The reality on ground in Lagos State right now is that politicians contesting the 2023 governorship election in the state are having sleepless nights, deploying various political gimmicks to realise their dreams.
They are not leaving any stone unturned in their bids to govern the nation’s economic entre. Be that as it may , the incumbent Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) is also unrelenting in drumming it to the ear of the other contenders jostling for his job that the number one position will not be vacant till 2027.
As other frontline contenders like Mr. Olajide Adediran of the Peoples Democratic Party, (PDP) and Mr. Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour work strenuously to unseat Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, critical stakeholders in the state have said one good turn deserves another.
According to them, the governor has offered exemplary leadership in the state in a moment of global crisis, which stands him out as the best man for the job. He has not only restored confidence in Lagos public schools , Governor Sanwo-Olu has impacted the lives of so many residents of the state, eradicating poverty through social economic programmes.
Leveraging on his THEMES agenda, his administration has left indelible marks in the transportation, education, housing , health sectors and youths empowerment within a period of four years.
Harping on why the governor should be reelected, the state’s Commissioner for Information and strategy, Mr. Gbenga Omotoso has said, the position of Lagos State governorship is not for the inexperienced persons.
Omotoso urged Lagosians not to trust the destiny of Lagos to people who cannot handle the pressures or do not have what it takes to take Lagos State to the next level.
He said, ‘Mr.Babajide Sanwo-Olu is running on his record. Of all of the people who are running, it is a very simple thing. You should ask them what they have done before. Based on that, you begin to weigh them and see the person who is the best. Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has done a lot in Lagos State.
‘’In terms of Infrastructure, in the past four years that Governor Sanwo-Olu has run Lagos State perfectly, he has done a lot, if you talk about roads for example, he has done about 970 roads and counting. In terms of education, he has completed about 1047 education projects. If you talk about health, everybody has seen what he did during the COVID 19 pandemic. He did a lot to ensure that Lagos didn’t go down with that pandemic, so much so that what Lagos State government under the leadership of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu now became a global example of how to fight such pandemic.
‘‘I believe that if you look at all of these things, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu is the most competent person to lead Lagos State at this time. Lagos is the pride of Nigeria. It is the black man’s pride, it is the smallest state in Nigeria and despite that it is one of the states with the highest number of people in it. Lagos is said to have about 25 million people on a limited space of land surrounded by water. For anyone to adequately provide infrastructure for this large number of people is not an easy task.
‘‘In terms of experience and performance, in terms of knowledge and diligence at work, I think Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu is the most experienced and most qualified for the job and he remains the best person for the job.’’
For the ex-Speaker of the state, Rt. Hon. Adeyemi Ikuforiji, Sanwo-Olu has consistently focused on bringing governance closer to Lagosians.
‘’He has done enough in the last three and a half years to engender socio-economic development in Lagos. Lagosians can only appreciate what he has done by voting him in for a second term this weekend.
“Apart from being a hardworking public official, the Governor has demonstrated in many ways that he is a servant of the people.
“We should focus on the numerous projects that he has successfully completed across the state. A good example is the Blue Rail project that he has been working on as well as the complete transformation of the health and agricultural sectors. Our schools in Lagos State have also been positively transformed by the governor. No part of the state has been left behind by Sanwo-Olu.
“So, I think by these achievements, it’s only appropriate for us to queue behind him so that he can continue his good work.”
For the former Governor of Ogun State, Chief Olusegun Osoba, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu should be reelected in the forthcoming gubernatorial poll, saying the Governor has done so well and deserved to be re-elected.
He said Governor Sanwo-Olu has done so much in Lagos State and based on his performance he deserved to be voted for en-masse on Saturday.
Osoba, who expressed his displeasure over the voting pattern against APC in Lagos State, especially at Ikoyi, Eti-Osa local government area during the last presidential elections, urged Lagos residents to redeem themselves by voting for a performing government, saying “Lagos has given so much to all of us, let us pay back by showing gratitude to a Governor (Sanwo-Olu) who I believe has done his best.”
In the same vein, the Convener of Pro-Nigeria Group, Mr. Lai Omotola also stressed the need for efficient leadership in Lagos State, saying the state as the nation’s economic hub and major African financial centre plays pivotal roles in Nigeria’s economy.
Omotola argued that Lagos as the backbone of Nigeria’s economy can only be governed by tested technocrats and not those who would want to use the state to experiment their administrative acumen.
According to him, ‘’There is the need to save Lagos from wicked conspiracy theories prepared and attacked at the giant strides of development in Lagos.
