Lagos Stakeholders Say Sanwo-Olu Deserves Second Term

Lagosians have been charged to see that the democratic gains recorded under Governor Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu in the last four years are sustained as they all go out to vote in the governorship election on Saturday.

The call was made by some stakeholders from different works of life at a forum in the state capital during the weekend.

They also commended the governor for the role he played during the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020 by leading from the front as the incident commander.

The stakeholders include artisans, professionals, business owners and political activities.

According to them, since his assumption of office in May 2019, Sanwo-Olu has sustained the progressive development in the state through his administration’s THEMES agenda.

THEMES, the agenda for Greater Lagos, represents the six-pillar development plan of the Sanwo-Olu administration. It stands for Traffic Management and Transportation; Health and Environment; Education and Technology; Making Lagos a 21st Century Economy; Entertainment and Tourism; and Security and Governance.

They admonished the electorate not to be irrational when making a choice in the governorship election as the Blue line rail project, which was commissioned recently by President Muhammadu Buhari, and the Red line rail project, which is almost completed, are part of the signature projects executed by the Governor.

The spokesman of the Association of Kwara Traders in Lagos, Alhaji Saliu Orilowo said that his members have enjoyed the facilities provided by the Sanwo-Olu administration and are in support of the governor for a second term in office. He said that Lagos State is too important in Nigeria’s development for it to be ruled by an inexperienced person.

An educationist at the forum, Mr Festus Oyalowo said that he scored the Sanwo-Olu administration high in education development. “Governor Sanwo-Olu has built and remodeled over 1,000 primary and secondary schools in the last four years. Who else can beat this record”. Oyalowo asked.

Indeed, Sanwo-Olu’s administration achieved this feat through the inauguration of a special committee on rehabilitation of public schools, while it has consistently increased the sector’s budget to over 10 percent.

The CEO of Cornerstone Properties Limited, Mr Okoye Anyaso, who also attended the forum, said that Sanwo-Olu has created a peaceful and harmonious atmosphere for businesses to thrive and for the different tribes to feel at home.

“Lagos remains the greatest city in Nigeria and one of the largest economies in West Africa. Despite sitting on only one percent of Nigeria’s landmass – a third of that being water – it houses 10 percent of Nigeria’s population,” Anyaso said, adding: “We should all remember that we are Nigerians, as well as Lagosians. We must continue to come together and keep the peace”.

Meanwhile, the former governor of Ekiti State, Mr AyodeleFayose has also endorsed Sanwo-Olu for a second term in office. A resident of Lagos, who only recently said he was quitting politics after being in the opposition party for years, Fayose said that he believes strongly that Sanwo-Olu, the candidate of the All Progressives Congress in the March 11 gubernatorial election, should be re-elected to continue the good works of his administration.

“Lagos business is a serious business. There are lots of challenges in Lagos. So, I enjoin everybody in Lagos to return to Sanwo-Olu.”