‘Lagos Now Competing With African Countries In Growth Indices’

Indications have emerged that Lagos State is now competing with countries in Africa and not states in Nigeria in its quest for growth and development and making life more comfortable for its residents.

This was disclosed yesterday by the special adviser to the Lagos State governor on media and publicity, Mr. Gboyega Akosile, during a live interview on the Breakfast Xtra programme on News Central Television.

Akosile said that due to the remarkable achievements of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s administration in many sectors in line with the THEMES+ developmental agenda, Lagos is now being compared with countries like Ethiopia, Morocco, South Africa and others by many people in the areas of infrastructural development, social contract with the citizens and other dividends of democracy.

Dwelling on Governor Sanwo-Olu’s government, Akosile said the administration has delivered laudable infrastructural projects and dividends of democracy to improve the standard of living of millions of Lagos residents in the last five years.

Akosile said the administration has records of key achievements in traffic management and transportation, health and environment, education and technology, making Lagos a 21st Century economy, entertainment and tourism, security and governance, and ensuring inclusion in government, which are integral parts of the Babajide Sanwo-Olu administration’s THEMES+ developmental agenda.

He said, “Everything he (Governor Sanwo-Olu) has done is key and paramount to the living standard of Lagosians. All the areas that we have touched on in the last five years are key. Do you remember what COVID did to us in the world? Do you want to talk about how Mr. Governor tackled COVID head-on? How he rescued Nigeria and not just Lagos. In fact, he helped some neighbouring countries around us, like Ghana, Benin, and the rest of them, curtailed the spread of COVID-19 in the region. That is a monumental and huge achievement that shot us up in the global rankings.

“With other health initiatives of the Governor and the current administration, Lagos State occupies an enviable space within the African rankings of the 10 best health facilities in Africa. What that tells us is that we are not competing with states in Nigeria; we are competing with countries in Africa.’’