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Tag: Jimi Agbaje

  • MTV Base’s Celeb Living returns with Paul Okoye, Jimi Agbaje, others

    MTV Base’s hit show, Celeb Living, is back for yet another explosive season and the viewers are sure to be thrilled with the show’s new guests.

    The show started on Tuesday, January 22, 2019, with one half of Nigeria’s biggest pop duo of all time, Paul Okoye. MTV Base VJ, Nenny B, takes us on a tour of the ‘Senorita’ crooner’s lavish home which includes a relaxing swimming pool and a fabulous studio space.

    Also, MTV Base VJ, Dada Boy Ehiz, guides viewers through L.A.X.’s house with the ‘Rasaking’ singer showing off his beautiful car and other cool spots in his home as he engaged in conversations and video game sessions with Dada Boy.

    Read also: 12 artists in quest to ‘re-image’ Nigeria

    Moving from the entertainment scene to the political sphere, Celeb Living makes a stop at the home of Jimi Agbaje, the People Democratic Party (PDP) Lagos gubernatorial candidate. Mr Agbaje and his wife gave Nenny B the grand tour of their luxurious living space and of course, answered some questions about his plans to move Lagos forward.

    The Celeb Living episode featuring the Agbaje’s goes live on Tuesday, February 5 2019.

  • Re: Jimi Agbaje and his politics

    SIR, Jide Oluwajuyitan’s piece in The Nation of Wednesday January 10 refers.  Ordinarily, the piece would not have provoked a response considering the fact that I am of the opinion that an individual is entitled to his opinion.

    However, when an opinion is rendered in the public space with the intention to mislead the reading public, it beholds on those who should know to set the records straight. A careful appraisal of the said write up gave the writer away as harbouring some sinister motive for engaging in what I see as peddling deliberate falsehood to achieve some aims that are not too noble.

    Firstly, the writer erroneously stated that Jimi Agbaje left the now moribund Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN). The truth is that Agbaje was at no time a member of the party but was a member of the Alliance for Democracy (AD), the popular platform of the progressives but however left when he discovered that the party had been hijacked by some elements in Lagos.

    To give vent to his governorship aspiration, he left the party to join the Democratic Peoples Alliance with a view to actualizing his governorship ambition. Though, he lost his quest to serve his people, Agbaje no doubt won the hearts of the electorate in the state through his oratorical prowess upon which he seriously articulated his vision for the state.

    The writer up gave himself away as one who has issues with the desire of Agbaje to contribute his quota to the development of Lagos State as a valued stakeholder with solid pedigree firmly rooted in Lagos, his ancestral land. The writer contradicted himself when he gave his readers the impression that the governorship hopeful is a power monger who did all he could to hijack power from those he met in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) upon his entrant into the party. This claim is far from the truth as Agbaje on two occasions that he had to contest on the PDP’s platform submitted himself to primaries which he eventually won.

    The writer should research widely and deeply before putting his opinion in the public space because his insinuation that Agbaje is a shifty politician is not in anyway correct. On the contrary, over the years, the campaign mantra of the PDP governorship candidate has always been anchored on the need to carry all stakeholders in the state along in the task of achieving the needed progress for the state.

    Thus, if in 2015, he (Agbaje) feels that a particular segment of the state have been alienated, he owes it a duty to raise the alarm, that he did in 2015 when he made the issue of Ndigbo living in Lagos a major issue by bringing it to the front burner of political discourse. In 2019, Agbaje amplified the call for better Lagos further by harping on need for political egalitarianism that would entail the time-honoured doctrine of one man, one vote free from encumbrance of well entrenched cabal or group.

    While I do not wish to join him in his revisionist voyage into history when he tried to rewrite history as it affected events in the now defunct NCNC, I will rather wish to assure Oluwajuyitan and sympathizers that Agbaje means well for all residents of the state and would not in anyway mortgage the interest of his Yoruba-speaking people domiciled in Lagos while at the same time preserving the interest of non-Yoruba speaking residents who are contributing in no small way to the development and growth of the state

    Finally, his assertion that Agbaje has not done anything meaningful since he left the University of Ife as a graduate of Pharmacy is nothing but a fallacy. For the records, Jimi Agbaje has contributed his quota to the development of the medical profession.

