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Tag: Razak

  • How Sanwo-Olu can succeed, by Razak

    Lagos State All Progressives Congress (APC) Governorship Advisory Council (GAC) member and Balogun of Epe Chief Lanre Razak is 73 years old this week. He spoke with Group Political Editor EMMANUEL OLADESU on his foray into politics and public service, why the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has always failed in Lagos and challenges before Governor-elect Babajide Sanwo-Olu.

    HOW do you feel at 73?

    I feel satisfied and I want to thank God for being so kind to me. I want to thank God for the life I have lived and the way He had made it possible for me to get to this level. I never thought I would be here. My parents though from royal families were not rich. My father is Pa Razak Ajayi of Ita Osugbo quarter in Epe while my mother is Alhaja Amudalat Abegbe Ajayi, one of the daughters of Chief Muhammed Oloto of Ebute Metta, Lagos. I was born on March 20th 1946 and what we cherish is good name. Like my father would always tell me, ‘a broken character is the worst bankruptcy’, don’t tell anybody you want to do something when you know you can’t do it. Don’t give a promise that you can’t fulfill, remember you have a name to protect and cherish and that had been my guiding principle in life. I went to primary school, to a modern school and a secondary school. All through my life the education I had is self acquired. At the early stage of my life I witnessed Chief Obafemi Awolowo preached the gospel of light and what life is all about, how life should be and how he was able to acquire his own  education through self help. Those were the things that propelled me and I said if the late sage could do it , I should try my best. I strongly  believed in his stand on having an egalitarian society, a fair minded person and achieving a just situation in the country.

    My working career started with Albert Awofisayo. After working there for some years, I left the place, got a job with British American Insurance and rose to the level of a manager before I left to establish my own business and it has not been bad as God has been kind to me. At a stage, I was a councilor in Epe local government area during the era of the Unity Party of Nigeria, UPN, later appointed a supervisory councilor and along the line I was made the chairman of the local government and eventually the Commissioner for Public Transportation in Lagos State.

    I was a member of the UPN and a former publicity secretary of the party in Epe local government area. At a stage I was the chairman of Social Democratic Party, SDP in Epe local government area. It was one of the two political parties established by former military president General Ibrahim Babangida. Thereafter I became Lagos State Chairman of the All People’s Party, APP and later deputy national chairman of the same party. I have attempted more than five times to be governor of Lagos State, but failed and I have also made attempt to be a senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria even in the just concluded elections. Though I tried my best, it was a failure. But, my belief is that failing to achieve a target is not the end of life. I just sit down whenever the failure occurs and reflect on the factors responsible for it.

    Who is your role model?

    My role model is the late Chief Obafemi  Awolowo. After reading his books and  analysing his lifestyle, I try to emulate him. You will recall that Awolowo even said that it is not life that matters but the courage you bring into it. Another role model is the former governor of Lagos State Alhaji Lateef Jakande. I was with him throughout his tenure from 1979 to December 1983 as governor of Lagos State. I was in the Works Committee and one of the responsibilities of the committee was to identify a particular road that would enhance the development of the rural areas and by extension that would enhance the economic development of the state. We worked so hard to identify same and gave feedback to the governor and that was why Jakande was able to stop the three shift system of secondary education in Lagos State within a short period of three months when he was sworn in as governor. In Epe local government area, as a council chairman, I was able to provide a housing estate of over 250 units within my tenure of 9 months. The estate is still there and remains a point of reference to many people including those who succeeded us in office to serve in the local government. I was able to discover that the land of three communities, Ise, Igbogun and Obada is very fertile for rice cultivation and now the Federal Government is encouraging rice farming in Nigeria I plead with the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN under its Anchor Borrowers Programme to assist farmers in that community with soft loans. There was a discovery when I was the council chairman after I met over 60 rice farmers in the area and they appealed to me to assist them with soft loans to grow rice. I asked them: how much money do you need? They said ten thousand naira each which is N600,000 (six hundred thousand naira). That amount was huge then considering that the total budget of Epe local government both recurrent and capital expenditures was N3million. If I had taken N600,000 from the money I would be left with N2.4million. So, I approached Mrs. Maria Sokenu who was the pioneer Managing Director of People’s Bank of Nigeria and told her that I would be happy if she could provide the loans and she agreed though she is late now. She agreed but insisted that I provided a personal guarantee and also get the local government to guarantee the loans. I was vey happy and this I did and within a month the money was made available. I consulted with the head of the community who assisted in identifying the genuine farmers and they all got the money. Upon their harvest, I was shocked at the volume of the rice yield. Consequently I bought them rice mill to clean up and process the rice and everybody was happy at the end of the day because they produced rice worth over N5 million from the N600,000 loan. Therefore it was not difficult for them to repay the money to the People’s Bank of Nigeria. Later when we had glut and the market in Epe could not absorb all the produce due to the volume of the rice produced I took over 50 percent of the rice and asked my council officials to bring the food item to Lagos for sale. Even though it was sold at subsidized rate we still made good profit and the loan was repaid and all the farmers were happy at the end of the day.