He said, ‘’Since 1999 when we commenced our democratic journey we have had four Governors elected to lead us. From Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu to Barrister Raji Fashola and Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode and presently Mr. Babajide Sanwoolu. From one election cycle to another position to the seat of Governor has been competitive and on all occasions the progressives have always come out victorious.
‘’In the recently concluded Presidential Elections the result did not turn out as expected and a careful study of the indices have shown mistakes on our part and those mistakes will be corrected.’’
Omotola who is also the managing director, CFL Group said now that the gubernatorial and state assembly elections are coming up the electorate in the state must ensure that they vote in the best candidate, saying the candidate of the APC Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu has demonstrated capacity.
He said, ‘’We have realised concerted efforts by mischief makers to derail the development path of Lagos state. They have provided minnows as alternatives to progressive government.
‘’They are asking for a change of government not rooted in any genuine facts. For the avoidance of doubts under the leadership of Mr. Babajide Sanwwoolu Lagos is working and is working very well. There is no state in Nigeria that can beat Lagos in all areas of developmental indices.
‘’Lagos is where entrepreneurs thrive, where entertainment has been shot to the global state. This is Lagos with the capacity to carry your dreams no matter how big there is space for everyone. The London and Dubai of Nigeria come and see the wonders of Lagos in our towers to iconic infrastructure. Lagos leads on all indices.
‘’The reason for this success is because the leadership had grown organically which means every government has been an insider and has been part of the developmental blueprint never have we elected an outsider.,
“Therefore if anyone is to lead this Centre of Excellence we should interrogate the person’s experience and expertise in both public and private service. What have you been able to do for yourself and state? What is the balance sheet of the company you have led. What projects have you executed that we can see? Has your competence and capacity been tested?
He added that in terms development, there are no abandoned projects in Lagos
The former Ogun State governor also appealed to Lagos residents, especially youths, Ndigbo in the state and religious leaders not to allow ethnicity and religion be a dividing factor in the forthcoming governorship election in Lagos State.
He said: “In Lagos, it hurts me and it gives me sleepless nights when educated people and others voted against APC in Ikoyi for example. Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has done so well in Ikoyi. Ikoyi was totally run down; it was almost becoming a slum. And when Sanwo-Olu came in, he did so much renewal in Ikoyi. He has done a lot to fix Glover Road and McPherson Avenue with heavy drainage to address the flooding. He has also worked on Lateef Jakande, McDonald all the way down to Cooper Road, Alexander and Queen Drive.
“He (Governor Sanwo-Olu) has done so much renewal and yet some of us elites whose property value had gone almost 50 percent voted blindly. I thought we would vote according to performance. Anywhere in the world, you assess a government and vote based on performance. I hope they will redeem their image. How can the Ikoyi voting pattern be against a government that performed?
“They voted against APC. What is their reason? Tunji Bello used to tell me about the efforts they always make to pump water every flooding period to save us from heavy flooding. So, it devises all reasonable logic the way people; educated people voted in Ikoyi for example, where I lived.”
Osoba, who governed Ogun State during the aborted Third Republic and was also elected as the first Ogun State governor in the present Fourth Republic, appealed to all Lagos residents, especially the youths to vote for Governor Sanwo-Olu and APC candidates in the March 11 governorship and House of Assembly elections.
“Why should anybody be looking for a change in Lagos? I have spoken about the assessment and performance of Sanwo-Olu in Ikoyi where I live. This is not hearsay. The monorail that Jakande started was canceled over 40 years ago, he has restored it with the Blue line rail. I can go on and on giving you examples of his performance.
“I went to campaign in Agbado on Friday and when coming back, I googled my way to my house and all throughout Agege and neighbouring areas between Ogun State and Lagos were all dualised. How do you say a man like that should not continue?
“I will urge our people, especially the youths not to make the same mistake that they made in Eti-Osa where they voted blindly out of frustration, which I appreciate. And the President-Elect, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, told them he will address their frustration.
“I appeal to my Igbo brothers and sisters, don’t let us make this an ethnic issue. Anywhere in the world where ethnicity has become an issue, it becomes destructive. I will plead that the youth, our religious people, and our Igbo brothers and sisters in Lagos should think of the past. Nnamdi Azikwe, the father figure of Igbo land, started and all his political life was in Lagos. The first Igbo lawyer, Sir Louis Mbanefo went to Methodist Boys High School and King’s College; he had his education in Lagos.
“We have been working together. Let us sustain the relationship. Lagos is the most liberal state in this country. Lagos has given so much to all of us, let us pay back by showing gratitude to a Governor who I believe has done his best,” Osoba appealed.
He said there is the need to save Lagos from wicked conspiracy theories prepared and attacked at the giant strides development in Lagos.
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