Governorship elections will hold tomorrow in Lagos, Ogun and Oyo states. The three Southwest states are strongholds of the All Progressives Congress (APC), which swept the poll at the presidential election two weeks ago. The Southwest is regarded as the traditional home of the progressives. The performance of the APC governors in the zone has endeared the party to the people. The election will be fought on the basis of party programmes, the candidates’ pedigrees and their antecedents. Assistant Editor LEKE SALAUDEEN writes
The rapid development witnessed in Lagos State in the past 16 years is unprecedented. The foundation was laid by Asiwaju Bola Tinubu. His successor, Governor Babatunde Fashola, has built on it. Fashola and his predecessor have been working towards changing the face of Lagos State. The two administrations have been applauded for the infrastructural renewal across the three senatorial districts.
Lagos as pacesetter
Legal luminary Prof. Itse Sagay (SAN) said Fashola has established a modern, enlightened democratic and civilised state, while building on the legacy of Asiwaju Bola Tinubu. According to Sagay, considerable attention have been devoted to the infrastructural and physical development, and transformation.
He added: “The people of Lagos are beneficiaries of this physical transformation, which has introduced ‘another life’ in Lagos. Among these projects are the construction of the 10-lane Okokomaiko-Marina Expressway, with its light rail component; the Ikoyi-Lekki Cable Bridge; the beautification of Lagos, with the establishments of parks and gardens in locations that were hitherto the domain of ‘area boys’; the reconstruction of public utilities including the City Hall and the Freedom Park, have all contributed to restore Lagos to its glory.”
The Fashola Administration has invested heavily in the rehabilitation and reconstruction of new blocks of classrooms in public schools; the distribution of free text books; the provision of well-equipped laboratories and libraries; provision of buses for teachers to ease transportation problems; re-launch of uniformed voluntary organisations in public schools; and the implementation of Teachers’ Salary Scale (TSS).
The same feat was recorded at the tertiary level, with the revamping of technical colleges and massive development of infrastructure at Lagos State University (LASU). The government has reverted LASU fee to N25,000 per annum as demanded by the students.
The first major reform carried out by the government in 2007 was in the area of security. Criminal activities were so rampant in the state. More worrisome was the persistent cases of bank robberies. Thus, Fashola initiated the Safe City Project, which later metamorphosed into the establishment of the Lagos State Security Trust Fund (LSSTF). This platform, driven by public -private partnership (PPP), became a mobilising force for corporate organisation and individual to provide equipment and resources for security agencies. This approach was a pragmatic response to the operational deficiency of the police and other security agencies.
The collective investment in crime prevention has led to a lower crime rate in the state. The government has made judicious use of the fund. It has constantly provided patrol vehicles, motorbikes bullet-proof vests and other equipment to the police to combat crime.
The APC administration has also scored a pass mark in the beautification of the environment, agriculture and transportation. For a state with a population of 20 million, effective public transportation is very imperative. Thus, the government implemented the Bus Rapid Transport (BRT) to effectively address the transportation challenges. The success of this scheme has attracted the attention of other states. Even, the Ghanaian Government sent a delegation to understudy the scheme, with a view to replicating it over there. The water transportation also received a boost in the rural and riverine areas. Ferry terminals and support services to ease transportation along that corridor were provided by the state government.
The administration also introduced the issuance of the Electronic Certificate of Occupancy and launched the Lagos Home Ownership Scheme (HOMS), a strategic intervention to deliver housing to citizens on a minimum of 10-year mortgage and a maximum interest of 9.5 per cent.
Lagos State cannot afford to be in opposition now that the APC will take over the Federal Government on May 29. Since independence Lagos has been in the vanguard of the struggle to install a progressive Federal Government. Lagos State should reap the fruits of its labour by voting APC in the governorship and State House of Assembly elections on Saturday.
The APC governorship candidate, Akinwunmi Ambode had been part of Lagos success story in the last 15 years. But being a civil servant, he was neither seen nor heard. He was in the background along several others, designing and implementing many of the policies that stood out Lagos out from the rest of the country. Ambode as Auditor General of Lagos State designed the template that revolutionised revenue generation from N600 million to over N6 billion every month.
The advantages of Lagos being in tune with the APC controlled Federal Government are many. The abandoned federal projects in Lagos State will be completed; the abandoned federal roads and properties on which Lagos State government used to spend billions of naira to maintain without being reimbursed will cease; the construction of the fourth mainland bridge will come to fruition; and the 37 Local Council Development Areas (LCDA) may likely become full Local Government given the numerical strength of the APC in the next Assembly.