    As the Balogun of Epe, how have you been discharging your responsibilities?

    For you to be able to discharge your responsibilities effectively you must have passion and love for the job. You will discover that among two communities they would start fighting over nothing concrete including boundary issues. When such happens, I always move in to resolve the dispute amicably and I can confidently tell you that I have resolved many of such disputes. I was appointed the Balogun of Epe town but in recognition of my efforts, in 1996 when all the Obas and Chiefs in Epe Division were attending the 70th birthday party for Oba A.K. Hassan, the Abowa of Agbowa, they invited me to attend the occasion. They resolved that my humble self should now be the Balogun General of the entire Epe Division.

    What’s the most difficult assignment you have handled as the Balogun?

    There is one particular assignment I find very challenging. There are two communities  in the riverine area of Epe towards the Lagos axis. At a stage, their members were fighting over land and you know land matter is a serious issue. A gentleman by name Alugbin, now of blessed memory, a leader of one of the aggrieved communities, came to me in the council and said sir, by the grace of God you are the Balogun, the council, chairman as well as the chief security officer of the council but if you don’t intervene very quickly the people of the area will carry arms and attack each other because of land dispute. So, I quickly sent the Divisional Police Officer to the area with an appeal not to arrest but invite the two parties to the dispute. Fortunately they honored our invitation and it took us five days to resolve the matter, it was a marathon meeting. I started by asking them if their great grandfathers who originally occupied the land in the past were still alive? Who allocated the land in dispute to them? Where is the certificate of occupancy issued to them by God? I told them that their forebears came and took possession of the land because they were the first settler and that whether we like it or not we are going to pass away in that biological sequence we came. I advised that we shouldn’t kill each other for something you can’t take away when you are dead. I told them that like former military administrator of Lagos State Gen. Olagunsoye Oyinlola would always say ‘why worry about life that you can’t get out of life alive’. I made it very clear and it is the truth that one day we would die and the only legacy you leave behind as humans is peace among your people and not destruction. I believe God intervened and we were able to resolve the dispute amicably without any loss of life.

    How do you view the recent victory of the Lagos State APC governorship candidate, Babajide Sanwo-Olu?

    If you take a look at the political career of the national leader of the APC, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, right from the time he was elected a senator and later, governor of Lagos State till now, you will discover that he is  a man who is committed to both human capital development and infrastructural transformatio. So irrespective of what anybody may be saying I strongly believe that Tinubu has done a lot for Lagos State and Nigeria. And  for him to have  thrown up Sanwo-Olu within a short period to the general election and the acceptance by Lagosians to be this massive tells you how much the people appreciate Tinubu’s contributions to the social and economic development of Lagos State. We also thank God for the landslide victory recorded by the APC candidate. And that is why I don’t believe in people saying O to ge (enough is enough) should apply here because for us in Lagos State it is A du pe (we are happy) and we are grateful to God that we have a rare gem as a leader in the person of Asiwaju Tinubu. That brings me to Marcus Buckingham in dynamic management who described leadership as primarily the act of creating confidence. Give it to Tinubu he is our Man of the Year; Man of the Century. What Tinubu is doing could be compared with what the late Chief Awolowo did in this country and whether you like it or not God has allowed him to surpass the achievements of the late sage who worked tirelessly throughout his lifetime to become the president of this country. And to have brought about a political party that is nationalistic in shape and content like the APC that recognizes him as a leader, Tinubu has achieved what the late Awolowo could not achieve.

    Also you can’t compare his achievements while in office with that of the Saraki dynasty in Kwara State which made many members of their family very rich and there are no much visible infrastructure and social amenities in that state. Tinubu is very generous and a kind person who is nice to a fault and I am sure leaders in Lagos State and Lagosians acknowledge that he is a man that has touched many lives for good. This to me our people appreciate and have spoken very loudly with. You recall that while  Mr. Sanwo-Olu scored 739,445 votes as against 206,141 votes polled by Mr. Jimi Agbaje of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). This shows that Asiwaju is a leader of uncommon courage and integrity and we Lagosians believe in him. I see him as a role model for those who want to genuinely play politics.

    Are there areas you want the incoming governor of Lagos State to focus on immediately he resumes office on May 29?

