Tag: Ambode

The Lagos State government under the leadership of Governor Akinwunmi Ambode is committed to its promise to revamp the education sector and make public school attractive for both parents and students across the state. This is according to the Majority Leader of the State House of Assembly, Hon. Sanai Agunbiade.

Agunbiade said this while distributing school uniforms and other educational items to pupils of his former school, Jamaitul Islammiya Primary School, Ikorodu, as part of activities marking his 52nd birthday celebration. The lawmaker, who left the school in 1976, also took time out to admonish the pupils on how to make the best use of their stay in the school.

The majority leader, who expressed delight that students of public schools in the state had been the winning several awards and competitions in recent times, attributed the development to the determination of Governor Ambode to turn around the fortunes of public schools across the state as part of a concerted effort to improve the education sector.

“I am here today to celebrate my birthday with you, not just as a lawmaker, but as someone who is a product of this school. As a product of public schools, I am happy that public schools in Lagos State are now winning awards and competitions. We must be able to show that our public schools are exemplary citadel of learning that we can also use to showcase the fact that the future of Lagos is brighter than what we have now.

“I want to say this is due to the  determination of Governor Ambode to turn around the fortunes of public schools across the state as part of a concerted effort to improve the education sector. Our Governor is committed to its promise to revamp the education sector and make public school attractive for both parents and students across the state.

“As pupils, we must help the government to achieve its aims by being very studious and disciplined. It is only by being studious and disciplined you can make the best use of your stay here and in other institutions of learning. It is only by being studios and disciplined that you can return here like me years later to be celebrated,” he said.

Dignitaries present at the ceremony include Hon. Nurudeen Saka Solaja, member representing Ikorodu constituency 2 at the House of Assmbly, Mrs. Yemi Sholarin, Tutor-General of District 2,  Com. Lateef Odugbuwa, Chairman of the Nigerian Union of Teacher (NUT) amongst others.

Lagos State Governor Akinwunmi Ambode yesterday said he was  committed to delivering the Lagos-Badagry Expressway expansion before end of 2019.

Speaking to reporters shortly after embarking on an inspection of projects, the governor said the project was a major economic catalyst for Lagos, which will boost economic activities and real estate value in the axis when completed.

“On the part of government, it is imperative that the project is accelerated and completed on schedule. It is a 10-lane expansion project with a provision for rail,” he said.

Ambode said although the project was planned up to Okokomaiko, his administration was close to giving it to a concessionaire, who is to extend the project from Okokomaiko to Seme Border.

“We believe that the contractor has done a good job here. We have given him the right-of-way and it is our belief that the one that has been awarded should be completed on schedule. I am committed to this project; I am committed to the expansion of the economy of the East axis of Lagos. That is the surest way to go.

“By doing this project, we would also expand the real estate value of this axis and the tourism potential of the Badagry axis. I am confident that in no time, we should have a complete project before end of 2019,” he said.

Inspecting the stretch of link road from Agbelekale, off Ekoro Road to Abesan Estate via Church Street, Giwa and Aboru, Governor Ambode expressed satisfaction at the progress of the project, but urged the contractor and supervisors to ensure delivery of the project within first quarter of 2017.

The governor said the bridge being constructed as part of the project had to be extended from 240 meters to 360 meters due to the nature of soil in the area.

At Irede Road, Abule Oshun in Oriade Local Council Development Area (LCDA), the governor expressed displeasure at the state of the road, assuring that work will start on the road within four weeks.

“I have come to see it and I have received complaints from people of this community. I also see that the economic value that we stand to benefit from upgrading this road is unquantifiable.

“Beyond the fact that we will open up the road to the Lagos Badagry Expressway, we also intend to expand our housing policy and the rent-to-own scheme to this neighbourhood. So, I like to just clearly state that work will commence on Irede Road within four weeks,” he said.

Lagos State has received more Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in the last 16 months than in the last 10 years, Governor Akinwunmi Ambode said yesterday.

Speaking at the maiden edition of Lagos Global on TV, a programme that informs the people on the state’s drive for investment, Ambode said his administration has created an enabling environment for investment to thrive.

He reiterated his vision to make Lagos safer, cleaner and more prosperous, saying in the last 16 months, the administration had operated on a tripod of security, job creation and infrastructure renewal.

His words: “When I won the election, one of my priorities was to see how to improve on the ease of doing business in Lagos and I also believe that we needed to carry out some kind of public sector reforms to drive the vision which we had actually set for ourselves and we needed to also have a kind of structure and institutional framework that would drive the vision.

“The vision is very simple: we want a safer, cleaner and a more prosperous Lagos and one of the structures would be if we want to tackle the issue of bureaucracy in the civil service, we needed to have a 24/7 one-stop shop office where we can drive investment especially where our businessmen can actually walk into and get everything that they need.

“In going about that, we decided to come up with the office of Oversees Affairs and Investment, otherwise known as Lagos Global.”

The governor said Lagos Global was specifically designed to serve as one-stop shop to facilitate local and international investments, restating the states’ willingness to partner with any investor that would add value to the state and its people.

According to him, his government invested massively to improve the security structure, thus facilitating more investment which according to him, created more job opportunities, while revenues generated has been judiciously utilised to embark on infrastructure renewal across the State.

He said the reforms in the transport sector has reduced travel time, thereby making Lagosians more productive.

“Take for example the issue of our judicial and security sector reform, we have been having the rule of law properly upheld in the state in the last 16 months and when you put all the reforms together, that is the main thrust of what you can now confidently say that we have created an enabling environment for investors and they are now coming into Lagos in droves”, he said.  The FDIs attracted into Lagos in the last 16 months is greater than what we have been having in the last 10 years, the governor said.

The Governor said that his administration has also deployed technology to bring about seamless service delivery and that the government is working on scaling up the identity card scheme for data, economic and financial planning, aside the N25 billion Employment Trust Fund (ETF) aimed at empowering entrepreneurs.

His Special Adviser on Overseas Affairs and Investments Professor Ademola Abass said part of the mandate of his office was to bring in FDI into Lagos.

Lagos State Governor Akinwunmi Ambode yesterday urged the Senate to reconsider the bill seeking one per cent allocation to Lagos from the revenue accruable to the Federal Government, saying it will ensure economic prosperity not just for Lagosians but all Nigerians.

The governor spoke at the Lagos House, Ikeja, when he received members of the Senate Committee on Marine Transport, who are in the state to perform oversight functions.

He said Lagos being a cosmopolitan city and the economic capital of Nigeria must be assisted by the Federal Government to address its infrastructure challenges.

“By December 12, it will be 25 years that the capital of Nigeria was moved from Lagos to Abuja. So, 25 years after, this is where we are.

“I will like to use this platform firstly to thank the Senate president and deputy Senate president for allowing us to table our one per cent special status because we have been struggling to put that up in the Seventh Assembly, it was not done.

“We want you to try and help us to have a re-look, a re-think and then think more of Nigeria in the bill rather than of Lagos because that is what that one per cent assistance will address and then tends to create the image of the kind of commercial capital we want Lagos to be.”

Ambode described the visit by the committee as apt and timely, as it came a few days after he had discussions in Denmark about the development of $2.6 billion Badagry Deep Sea Port, aside the Lekki Port.

Chairman of the Senate committee Sani Yerima said the committee was in Lagos to perform oversight function on federal institutions.