Ogun
Governor Ibikunle Amosun has turned around the face of Ogun through his five cardinal programmes that bordered on massive construction of standard roads, building of model schools, restoration of peace and orderliness, provision of health care delivery and clean and safe environment.
Analysts ascribed the feats to purposeful planning, focus and commitment to development by the governor and his team and the support of the good people.
On assumption of office on May 29,2011, Amosun hit the ground running because he was aware of the huge infrastructural deficit on ground and so, his government is committed to further developing people and he has been able to bring credibility to governance. That explains why the people are in support of his administration as evidenced in the developmental projects carried out across the country.
Many have commended him for his exemplary achievements in four years. President Goodluck Jonathan once remarked that Governor Amosun “is a hardworking governor and has done wonderfully well in his two years in office”.
The opposition parties and critics are not only having sleepless time regarding the pace of transformation in the state by Amosun but are also confused because of the precarious financial position inherited from the Gbenga Daniel administration.
Everywhere he goes, brooms fill the air in acknowledgement of his good performance. Egba monarchs led by Alake, Oba Aremu Gbadebo paid tribute to the son of the soil, saying he has lived up to expectation. In particular, the royal father was impressed by the transformation of his domain. “We are here to testify that the past that the past three and half years of Amosun’s government have been like 20 years of development in our state. We have come to appreciate the politics of good roads, the politics of good schools and health facilities. We believe that the person who did all this within this short time will do more if given another opportunity because the best is yet to come”, he said.
In Ogun West Senatorial District, leaders of thought and traditional rulers, including the renowned historian Professor Anthony Asiwaju, and the Olola of Ilara Kingdom, Oba Samuel Alade Adeluyi have endorsed Amosun’s re-election bid despite the PDP candidate comes from the zone. They lauded the governor for opening the area with 110 kilo metre road.
The opinion leaders noted that their communities, which were almost marooned from each other and from the rest of the state, have been connected with one another effectively through Ilara-Ijoun-Egua-Oja Odan-Ilase road that stretchs over four local government areas in the zone.
The youths in Ogun West also endorsed Amosun for second term. They said they wanted him to continue because he has performed.
Oyo
Stakeholders in Oyo State politics believe Governor Abiola Ajimobi stands a better position to win a second term. They based their judgment on the performance of the governor in the last four years.
Civil Rights activist Moshood Erubami said there is no doubt that the governor would be returned by the electorate. He said the governor has demonstrated enough courage to assist the people and ensure that governance meets their genuine desires.
Erubami: “This is a governor that is daily adding value reconstructing the state, re-orienting the indigenes, restoring hope and transforming governance with demonstrated character of integrity. His style of governance has been posing questions to his predecessors about where the monies being committed to development during their administration were being put during their own tenure that nothing concrete was visible beyond fuji and juju fanfare on daily basis.
“The face of Ibadan had remained, dirty and structurally defective in the last 40 years, with nothing to show for the years of government and governance in the state. This made it difficult to attract investors to site industry in the state, thereby reducing it to a teacher’s state without major platform for sustainable human development.
“The environmental beautification effort of government is quite discernible to all as everyone can note the order being brought to motor garages, the changing face of our roads and reduction in traffic hold –ups. Past governments had created different security outfits to address insecurity and other societal decay, but none was as effective and mobile as Operation Burst, which is ever mobile and steadfast in curbing brigandage in the society. Never before has any administration introduced a security outfit that is as mobile and effective as Operation Burst.”
Public affairs analyst Dr Goke Ajetunmobi said the governor’s activities have impacted positively on the lives of the people. “He has shown greater commitment to service through his Urban Renewal Programme, which had placed the major cities in the state on a new pedestal”, he noted.
Ajetunmobi made reference to Ibadan, which hitherto was classified as the dirtiest city in West Africa, pointing out that Ajimobi has successfully changed the face of the metropolis. He said the governor has restored peace and security in Ibadan, which used to be a theatre of war between the warring factions of National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW). Other achievements, according to him, are the dualisation of roads leading to all major cities and towns around the capital; youth empowerment scheme for unemployed graduates and free medical services for the people including surgical operations.
The analyst argued that the ideal thing in a society where the performance is the criteria for re-election is to allow Ajimobi to have a second term.
Ajimobi’s re-election bid has received the royal blessing of the Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi, the Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Odulana Odugade, and Soun of Ogbomoso, Oba Oladunni Oyewunmi Ajagungbade. The royal fathers based their endorsement on what they described as unprecedented development that Oyo State has witnessed under the Ajimobi Administration.