    They are many. Although the APC has a manifesto that must have been given to him by now, there are many potholes on Lagos roads today that require urgent attention. The new administration should address that  and repair the bad roads. Sanwo-Olu should also take a holistic look at the health and education sectors in the state. An educated society, according to a popular saying, is an enlightened society and we have less problems governing such a society. He should, therefore, consider education as a very important. Of course, it’s only somebody that is well fed that will give society peace therefore agriculture and food security is very important. As a matter of fact, food security should be part of his immediate priority which government should address seriously. The youths are very important segment of society so the government should create jobs for them to be engaged adequately. The governor should also establish additional sports facilities to keep our youths busy. The Lagos State government should reintroduce farm settlements similar to those that were first established by Chief Awolowo when he was premier of the defunct Western Region. I mean agricultural settlements where farmers will be allocated land, given money and relevant professionals employed to train people engaged in agriculture. Would be beneficiaries would have peace of mind because whoever is involved in agriculture government won’t talk of feeding him or her again. They will produce a lot of products, feed their children and train them in schools and the society is better for it. Government should also concentrate in training those who would be in charge of Information Communication Technology, ICT who will develop the right technology required to develop the State and the country. I wish Sanwo -Olu and his deputy Dr. Obafemi Hamzat a successful tenure in office.

  • Vote Buhari for good governance, Razak urges electorate

    THE Grand Patron of Buhari/Osinbajo Mandate Group in Lagos State, Chief Lanre Razak, has said the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate, President Muhammadu Buhari, deserves re-election on February 16 to enable the party consolidate its developmental strides.

    He said the current war on corruption, massive development of the railways, especially the Lagos-Ibadan standard gauge which is nearly completion, the counter-insurgency campaign, growth in the economy and the revolution in the agricultural sector, are among the major programmes of the APC-led Federal Government that would receive more attention with President Buhari’s re-election.

    In a statement, yesterday in Ikeja, the state capital, Razak, a former Commissioner for Public Transportation and Balogun General of Epe, also hailed APC National Leader, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, for the mature manner he resolved the recent face-off between Governor Akinwunmi Ambode the House of Assembly on this year’s budget.

    The face-off paved the way for the presentation of the document by the governor.

    Razak said: “We members of the APC are enthused and want to commend the political sagacity of our great leader and former governor of Lagos State, Asiwaju Tinubu, for intervening promptly to resolve the misunderstanding between the two arms of government over the 2019 state budget. His swift resolution of the impasse facilitated the presentation of the budget by Governor Ambode to the Assembly.

    “The opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and some civil society organisations (CSOs), which wanted to make a political capital out of the impasse, were disappointed at the positive turn of event as the issue was amicably addressed and all Lagosians are grateful to the APC National Leader.”

     

     

  • Lagos not in bondage, Razak tells Agbaje, others

    A member of the Lagos State Governor’s Advisory Council (GAC), Chief Lanre Razak, has dismissed as diversionary and cheap blackmail a recent claim by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate, Mr. Jimmy Agbaje, that the state is under the firm grip of a political godfather from whom Lagosians must be liberated.

    Rather than resort to name-calling and primordial sentiments, Razak challenged Agbaje to focus on issues-based campaign.

    He said doing otherwise would not give him victory at the poll.

    The former Commissioner for Public Transportation noted that other political parties jostling to upstage the All Progressives Congress (APC) were only envious of the state’s strong economic and financial base and not genuinely committed to providing good governance to the people.

    Razak, a chieftain of the ruling partty, said Lagosians and Nigerians would fare better if they elect Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, the party’s governorship candidate and President Muhammadu Buhari in the forthcoming polls.

    He hailed President Buhari for appointing former governor of Lagos State and APC national leader, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, as co-chairman of the party’s Presidential Campaign Council, adding that the body has the capacity to ensure total victory for APC candidates in this year’s general elections.

    Razak had made a strong case for Asiwaju Tinubu’s appointment to chair the council.

    Addressing reporters at a party he hosted in Epe for members of the APC from Lagos East Senatorial District, the APC chieftain noted that Asiwaju Tinubu is eminently qualified for the position because he has built a “successful political structure that is second to none, not only in Lagos State but in the entire country, since the return to civilian rule in 1999”.

  • Christmas: Pray for successful 2019 polls, Razak urges Christians

    A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Lagos State, Chief Lanre Razak, has urged Christians to pray for continued peace, stability and progress of the country as well as successful conduct of next year’s general elections by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

    Razaq stated this in his goodwill message for tomorrow’s Christmas.

    The APC chieftain noted that the birth of Jesus Christ over 2000 years ago, which is being celebrated among Christians, signifies major milestone in the history of mankind.