    A consummate professional, he was a member of the Pharmacists Council of Nigeria (1999–2006); National Secretary of the Nigerian Association of General Practice Pharmacists (NAGPP) from 1987 to 1990; National Chairman NAGPP (1990–1993) and Chairman Pharmaceutical society of Nigeria Lagos State (1994–1997).

    Agbaje was a member of the Lagos State Task force on Fake and Adulterated Drugs (1989–1993), National Drug Formulary and Essential Drugs List (1986–1993) and Lagos Hospitals Management Board (1994–1997).

    As a businessman and philanthropist, Agbaje sits on the board of organizations including Oakwood Park Ltd, Atlantic Hall Secondary School Epe, Jimi Agbaje Outreach (a project dedicated to helping the less fortunate) and has served as business mentor at Fate Foundation.

     

    • Olaolu Oladipo, Media Officer, Jimi Agbaje Campaign Organisation, Lagos.

  • 2019: Sanwo-Olu, Agbaje disagree over infrastructure, health

    The Lagos All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu, and his People’s Democratic Party (PDP) counterpart, Mr Jimi Agbaje, on Friday differed on infrastructure, health and other issues that would spur the development of the state.

    The candidates spoke during the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) Private Sector Interactive Forum with Governorship candidates in Lagos.

    Addressing issues of traffic and transport management, Sanwo-Olu said that government was continuum and vowed  to continue all projects started by his predecessor for the benefit of citizens.

    He said that his plan for traffic was holistic, from road repairs and construction to opening up more means of transportation through waterways and rail, to training and empowerment of traffic officials.

    “For years during the PDP rule, we asked the Federal Government for access to the existing railway corridor, but it was denied. This led us to create the Blue line railway from Okokomaiko to CMS.

    “ We need to complete the track because Lagos needs a transportation system outside roads that can move thousands of people daily,” he said.

    Responding, Agbaje said that for 20 years of APC governance in the state, residents were still grappling with traffic congestion; especially issues with trailers parked on bridges along Costain to Apapa.

    “Lagos is one of the two mega-cities of the world that does not have a multi-modal transportation system. It is time we start thinking of multi tiered roads; the world is moving, we cannot afford to be different.

    “The rail project has been on for too long. We need to have big ideas to address problems that are peculiar to Lagos.

    “The way things are presently is not sustainable and it has failed to deliver the sort of impact in the lives of ordinary citizens that should be expected from an economy of Lagos’ magnitude,” he said.

    Agbaje said that the sort of development that Lagos requires should be anchored on improving liveability, expanding the economy and retooling it for the 21st century.

    On the issue of power, Sanwo-olu pledged to take Lagos out of the national grid within six months and provide additional 1000 megawatts to its current level.

    He said that he would partner with distribution companies to ensure they upscale their power supply to the state, noting that prepaid meters would be provided to residents to ensure accountability and transparency.

    However, Agbaje said he would improve power by 1000 megawatts within his first 18 months, and encourage investment in embedded power projects toward enhancing power supply.

    Speaking on health, Sanwo-olu noted that the Lagos Health Insurance Scheme would ensure access to affordable healthcare and help build a health care structure to be proud of.

    However, Agbaje criticised the present Health Insurance Scheme, saying making it mandatory was another form of taxation that has been making life difficult for the masses.

    He said his administration would have significant developments in health, waste management, education, transportation management and in making use of technology to solve problems.

    Agbaje promised to develop “an ocean economy” and a knowledge driven economy” to enhance the economic well-being of the state and its citizens.

    Besides, Sanwo-olu said that his administration would be innovative about Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) in a way that would not exert pressure on the citizens.

    He noted that the private sector remains the engine of economic growth and would continue to create an environment for the private sector to thrive in the state.

    “As a former Commissioner for Commerce & Industry in Lagos, I know that proper collaboration with the private sector leads to more job creation, improved industrial harmony and boosts investment,” Sanwo-olu said.

    Mr Babatunde Ruwase, President of LCCI said that engaging the candidates would give exposition that would guide the private sector’s electoral choice.

    He said that the quality of political governance has profound implications for investment environment.

    Ruwase said without a conducive business environment, there cannot be meaningful economic progress.

    NAN

  • PDP aspirants back Agbaje

    Former aspirants who lost in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) primaries to pick candidates for the various elective offices have thrown their weight behind the Lagos State governorship candidate, Mr. Jimi Agbaje.

    A statement issued by the Jimi Agbaje Campaign Organisation (JACO) stated that the decision was reached at a stakeholders’ parley between Agbaje and the aspirants.

