two gentlemen CVs readily puts Ambode shoulder high. And why do I say so? The status and character of Lagos viz-a-viz its metropolitan and cosmopolitan outlook, the volume of its business in the neighbourhood of a trillion dollars and need to harness the existing potentials to greater heights can only  be appreciated by an Ambode who has a sound finance  background and  coupled with his meritorious experience as a former civil and public servant at the local and state governments  realm during which he played roles such as Accountant, Treasurer, Auditor-general of Local Government, Permanent Secretary-Ministry of Finance and above all, the Accountant General of Lagos State simultaneously.

    Ambode knows Lagos State inside out as far as governance issues, policy and challenges are concerned having worked in both the formulation and implementation of policies stages that had been used to govern Lagos over the years. Ambode had been part of the Lagos Development Agenda Policy from the days of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu during which Lagos State Revenue generation hit the billion-naira mark. So Ambode’s experience is in quantum.

    The way and manner Ambode demonstrated competence in managing the resources of the state during the locust era when the federal government almost strangulated the state, through the non-release of the state allocations, was the saving grace of survival of the state then. This surely puts him in a better stead.

    From the CV of Jimi Agbaje, his experience as a pharmacist of note cannot be faulted as all notable positions held are straight jacketed within the narrowness of a Pharmacist and Pharmaceutical Association responsibilities. An appointment in the health sector either as a commissioner for health or in NAFDAC will have been a more appropriate pursuit for Jimi Agbaje.

    Talking about how crucial, time is, in Lagos evolution, Ambode had been part of the steady and critical evolution of Lagos State for the past 27 years as a policy maker and stakeholder until his retirement. And even after his retirement, his current consultancy service to Federal, State and Local governments on challenges in the world economy and best financial practices puts him shoulder high and makes him more current with global and economic trends today than Agbaje.

    At this point in time, Lagos State needs concentration and consolidation in its pursuit of global megacity status, increased profile in good governance, improved service delivery and financial prosperity which of course requires a genius who can deepen and widen the resource base for the greater benefits of Lagosians. Ambode knows where Lagos is coming from, where it is today and where it is going to and how to get there. Right from day one, Ambode will hit the ground running whereas this cannot honestly be said about Agbaje.

    Can we compare Ambode with Agbaje who has difficulty in understanding what to do with Lagos economy unless Goodluck Jonathan wins?. I felt sorry for Agbaje the other time when he was quoted as saying  that Nigerian economy by extension the Nigerian nation will collapse if Jonathan does not return; and again when he said that he was going to dot Lagos landscape with Internet hotspots in an economy in which energy is comatose. One wonders if these are his bold ideas. Truth is Agbaje still needs to learn the ropes when it comes to public and corporate governance. He lacks the requisite experience to govern Lagos state for now. Whereas Ambode is well equipped having served under the progressive leadership of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, and of course, the diligent actualiser, Babatunde Raji Fashola(SAN).

    But beyond the CVs of the duo of Ambode and Agbaje are other issues of antecedents, personal pedigree, political platform on which both are seeking the votes of Lagosians. Agbaje has the burden of a failed PDP hanging on its neck while Ambode carries the grace of APC, a party that is associated with progressive and sterling performances. Beyond the CVs also are the issues of personal accomplishments, serious-mindedness, sense of purpose and of course,  the understanding of the job at hand and capacity to do it.

    With due respect, Ambode has symbolizes the portrait of an all round personality required to govern a state like Lagos. This is carefully demonstrated in the scope and content of his campaign which dwell on policy issues, functional areas of development, empowerment of youths, business promotion and security, environment, promotion of  formal and informal sectors,  and of course, women development, among others.

    Serious understanding of issues and purposeful intentions are obviously missing in Agbaje’s campaign. Despite the big ideas concept being flaunted, all you hear is –JK is Okay, JK you Know JK you Trust. JK that is known and trusted for what? His pharmaceutical exploits? His jumping from one party to the other? His non-existent big ideas? Is it the establishment of Internet Hotpots all over Lagos or the promise of True Lagos or Lagos for all? What campaign promises are these? Is the current Lagos not for all? This campaign is clearly bereft of ideas and lacks any cognitive input.

    To answer Ayobolu’s question pointedly, one thinks Lagosians, Lagos Economy and its Mega City ascendancy  will be safer and more secure with Ambode than Jimi Agbaje. Ambode has the requisite experience, the professional and intellectual capacities, the right political and technocratic platforms, over the years, at both the local and state levels. He had been involved in policy formulation and execution to the glory of God and in service to humanity.