    He said: “The Messiah’s moral and spiritual teachings of love, humility and faithfulness should be imbibed by all Christian faithful.”

    According to him, putting same to practice will go a long to impact positively on Nigerians who are currently grappling with insecurity, poverty, unemployment and corruption.

    In a statement yesterday in Lagos, Razak, a former Commissioner for Public Transportation, said it is only when the faithful practice what they profess in their private and public conducts that followers of other religions would fully appreciate the true meaning of Christianity, “that is firmly rooted in love of God and fellow human beings”.

    He added: “This is in line with Christ’s admonition that ‘thou shall love the Lord your God with all your soul, and with your mind. Thou shall love your neighbour as yourself’, which are regarded as the greatest of God’s 10 commandments.

    “Therefore, if we succeed in imbibing his qualities of humility, love, fairness and show consideration for fellow Nigerians, we would do less of evangelism to attract non-believers of the faith to the Body of Christ, as our lives would be shining examples that would convince many to come to God.

    “Besides, we should continue to work harder for a better country where the less privileged members of society are made to share with the rich and Christians should realise that there is life after death and Paradise for the righteous.

    “We should further resolve to share goodwill across religious, social, political and economic divides to accelerate growth in our country. Next year, we should vote only God-fearing, responsible and patriotic politicians whose only agenda is the common good of the majority and development of their fatherland.”

  • Asking Oshiomhole to resign is ridiculous, Razak tells Saraki

    A chieftain of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in Lagos State, Alhaji Lanre Razak, has condemned the recent call by Senate President Bukola Saraki on the National Chairman of the party, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, to resign his position on moral ground over bribery allegations.

    Razak described the call as ridiculous.

    He said Saraki lacks the moral right to call for Oshiomhole’s resignation since he had ignored repeated calls on him by well-meaning Nigerians to step aside during his travails, including corruption trials at the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT), alleged link to the Offa bank robbery which resulted in the death of over 32 innocent Nigerians and after dumping the ruling APC for the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

    The former Commissioner for Public Transportation in Lagos State and the Balogun General of Epe, cited the late passage of thisn year’s budget by the Senate and the House of Representatives in June as one example of the lawmakers not rising up to the national interest to contribute their quota to good governance in the country.

    Taking a swipe at the Senate President in a statement yesterday in Lagos, Razak described Saraki’s call as “very disappointing and unexpected from the Number Three citizen whose tenure in the Red Chamber has been enmeshed in several controversies”.

    He added: “It is particularly laughable and contradictory because this is a man who many Nigerians have called upon to step aside from office to face his trial at the CCT.

  • Sanwo-Olu won’t disappoint Lagosians, says Razak

    A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Lagos State, Chief Lanre Razak, has said the party’s governorship candidate, Mr. Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu, is a public sector expert in manpower development and policy formulation with great capacity to consolidate on the people-oriented policies and programmes of the state government.

    He said Sanwo-Olu would not disappoint the residents, if elected governor next year.

    Razak, a former Commissioner for Public Transportation, stated this in his congratulatory message to Sanwo-Olu on his victory at the recent governorship primary of the APC.

    He said the decision to field him against the incumbent Governor Akinwunmi Ambode was collectively taken by the party’s leadership and not the making of APC National Leader, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu.

    Expressing his confidence in the ability of the flag bearer to deliver democracy dividends in accordance with the ideals and manifesto of the party to Lagosians, Razak said Sanwo-Olu’s track record as a former banker and his rich experience in the public sector for many years, would come in handy to give the residents purposeful administration.

    He described Sanwo-Olu as a politician with the requisite capacity, experience and integrity to render selfless service for the greater welfare of the people.

    Razak said: “I am encouraged by the fact that our candidate has promised to accord priority attention to education, health, sanitation, proper tax levels, infrastructure, economic development, job creation, improved public services and to implement policies and programmes that will raise the quality of lives of the people.

    “There is no doubt that he has what it takes to succeed in governance since he has been a major player in the development architecture of the state since the administration of former Governor Bola Tinubu and the confidence of the members of the APC in him was aptly demonstrated during the recent governorship primary where he defeated his opponent.

    “I believe he has the capacity to unify the party, take the state to greatness and won’t take Lagosians for granted.”

    Reacting to insinuation that the candidate was imposed on members of the party, Razak insisted that the APC “under the dynamic leadership of Asiwaju Tinubu, the Governor’s Advisory Council (GAC) met and critically examined all the issues involved and agreed that the best man for the job of Lagos governor at this time is Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, given his sterling credentials and impeccable track record of service”.