    Although they expressed reservations regarding the outcome of the primary and the unjust substituting of some of the names of some erstwhile victorious aspirants, the PDP members promised to work for the success of the party in the general election scheduled to commence on February 16.

    Apart from Agbaje, who was joined by his running mate, Mrs. Haleemat Buhari, other leaders of the party present at the meeting include: former Minister of Works, Senator Adeseye Ogunlewe; a member of the PDP Board of Trustees, Hajia Aduke Maina; and the State Deputy Chairman, Alhaji Hassan.

    The aggrieved aspirants reeled out series of infractions that characterised the primary, saying despite the perceived lapses, they have resolved to support the party’s candidates at the polls.

    After listening to their complaints, Agbaje assured them that their sacrifice for the party would not be in vain.

    His words: “I am happy to meet all of you today. I am particularly delighted that despite the fact that the primaries didn’t go the way you have envisaged, you are still faithful with the cause. I am also happy that you have decided to sacrifice your individual ambitions for the collective good of all Lagosians. The task to liberate our state from the stranglehold of an individual is a collective one.

    “It is not about me, but about the people of the state who are bearing the brunt of the rulership of the prevailing order in the state. With the decision you have taken, I am assuring you that you would be carried along as valued stakeholders.”

    Ogunlewe said the election called for the collective efforts of all to wreste power from the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC). He added that Agbaje have become the symbol of the struggle and that all stakeholders must rally behind him.

    He said: “I am assuring you that the day Agbaje becomes the Governor of Lagos State he will become a watershed in the history of the state. Let all of us rally round him to make sure that he wins.”

    Maina thanked those present, saying their sacrifices and loyalty would not go unnoticed by the party.

    She added: “I understand your plights, all that happened is well known to me but we should all put them behind us in the task of removing the state from the shackles of the oppressors.”

     

     

  • Jimi Agbaje and his politics

    Those who know Jimi Agbaje, the Lagos PDP serial gubernatorial candidate say he is a fine gentleman. Most discerning people however agree that running Lagos State, the fifth biggest economy in Africa, requires much more. Unfortunately, with no experience in the public service and without a record of any outstanding achievement in the private sector where he has since 1982, managed a one-shop pharmacy enterprise, many believe he is driven more by opportunism, bereft of vision and perhaps by a sense of self-worth and a sense of entitlement.

    First rather than pay his dues in his first party, CAN, he migrated to Democratic People’s Alliance (DPA) that had a gubernatorial ticket to hawk. He waited until the eve of the next election to join PDP where he fought a bitter primary with those he met in the party. And when the position of PDP chairman zoned to the west was up for grab, he squared up against Bode George, his godfather, Professor Tunde Adeniran, RashidiLadoja and other PDP stalwarts. He was only forced to step down 24 hours to the contest by Ayo Fayose who whilst admonishing him to “pursue his aspiration with decorum and make sure that the PDP and Nigeria remained his focus instead of personal interests”, reminded him that “with seven out of all nine aspirants coming from the Southwest will work to the detriment of our zone when it comes to voting.”

    From his last week outing, there was no evidence he is changing his old strategy. Just as in 2014 when he allegedly promised to create a fiefdom for Igbo in Lagos where they would have their own king by declaring without restraint that the political class in Lagos State does not like the Igbo or as he put it “The narrative that Lagos dislikes the Igbos is extremely false…, your political establishment does”, he is once again set to exploit the schism between the Igbo Lagos immigrant and their Yoruba hosts. Besides the only discernible message that he is seeking election to pursue Igbo agenda, his other motivation, he says is to displace the current leadership in the state. In his words: “This time round, we intend to take over Lagos in 2019; we have a situation where it had been under the grip of one or two persons and we are tired of that.” He did not say what happens after. He did not talk of another blueprint. He simply assumes today’s prosperous Lagos is an accident. He also took up arms against the Oba of Lagos who back in 2014 warned him not to trade off the interest of Lagos in the pursuit of his ambition. According to him, “the royal utterance of 2015 is still fresh in mind of the entire electorate”. With no new vision unveiled, one can safely conclude Agbaje is on a vengeance mission to right the perceived wrongs done to Igbo.