    The difference between Ambode and Agbaje is very clear like 7-Up. Lagosians will surely be safer and more secure in the hands of Ambode as the new Lagos State Governor come May 29,2015.

    • Akin Bashiru is a Public Affairs and Corporate Governance.

  • Okorocha admits Ambode into Governors’ Forum

    Imo State Governor and Chair of the Progressives Governors Forum Owelle Rochas Okorocha has admitted the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Lagos, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode, into the forum.

    Okorocha, who spoke yesterday at a town hall meeting in Amuwo Odofin Local Government Area of Lagos State, said he was acting prophetically.

    The governor said he was sure of Ambode’s victory as the people of Lagos have accepted him.

    He said: “Ambode, a man with a record of excellent performance, served for 27 years in Lagos as auditor general of local governments and accountant-general.

    “The APC candidate is the best thing to happen to Lagos. He possesses the experience to take Lagos to the next level.

    “I urge all the Igbo in Lagos to vote for this man of destiny who God has prepared for this season. Your lot will only be better under an APC-led government in Lagos. You must not sell your mandate for a mess of pottage.”

    Okorocha presented Ambode and his running mate, Dr. Oluranti Adegbule, to the people.

    The APC candidate thanked the governor and the people at the meeting,  promising to complete 25 roads in all the local governments.

    He assured Lagosians of accelerated development, recalling his experience in the civil service.

    “My civil service career has made me conversant with the workings of government.

    “My well thought-out and robust programme of action would definitely take Lagos to the next level. Governance is a continuum and it takes a person with skill and competence not to lose the momentum or even derail the train of progress.”

  • Ambode promises tax relief, leave bonus

    Ambode promises tax relief, leave bonus

    The governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Lagos State, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode, has  explained further the issue of leave bonus for civil servants.

    Speaking at an event in Eko Club, Surulere,  Ambode said: “What existed prior to 2010 was the Harmonised Salary Scheme (HSS) where leave bonus was paid as a lump sum in July, September and December because salary items were broken down into Basic, Leave Bonus, Rent Allowance, Transport Allowance etc.

    “But under the Consolidated Salary Scheme (CSS), which is higher than the HSS by 25 per cent, no differentiation is made on items and leave bonus is monthly as part of the salary.

    “This explains why there is no leave bonus being paid separately to civil servants. However, since it seems that the people prefer the lump sum payment, the way to go is that the leave bonus component could be deducted  monthly and paid as a lump sum when it is desired.

    “Based on the agreement between the union and the government, the leave bonus that is paid monthly would be deducted and paid as a lump sum in the month that you want.

    “In essence, the salary would reflect a reduction to the tune of that amount. I am not against this and would support the workers in how they want their leave bonus paid.”

    On the controversy surrounding his resignation from the civil service at 43, the APC candidate said he is not surprised that people were finding it difficult to believe this because it’s an unprecedented gesture.

    He said he had enjoyed the grace of God to have been able to attain the peak of his career at an early age becoming a permanent secretary at 37, auditor-general of local government 12 years later and accountant general of the state at 43.

    “Having served as accountant-general for six years, the job became monotonous and was no longer challenging. And I felt that the only way I could break the record in the civil service was retire before 50. It was more or less like a record for me.

    “I gave the mandatory three-month notice before retirement and was never called back to answer any question on my tenure nor indicted for fraud. In fact, Governor Babatunde Fashola wrote me a commendation letter.”

    The APC candidate promised tax reliefs to all deserving Lagosians if elected.

     

  • Old Students Alliance-Badagry to receive Ambode

    The Old Students Alliance Badagry (OSAB), an amalgam of alumni of secondary schools in Badagry and environs, have concluded arrangements to welcome the governorship candidate of the All Progressives  Congress (APC), Mr Akinwumi Ambode and his running mate, Dr Oluranti Adebule, to the historic town of Badagry.

    OSAB is the umbrella body of former pupils who graduated from the 11 secondary schools in Badagry in the early/mid eighties.

    The association, in a statement, outlined activities to mark the visit.

    According to Mr Felix Shadare (chairman) and Otunba Yomi Olomofe (secretary), “we have listed a couple of mobilisation and sensitisation programmes as our own contribution to the success of the APC candidates  who we see as being in the best position to take Lagos state, our centre of excellence to even greater heights.

    “We are convinced that continuity is key in the resolve to sustain the enviable strides Lagos state has made in all facets of development. There is no gain saying the fact that a substantial percent of our members are beneficiaries of the free education policy of the progressive forebears of the all progressive congress in this state.