    He added: “I want to appeal to the electorate in Lagos to accept our candidate and vote massively for him and other APC candidates during the elections next year because he is a loyal party man, honest and hardworking person ready to serve his fatherland and meet the aspirations of the generality of Lagosians. He is capable of taking the state to the next level of socio-economic development.

    “The people should view his emergence as the triumph of party supremacy and see the recent disagreement among APC members in the state as democracy in action. I urge members of our great party to put the past behind them and unite in order to defeat the opposition parties at the federal and state levels during the general elections in 2019.”

    Razak, who is also the Balogun General of Epe and a member of the GAC, hailed Asiwaju Tinubu for his leadership qualities, patriotism and immense contribution to the development of not only Lagos State but other parts of the country.

    He said: “We want to thank our great leader, Asiwaju Tinubu, for his vision, foresight and commitment to good governance. Those of us who are close to him can vouch the fact that the overall interest of Lagos State and the country has been his guiding principle in taking certain vital decisions that some people may not know why.”

    Razak also hailed President Muhammadu Buhari for his achievements, including the war against corruption, tackling security challenges, improving the economy and providing infrastructural facilities.

    He urged the electorate to re-elect him next year to consolidate the progress his administration has made so far.

     

  • Lagos East senatorial aspirant Razak picks up form

    A former Lagos State Commissioner for Public Transportation, Chief Lanre Razak, has bought the All Progressives Congress (APC) expression of interest and nomination forms for Lagos East senatorial ticket.

    He told reporters after collecting the forms on Monday at the APC national secretariat in Abuja, the nation’s capital, that he has the backing of his people to get the ticket.

     

  • Voting APC candidates in council poll ‘ll strengthen governance—Razak

    Voting APC candidates in council poll ‘ll strengthen governance—Razak

    Lagos State All Progressives Congress (APC) chieftain and the Balogun of Epe, Chief Lanre Razak, in this interview with EMMANUEL OLADESU, speaks on the party’s primary and the chances of the chairmanship and councillorship candidates in the July 22 local government elections.

    How united is your party, the All Progressives Congress (APC) for the July 22 local government election in Lagos state?

    We are very united. The APC is one united family. You may think the outburst of a few individuals who want positions in the party and they are not getting it should be taken seriously. Don’t use that as a yardstick to determine the unity of the party.  We want to believe that it is a question of people that want positions in government and it is power.  If you don’t get it, you can apply a lot of ways to let people know you are missing something.  But, at the end of the day, I want to assure you that the APC as a party has a very strong mechanism to resolve all issues and remain united.

    Have you pacified those who felt aggrieved during the council primaries?

    That is a job for the state chairman of the party and elders to do, and they are doing it. And I don’t think it is necessary I put the details on the pages of newspapers. but, I know those in charge and who know the process  of resolving this kind of situation are really working hard.  For everyone missing any form of position and those to be given, all of us will smile together.

    Are there assurances that angry party members won’t undermine the APC during the council poll?

    That could be the imagination of some people. they have considered the option available with the way we are talking and discussing and they believe remaining with the party will be a better option for them.

    After all, it is only one chairman in a local government and you know that there is no local government in Lagos state that we don’t have up to one million people and out of one million people, if one person want something and did not get it, you cannot because of that destroy the party. I am aware that the party has assured that all aspirants who could not make it, there is an opportunity, there is a lot of positions for them to share.  There are supervisors in the council, there are secretaries to government.  They will be pacified  and the elders of the party are working hard, it won’t be winner takes all, we are not telling candidates to hell with you, no, we are talking to all our members to see reason with us.

    So you may question the process that produced the candidates because you don’t know what we know and you don’t see what we see. There is no perfection in humanity and you can’t have a perfect situation in everything you do but because of the facts and information available to the party leadership they have done what is considered to be the best option as at now.

    What is your reaction to the recent observation by the APC national legal adviser, Dr. Muiz Banire, that the primary was flawed?