    But I think Agbaje is a poor student of history. By their culture and values, the Yoruba are very receptive to immigrants. In fact, this is their strength. What the Lagos elite have tried to do was to protect Lagos and the Yoruba from, first, the Portuguese and the British fortune-seekers and since the 1930s, Igbo self-serving leaders, trading with the name of their compatriots and successive Nigerian military and civilian leaders who after building their fortune and political career in Lagos, often turn around to bite the finger that fed them.

    The Oba and Lagos political elite’s grouse, Agbaje ought to know, is not with Igbo and other immigrants who made their living in Lagos and in the process contribute immensely to the development of the city. It is against such  mischief makers who claim they were on civilization drive to turn Lagos which had a population 99,890  in 1921 compared to Enugu, a mining village’s 3,170, Aba’s 2,327 and Onitsha’s 10,309, from a jungle to a modern city. It is against self-style beautiful brides like Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe, admired in most Yoruba urban towns, deeply loved by Lagos white cap chiefs and Imams who regarded him as an adopted son of Herbert Macaulay. Even though he was according to Richard Sclar, the only Igbo man during the inaugural meeting of NCNC shortly before it transformed into a political party in 1944, he had no opposition from Yoruba majority when he assumed the leadership of NCNC following the death of Macaulay in 1947.  But Zik saw nothing wrong in ceding the NCNC presidency to Okpara when he vacated the position as against Fadahunsi, the candidate of TOS Benson and his Yoruba group. Similarly when Zik also vacated the senate presidency in 1960, he ceded the office not to any of the Yoruba NCNC stalwarts but to Dennis Osadebey. The only reason Jimi Agbaje found this historical facts objectionable can only be opportunism.

    It is perhaps only Agbaje on a vengeance mission that will regard Lagos establishment’s rejection of Zik’s labeling of Yoruba as tribalist over NCNC intra-party feuds in the forties. Prince AdelekeAdedoyin and Dr. Olorunnimbe, members of NCNC delegation to Britain had accused the leadership of NCNC of mismanagement of funds and Zik of being the sole author of the memorandum and constitutional proposal submitted to the colonial secretary. The two were consequently expelled but the expulsion was ineffective as Olorunnimbe went on to win an election to the central legislature because Lagos NCNC was not owned by Igbo. And later when attempt by the party to prevail on Olorunnimbe to step down to pave way for Zik failed, Zik claimed he was being marginalized as an Igbo man by Yoruba tribalists. The Lagos Igbo State Union believed him. OzumbaMbadiwe thereafter embarked on a crusade to separate Lagos from the West. The irony was that this was in the 1940s a time when non-indigenous Onitsha were regarded as settlers and denied the same privileges as the Onitsha indigenes.

    But blinded by ambition without preparation, Agbaje in search of Igbo votes has unwittingly joined the league of political adventurers and fortune seekers who treat Lagos as victim of envy and vengeance. Balewa was made in Lagos. Yet when DrMajekodunmi, his friend and personal doctor introduced a health bill that would be beneficial to Lagos workers, Balewa did nothing when the northern back benchers opposed it just because it was not going to be replicated in the north.

    In 1966 when Lagos  was turned to a battle ground by warring Fulani and Igbo estranged coalition partners and their military sympathisers, but for the intervention of Britain and US, Murtala Muhammed was about to sink Lagos with a dynamite. Babangida after exploiting the Lagos media that crowned him ‘the prince of the lower Niger’, promulgated Decree 52 of 1993 backdated to January 1, 1975 to confiscate 150 choice plots at the reclaimed Osborne Road as parting gifts to his ministers. He later annulled the June 1993 election won by MKO Abiola. There was also the late Shehu Shagari, who according Alhaji Lateef Jakande, his friend, derailed the Lagos metro line project out of envy. We can add President Obasanjo who illegally sat on Lagos State LGA allocations for two years because he did not want Lagos to become London.

    And finally, if only Agbaje had taken time to study the role of Obas in Yoruba land, he would have known that the Oba of Lagos cannot swim against the tide. Unlike such places like Ogoni land where traditional rulers have been described by SaroWiwa as ‘vultures’ feeding on the misery of their people, Obas in Yoruba land can only want what their subjects want. As Thomas Hodgin has explained, ‘Yoruba Obas are constitutional monarchs who ratify decisions made by council of hereditary lineage chiefs who had consulted the wishes of their people’

  • Agbaje condemned over attack on new Lagos HoS

    The Governorship Candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in Lagos State, Mr. Jimi Agbaje has been lambasted for condemning the appointment of Hakeem Muri-Okunola as Head of Service, HoS of Lagos State.