    I will not take that opinion as the official position of the national leadership of the APC, I will take it as a reaction of an individual who only happens to be legal adviser in the national level because what we call a political party involves a lot and if anybody is at that level and you don’t think or believe you should do certain things that will remedy the situation rather expose and aggravate the situation, I don’t think that is right. You should evolve a culture that will unify the party rather than throwing stones and bricks to the party from whatever position for whatever reasons.  This is not the first time a primary election of a major political party is being organized.  When you organize a political party, you are taking decisions over people and when decisions are taken and they are not in the best interest of the people, a true and sincere national leadership should now the channel of addressing these issues rather than national legal adviser threatening to take the state chairman to court, a state where you came from. And that is why the issue of true federalism had to be considered than the restructuring that some people are talking about, it should start from the party because if I am a national officer of a party, if the state does certain things that I don’t like, not in tandem with my own personal proposal then I just rise up and use my national status to say a lot of things, is not right. I don’t see Banire position on this matter as the official position of the national leadership of the party. If I may ask; is there a petition from the state to the national body in respect of the process? And if the answer is yes, is it to the National Chairman and the National Working Committee of the party? Has a decision been taken on the matter? There are ways of handling things. I don’t think because he has said one thing or the other that is not in tandem with the chain of command of a political party, he is saying something very important, I don’t believe so. No matter how bad the primary election in Lagos was conducted, the leadership should sit down and examine how to correct the wrong. I don’t think it is the right thing for you to discredit your party for whatever reason because if you remove value from your party, you lose election and the major role of a political party is to provide the platform to win elections and be in charge of government. How do you reconcile what Banire said with the principle and major reason why we set up a political party? The major reason of forming a party is to win elections, run government and run a very credible and successful government. But when the entire structure of the party has been condemned, that they cannot manage the party or do things that are right, are you strengthening the faith of the electorate or are you telling them that it is dangerous organisation?

    Is there party discipline in the APC and what are the factors that will give victory to your party on July 22nd?

    Yes. There is no organisation that will not think of discipline to ensure a disciplined group or society. There is a mechanism for party discipline, I think what we are facing now is not just saying because something has been done wrongly let’s set up a disciplinary committee, no. But, the most important issue is what we should do to improve the image of the party. Luckily for us in Lagos State we have the foundation of government laid by Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu who was elected governor in 1999 that stood strong and his successors and subsequent governments have been improving on it. Mr. Babatunde  Raji Fashola did his own and the incumbent Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode is doing a wonderful job in the state. You can imagine we had rains for almost eight days and many of our roads turned bad but since I have been moving round I discovered that most of the roads that were bad are being repaired by officials of Lagos State Public Works Corporation who are working day and night.  Those are the kind of things that citizens will be happy to see and what the public would be happy to see, that government is rendering service to those we should.  They are meeting the needs of the people and meet their requirements and this kind of good work Governor Ambode is doing is strengthening the confidence of the electorate in the APC and I strongly believe the people will stay put in the party.

    What gives your party the confidence that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) will not defeat it in the council election like the case in Osun recently?

    The only thing Nigerians understand in politics today is a political party who will meet their needs and aspirations. As long as the APC continues to meet their needs and deliver good governance to the people based on the resources available to the government, the voters will stand by us. I am confident that the APC will sweep the election given the tremendous achievements of the administration of Governor Ambode so far. I want to assure you that Lagosians are happy with his sterling performance.

    You cannot use what happened elsewhere to determine what will happen in Lagos, Lagosians are very   articulate, who are not going to be taken for granted like what happened elsewhere, you know too well that I know Lagos and I know people of Lagos and I know what they can do and they strongly believe in APC. There will be no surprises in the forthcoming council election, I can assure you of that.

    What is your assessment of preparations by the Lagos State Independent Electoral Commission (LASIEC) for the poll?

    They are men and women of honour and they are tested people. They will give you a free, fair and transparent election and the result will be acceptable to all Lagosians. The process of conducting election will guarantees its outcome. It is a a straight process, the voter should go to polling unit, collect your ballot paper, thumbprint and drop it in the box. The votes will be counted and the result announced in the open by the officials and many observers will be there.

    What is your advice to voters?

    My advice is that already they have a very good government in the state and that is APC government under Mr. Ambode performing wonders in all aspects of human endeavours. They need council s that will support that government to replicate the good job the governor is doing across the 57 local governments and local council development areas. My appeal to Lagosians is that it is not a personal matter, it is a matter that concerns all of us which is the progress and development of the State of Excellence that should come before any other issue. They should go out on the 22nd of July and vote APC candidates to ensure continuity, continuous development in all areas including infrastructure, education, health and other sectors so that Lagos will remain a pacesetter and home to all Nigerians.

  • Ambode has revolutionalised governance in Lagos—Razak

    Ambode has revolutionalised governance in Lagos—Razak

    Chief Lanre Razak is a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Lagos East Senatorial district. In this interview with EMMANUEL OLADESU, he speaks on the Ambode administration in the last two years and preparation for the local government elections.

    How will you rate the Governor Akinwunmi Ambode administration in Lagos state so far?

    If Governor Ambode were to be a student in your class, what grade will you give  him? Distinction, I believe. He has performed wonderfully well and all that he requires is the support of everybody to continue this magical feat he is performing. You can imagine how many bridges, roads, lay bys that he has built in a short time to eliminate traffic bottlenecks in Lagos; save man hours making it possible for the transporters to be making quick turn around and this is a lot of achievement. There are certain things you may not consider serious in governance but the governor has introduced scientific approach in resolving hitherto traffic problems in Alapere, Oworoshoki and Third Mainland Bridge. All these he achieved in two years, a period that other people would have been settling down for real governance. He has also commissioned the two newly-built bridges in Ajah and Abule-Egba to help reduce travel time and boost economic activities within the corridors. He has been working round the clock to make Lagos globally competitive city-state, by improving connectivity in the state and providing permanent solutions to the challenge of ensuring a free-flow of traffic within the city. If you visit the Lekki axis now, the Jubilee Bridge has eliminated the traffic jam usually experienced in the area. We want to thank God for his life, we want to thank God for what the governor has done so far and  pray God will give him good health and wisdom to continue the good job in the next two years and beyond.

    Are there lessons that other governors can learn from Lagos state especially in revenue generation?

    Mr. Ambode is a financial wizard and the way he has been doing it and implementing people-oriented projects, I believe other governors have a lot to learn and borrow a leaf from him. From his achievements, it is difficult to tell that he is a financial expert, also a fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria, ICAN, or an engineer. If you move round the state there is no area of governance that he is not touching positively and making steady progress. I believe strongly that other state governors are watching and will like to emulate him. Take for example the LAKE Rice project, which is a joint venture between Lagos and Kebbi states to ensure there is food security in both states and reducing the cost of rice. That is why we don’t feel the pinch of the existing ban on importation of rice through the land borders seriously in Lagos state because of Ambode’s LAKE Rice.

    What are your reflections on Lagos at 50?

    In the past 50 years, Lagos state has been lucky to have men with good vision and commitment to run her affairs both military and civilian. Take for example the Alhaji Lateef Jakande administration started very well and recorded tremendous achievements for everyone to see even today decades after he left office. The next civilian government was led by Sir Michael Otedola now of blessed memory who was there for two years. Also, Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu came on board in May 1999, you can still see the wonders he performed. He laid the solid foundation upon which immediate past governor, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, SAN and the incumbent Mr. Ambode are excelling in governance. Recall that the annual budget of Lagos state increased by over 1000percent when Asiwaju Tinubu became governor. Then people especially taxpayers were worried that there would be additional tax burden on them but that didn’t happen. What he did was to plug existing loopholes and leakages in the revenue collection system and the money saved government made available for the provision of basic needs of the people. I know that Ambode is using that platform excellently because he was a civil servant then and working seriously on it. This year, we have N800billion budget for Lagos state which is the highest by any state government. When he unveiled the budget estimate, some people thought it was not possible to propose such a high figure but the governor has proved that it is indeed possible and achievable. Out of the amount, only 40percent of the targeted revenue is coming from the Federation Account while the remaining 60percent is being sourced from the internally generated revenue, IGR and the government is doing a wonderful job. What Tinubu did then I recall was to have a strong man to chair Lagos State Internal Revenue Service in person of Mr. Tunde Fowler who is now performing the same feat at the federal level as chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service. We in Lagos are lucky to have had Tinubu who introduced a sound and efficient financial mechanism to place Lagos at very high level financially and his successors have not disappointed but improved tremendously on his foundation.

    What are your expectations about the forthcoming local government elections in the state?

    Luckily, the APC will walk over every other political party because the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP is dead. They were voted to power but members of the party didn’t know how to manage their success and they destroyed everything and no serious politically minded person who saw what PDP did to this country between 1999 and 2015 will stand for PDP again. That is the problem, they will not stand for the party but I can assure you that the APC will record 100 percent victory during the council poll.

    What is the assurance that those who would be elected chairmen would complement the work of the governor at the grassroots level?

    I can assure you that those elected on the platform of the APC will queue behind to deliver democracy dividends to the people. All the chairmen and councilors coming on board are already seeing the wonderful achievements of Governor Ambode, they must emulate the governor and provide quality leadership and good governance in their respective local governments and local council development areas. And the governor has provided a mechanism to ensure delivery of  quality governance and be rest assured that all our chairmen and councilors will definitely perform excellently.