    The Convener of Ibile Progressive Youths, IPY, Bayo Plunter in a press statement issued on Friday said Agbaje’s outburst was unnecessary, uncharitable and diversionary.

    The IPY comprises about 20 groups of young and dynamic professionals from the three senatorial districts in Lagos State.

    Agbaje had faulted the appointment of Muri-Okunola as the new HOS in the state, saying the action sacrificed career progression and was ‘politics taken too far.’

    It will be recalled that Governor Akinwunmi Ambode on Monday, swore-in Muri-Okunola as the 21st HoS in the state, in place of Mrs. Folashade Adesoye who retired in December 2018.

    Read Also: Agbaje and ‘freedom fighting’ ambiguity

    At 46, Muri-Okunola is said to be the youngest ever HoS in the history of Lagos State.

    Ibile Progressive Youth said, “While the appointment of Hakeem Muri-Okunola, a dynamic, qualified and hardworking young man has been roundly applauded by progressive minds, it is a bitter pill for Mr. Agbaje and his ilk to swallow.

    “It is evident from Mr. Agbaje’s statement how desperately he wishes the wheel of progress in the Centre of Excellence be reversed.

    “His statement smack of bile, divisiveness and incitement of our hard working civil servants to rebellion over a simple, constitutional executive action.”

    “While IPY remains non-aligned, but keenly monitoring the activities and promises of the governorship candidates involved in the political contestation for Office of Governor of Lagos State, we are concerned about the direction of Mr. Agbaje’s campaigns.”

    The IPY wondered why the likes of Agbaje, who it said claimed to be an indigene of Lagos State, would fault the appointment of Muri-Okunola, a true son of the soil and an indigene of the state, as HoS.

    Plunter posited that the PDP shot itself on the leg by faulting the appointment of a relatively young man as the HoS of the state despite its “noise that it would give chance to young people in their governments both at the state and at the Federal levels if they win the 2019 elections.”

    The IPY described the PDP and Agbaje as a sinking ship that is trying to get to the shore through any means.

    The group also berated Agbaje for displaying “arrant ignorance” over the issues surrounding the appointment of Muri-Okunola as the new HoS of the state by Governor Ambode.

    “By hierarchy, it was the turn of HMO to take over after Mrs. Adesoye retired in December, 2018 after years of meritorious service to the state government.

    “The appointment of Hakeem Muri-Okunola was not about politics, he was the next person in rank after the exit of the two PS, who were ahead of him.

     

  • Agbaje faults appointment of new Lagos HOS

    The governorship candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in Lagos State, Mr Jimi Agbaje, has faulted the appointment of Mr Hakeem Muri-Okunola as the new Head of Service.

    In a statement by his campaign organisation on Thursday in Lagos, Agbaje said the action sacrificed career progression and was politics taken too far.

    The News Agency of Nigeria reports that Gov. Akinwunmi Ambode had on Monday sworn in 46-year-old Muri-Okunola as the 21st Head of Service (HOS) in the state.

    Muri-Okunola, who was a Permanent Secretary until his appointment, replaced Mrs Folashade Adesoye, who retired in December 2018.

    Reacting to the development, the PDP candidate described the appointment as ”insensitive, unjust and disruptive” of the civil service hierarchy.

    He alleged that the government had forcefully retired no fewer than 21 senior and more experienced permanent secretaries to pave the way for the new man.

    ”There is a sense of shock and injustice in all these. It is bound to create bad blood and injustice within the system.

    ”These are seasoned personnel capable of fitting perfectly and effectively in that office.

    Read Also: Five killed in Air Force helicopter crash

    ”But in this era of impunity, they have been offloaded prematurely,” he said.

    Agbaje said that Muri-Okunola served as the Personal Assistant to former Gov. Bola Tinubu and that the All Progressives Congress (APC) had imbued him with very abnormal privileges.

    ”Muri-Okunola lacks that broad-based exposure, which makes him a misfit for the post on which he has been imposed.

    ”Whoever becomes HoS is usually a civil servant with widespread exposure, as he must be abreast of all issues related to the bureaucracy and governance.

    ”But all these rules and traditions have been bent for this appointment,” he said.

    Agbaje said the development portends grave danger to the state’s bureaucracy, founded on the foundations of merit-nurtured progression through the rungs of the career ladder.