  • How to win anti-graft war, by Razak

    How to win anti-graft war, by Razak

    Chief Lanre Razak is a former Commissioner for Transport in Lagos State and a chieftain of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC). He spoke with reporters on the Federal Government’s anti-graft war, the whistle blowing policy and other issues. Excerpts:

    What is your view about the Federal Government’s whistle-blowing policy?
    It is a policy based on very reasonable and sound decision, which will continue to yield dividend. I am happy it is yielding bumper dividend. Take the level of poverty that most Nigerians are going through today and one of our former public officials like a former Group Managing Director, GMD of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Mr. Andrew Yakubu, could put some $9.7 million cash in a cage somewhere and a total whopping US$151 million and N8 billion have been recovered in less than two months by the Federal Government. And the recovery is part of the money the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN has been saying is circulating in the economy and will be mopping the currency, thereby making us poorer than what we are, whereas that money was locked up somewhere. It is a serious offence that should attract maximum sanction. What do they need such volume of money for? They have forgotten that, whether they like it or not, all of them are going to pass away and they don’t need that kind of money. If they leave it for their children, they will destroy themselves with the money, may be they don’t know. I want to thank President Muhammadu Buhari for taking the tough decision and I want to salute his courage and the administration for pursuing that programme. Nigerians should embrace this policy and sincerely I believe that it will save Nigeria from a lot of financial hardship
    But, some people have argued that the country needed a law to protect the whistle blower. Do you support such view?
    The proposed law they are advocating how far can it go? May be you are asking the officers and men of the Nigeria Police Force to change their mind about giving protection to lives and property of citizens. Are there no legislations that the first responsibility of any government in the country is the safety of lives and property of citizens? Is that not sufficient? What type of new law are they advocating? The preamble to the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as amended is very clear about this. Nigerians must change their attitude. As long as we praise sing those with ill-gotten money, people we don’t know the source of their wealth Nigeria is in deep trouble. We’ve lost our core values and that is where we should go back to. It is not issue of new legislation alone. Is there no provision in the constitution that protects lives and property, most especially somebody who has saved Nigeria by giving vital information that made it possible to recover looted fund? If they want a new legislation for the policy to work better, so be it. but, I know that there is a legislation already that government should protect lives and property. The ministry of justice should insulate those who are useful to them in the process of whistle blowing. And it is the same government that can expose them so that their lives will be in jeopardy and I am totally against that. As long as they don’t do that, I think it is better.
    On change in values, do you think the religious bodies and the governments are doing enough for Nigerians to recover our lost core values like fear of God, honesty, hard work and others?
    They are not. Take it that, if you steal money today and you take it to the church, the members will clap for you. Automatically, you become a big man in the church. Also, if you steal money and you take it to the mosque, you will be given a chieftaincy title in the mosque. Besides, not all tiers of government have fully embraced the anti-graft war, but perhaps President Buhari’s whistle blowing policy coupled with the efforts of the EFCC and the ICPC against corruption will eliminate such worship of money. Nigerians may also begin to learn some lessons from those who steal public funds. forfeit such loot to government and become poor again. Severe sanctions by government should also serve as a deterrent to those who want to commit evil. That is the only way out.
    Should the Senate confirm the appointment of Ibrahim Magu as Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), in spite of the corruption allegation levelled against him?
    Magu has done a lot of work fighting corruption in the country. And probably some people think they want to bring him down for doing his job well because I have not seen sufficient evidence or information beyond reasonable doubt to convince me that Magu is corrupt. And Mr. President had said it severally that ‘let me see those things that you are saying in clear terms and not going behind the door that somebody wrote a report like the Department of State Services (DSS) did’. Let the report be made public, throw it to the public domain and let the people make informed decision. Those who are afraid of Magu and don’t want him to deal with them may want to take advantage of the DSS report that purportedly indicted Magu. If you consider the worth of what Magu has done on corruption within a short time, it will be wrong to sack him just like that and it will discourage those who are committed and want to serve the Federal Government sincerely and honestly. I don’t see anything wrong with the Senate confirmation of Magu because he is doing a good job. I am appealing to the Senate to confirm his appointment as chairman of the EFCC and encourage him to do the job as his ability permits.
    Governor Akinwunmi Ambode of Lagos State has hinted of his administration’s intention to deliver 3000 megawatts of electricity in seven years. Is this achievable considering that power is still in the exclusive list in the constitution which is a responsibility of the Federal Government?
    I believe he can do it because of the love that Governor Ambode has for the people of Lagos, his love for humanity and desire to deliver good dividends of democracy to the people which I consider to be his driving spirit. But Nigerians are wonderful people. Former Governor Asiwaju Bola Tinubu had brought in ENRON during his tenure to generate and boost electricity supply to Lagosians. The company was generating power, but how did it end up? Those who didn’t want this to happen destroyed it. What the National Assembly members should do as true representatives of the people is to remove electricity from the exclusive legislative list and put it in the concurrent list so that each state can go ahead to generate and distribute power to her citizens. Lagos is a very key and strategic state in Nigeria and we should be allowed to generate and distribute power.