    ”It is befuddling to imagine how officers who are 15 years older than the new HoS will take orders and directives from him.

    ”From all indications, this might be too farfetched and difficult, and it has a way of impacting negatively on governance, taking into cognizance that the Civil Service is the engine room of not just government but the society,” he said.

  • Accord governorship candidate steps down as party adopts Agbaje

    The Lagos State chapter of Accord Party has adopted the governorship candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Mr Jimi Agbaje, for the 2019 election.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the party endorsed and adopted Agbaje on Thursday at a programme to flag off its campaign activities in Ikeja.

    The endorsement followed the open pronouncement by the governorship candidate of the party, Mr Joseph Beckley, that he had agreed with the party to step down for Agbaje and support his ambition.

    The Chairman, Board of Trustees of Accord, Rev. Adebayo Adeniji ,while presenting Agbaje to party men, said his adoption was strategic.

    He said there was the need for well-meaning people to join forces to take the state from the All Progressives Congress(APC).

    Adeniji said the party believed the adoption of Agbaje would help “rescue”the state and ensure residents enjoy the dividends of democracy.

    “Today is a historic day because we have taken a step to give Lagos to the people.

    “We have adopted Mr Jimi Agbaje so that together, we can take the mantle of leadership in 2019.

    “Agbaje has the vision and capacity to win and even deliver.We believe it is better to join efforts with a candidate who will give the state to the people,” he said.

    Adeniji explained that Accord was only supporting the PDP governorship for the election but would field candidates for other elections in the state.

    He enjoined party members to give their best to ensure victory for Agbaje in the governorship election as well as Accord candidates vying for legislative seats in the state.

    Beckley, in his brief speech, said he decided to step down for Agbaje because he had the capacity to govern Lagos and was better positioned to win the election .

    Read Also: Between a Babajide Sanwoolu and a Jimi Agbaje

    He also urged party members to work hard to mobilise residents to vote for Agbaje in the 2019 election.

    In his acceptance speech, Agbaje described his adoption by Accord as humbling.

    He thanked the party and the governorship candidate for endorsing him.

    Agbaje gave the assurance that he would reciprocate the gesture by winning the election and delivering real democratic dividends in the state.

    He said his determination to dislodge APC and “free Lagos “ in 2019 was unwavering, urging all residents to support him to give them the state of their dream.

    “My message to those who are still waiting on the other side is that the freedom train on the move.

    “Let them join it before the momentum will move too much for them to catch up with. There is still room in the train and it is time to move in.

    “And to the other people, the APC, my message is clear: their time is up. They will be defeated in 2019.

    “Instead of delivering good governance to Lagosians, they are after my posters and campaign boards.

    “I am telling them now that enough is enough. It is time for freedom. It is time for free Lagos from impunity, from imposition and from one-man rule”,he said.

    NAN reports that Mr Wale Oluwo, who recently resigned from the cabinet of Gov.Akinwunmi Ambode as Commissioner of Energy and Mineral Resources to join PDP, was with Agbaje at the occasion.

    The PDP deputy -governorship candidate, Mrs Haleemat Busari; the PDP state Chairman, Dr Adebola Dominic; and Publicity Secretary, Mr Taofeek Gani, also joined Agbaje at the programme.

    NAN reports that Accord, at the ocassion, received many defectors from the APC and also presented flags to its candidates for Federal and state legislative seats.

    Prince Sunday Ajayi, who led the APC defectors into Accord, said they left their former party owing to what they called the culture of impunuty and imposition.

    He said the inability of Ambode and others to get tickets for re-election despite good performance was proof that APC in the state was only for some people and not for members.

    NAN

  • Jimi Agbaje’s misdirected anger

    Jimi Agbaje, governorship candidate of Peoples Democratic Party in Lagos State, has always based his ill-fated ambition to be governor of Lagos on empty rhetoric and stoking ember of ethnic discord.

    Predictably, Agbaje, comes to play in the contest for the Lagos State number one job every election circle with same message that reduces Lagosians to slaves who are living in bondage. He is fronting himself as the man on a civilizing mission to rescue us from bondage.

    While the semiotics of slavery in the context of constant usage by Agbaje is not lost on anyone in Lagos, it is a defeatist way to make the next election a referendum on former Governor Bolu Tinubu, the direct object of attack. It is a wrongheaded political communication strategy to reduce debate and conversations around governance in Lagos to cheap innuendos.

    It is very instructive at this point, to deconstruct Agbaje’s central thematic message of slavery and freedom for its hollowness and superfluity.

    Agbaje and his hirelings in his two previous attempts and in his current odyssey had laboriously, albeit, unsuccessfully framed a narrative that Lagos is under the bondage of one man in the last 19 years and in the years there is nothing to show in terms of positive impacts that benefit the people of Lagos. For anyone, least of all, a man of Agbaje’s status who should give Lagosians compelling reasons to vote for him to peddle gossips with so much gusto, mirrors the level of moral degeneration.

    Facts on ground do not support charge of non-performance against successive administration in Lagos since 1999.  Any lousy claim of hegemonic overlord with transcendental power over the state is pure baloney.

    Asiwaju  Bola Tinubu took over a broken down state in 1999 after the inglorious 20 years reign of the military that stifled development. Lagos was a state under siege. Crime was rate was very high, public transportation was very shambolic, decrepit public schools, waste management reached epidemic level, and infrastructure especially the roads were horrible with two decades of almost zero investment in major projects. Lagos was caving it under the yoke of unimaginative military rulers. The public/civil service was in disarray with inefficiency and low productivity. That was the Lagos Tinubu inherited from the military.

    Immediately after his election, Tinubu got to work by putting on his thinking cap. He set-up technical committees to work on various plans and interventions that will recalibrate the state and set it on the path to recovery. Members of the various transition committees were drawn from the private sector and from the diaspora to develop comprehensive economic and development blue print for Lagos. On assumption of office on May 29, 1999, the then governor Tinubu hit the ground running with the assemblage of crack team of brilliant professionals into his cabinet. From inception, the administration knew innovation and creativity must drive governance in Lagos especially in revenue generation to fund the huge deficit in infrastructure.

    On top of the agenda was the imperative of reforming existing government agencies for service delivery. The Tinubu government reformed Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA) for better performance to frontally tackle the problem of waste management and disposal. The administration introduced the private sector participation in waste collection and disposal which created massive employment opportunities and injection of private capital. To deal with environmental issues, the administration also created Kick Against Indiscipline Brigade (KAI) to enforce environmental and sanitation laws.

    Perhaps one of the groundbreaking initiatives of the Tinubu administration was the creation of Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) to untangle traffic bottlenecks in Lagos. Can anyone imagine a Lagos without LASTMA today? The agency will remain an eternal testimony to the vitality and creativity of Tinubu and his team. It is still a worthy example in public administration in Nigeria.

    To protect the weak and the vulnerable in Lagos, the Tinubu administration established the Office of the Public Defender (OPD). That agency has been hailed by global development community and multilateral agencies as one of the best models of social protection by government in the world. The OPD takes on cases of domestic violence, child abuse, wrongful termination of employments, tenancy matters and other social issues. At the government expense, OPD has diligently pursued cases in court and got justice to thousands of Lagosians in the last 15 years.

    Tinubu administration was the pathfinder in massive investment in infrastructural upgrade in Lagos. Tinubu embarked on ambitious infrastructural renewal projects in Lagos in key sectors like housing, education, health, road and power. Lagos State was the first in Nigeria to start Independent Power Project with Enron now AES to provide regular electricity for Lagos. The then PDP-led federal government frustrated the Enron power project but with strong-will and determination, the state government pulled through even when the political economy structure of Nigeria ensured the state did not get the benefit because power from AES had to go to national grid.

    Tinubu administration also started school upgrade in Lagos and renovation of healthcare facilities. It was the administration that started the idea of building mega schools. Some of the school buildings still stand as monuments of excellence in Lagos till date.

    On road infrastructure, the Tinubu administration made its mark. Oregun to Ojota road now Kudirat Abiola Way, Awolowo Road Ikoyi, Yaba-Ojuelegba- Itire Road, Igando Road are living testimonies of what quality road infrastructure means. Sixteen years after, the roads are still solid. The economy of Lagos Island Central Business District of Broad Street-CMS-Marina axis had collapsed with areas boys and criminals taking over before Tinubu came. Most businesses had relocated out of the CBD with empty high rise buildings due to the combination of poor infrastructure and high crime rate. The Tinubu administration started the Lagos Island CBD redevelopment and set up an agency to drive process. Businesses that left returned to CBD after the makeover. LAMATA, a World Bank funded agency with responsibility to facilitate the integration of inter-modal transportation system in Lagos also bears eloquent testimony to visionary leadership by Tinubu. The BRT system is the first in Africa, Lekki Free Trade Zone and the innovative private sector led State Security Trust Fund which other states are copying now are some of the examples of progressive leadership in Lagos.

    One of the major successes of the Tinubu administration was the re-engineering of the state finance for fiscal autonomy. Lagos internally generated revenue moved from paltry N600million a month to N10billion monthly by the end of the Tinubu administration in 2007. The administrations that came after him sustained the prosperity engineered by the Tinubu ingenuity. Lagos according to public information currently generate over N30billion monthly with a target to do N50billion.

    Tinubu’s biggest legacy as leader of men will be his ability to spot talents. He gave Lagos a governor in Babatunde Raji Fashola, an administrator per excellence who took governance to another level. His foibles notwithstanding, Akinwumi Ambode proved his worth too as a working governor who redefined governance in his own way with massive infrastructural projects across the state. Ambode expanded frontier of governance by taking development to the people in forgotten parts of Alimosho, Ikorodu, Badagry, Epe, Agege among others.

    There is no way the success of Lagos in the last 19 years will be written without an honourable mention of the names of Babajide Sanwo-Olu and his running mate, Dr. Obafemi Hamzat. The work of Lagos is an evolving one. That is why a very competent combination of the APC candidates are needed to take Lagos to a greater height.

    It stands to reason how a progressive camp that has done so much to save Lagos from the brink of collapse and turned the state to one that is competitive and climbing out of its former chaotic status, where first world infrastructure and social services are becoming permanent features can be under bondage as to require freedom.

    Jimi Agbaje obviously sees this contest as his last chance to be governor of Lagos and he is ready to throw anything to achieve his objective. It is rather sad the PDP candidate can get so low to fan ember of ethnic discord among the Yorubas and Igbos in his recent twitter meltdown. Lagosians are too cosmopolitan to be baited with primordial sentiments. Lagosians want a governor that will make Lagos more liveable for them not a hawker of pettiness.

  • We’ll defeat PDP, Agbaje roundly – Sanwo-Olu

    Governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Lagos State Jide Sanwo-Olu on Monday said that the party will defeat the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its candidate Jimi Agbaje come 2019.

    Speaking to a large crowd of party leaders and members during a stakeholders’ meeting at the party secretariat at Acme Road, Ogba, the APC candidate maintained it will be foolhardy for someone who thinks Lagosians are in bondage to expect a vote from them.

    ‘’How can someone be talking about freedom in Lagos?’’ Sanwo-Olu asked.

    ‘’Are we in the 18th or 19th century when slavery was the order of the day? Lagos has always been free.

    “The State is the 5th largest economy in Africa, the cynosure and envy of all other States across Nigeria.

    “It is the bedrock of the nation’s economy, where everyone that is enterprising record success without any form of hindrance. It is obvious that Jimi Agbaje and indeed the PDP do not have anything to say, so they had to resort to freedom. This won’t fly, it won’t sell, Lagosians will not buy it,’’ Sanwo-Olu said.

    Amidst cheers from the teeming APC supporters, Sanwo-Olu queried the role Agbaje and PDP as a party played in the development of Lagos State.

    He said it is the same freedom that Agbaje viciously clamours for that has made him run for governorship three times in a row.

    ‘’We have freedom here in Lagos and that is why someone like Jimi Agbaje can aspire to govern the State three consecutive times.

    “Although he has failed in all two attempts, I can guarantee you that he will fail this time around because Lagosians don’t trust him or his party, the PDP.

    “Where were they several years ago when our leader, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu in concert with other members of the State Executive Council toiled day and night to revamp Lagos economy from paltry N600 million monthly Internally Generated Revenue, which could not pay Lagos State staff salary, to over 30 billion Naira?’’

    Sanwo-Olu reassured the APC will have defeat the PDP  in the 2019 presidential and governorship election in Lagos State but warned members against complacency, saying that they should be guided by the saying, ‘’it is not over until it is over’’.

    ‘’We cannot afford to be complacent. The coming elections should be an easy ride for us if we do the right thing but this should not be a reason for us to take a back seat or fold our arms.

    “This is the time to roll up our sleeves and work even harder to consolidate on our gains.’’