Opinion: Clarion callto Lagosians to return Sanwo-Olu back to office, By Kola Amzat
Governance at all levels is a very serious business. Indeed, governance is a sensitive enterprise that people shouldn’t aspire to be involved, if their leadership capacity and effectiveness is suspect.
It’s a one human endeavor that requires everything from those who are aspiring to be involved-resourcefulness, hard-work, probity & accountability, decisiveness, steadfastness, emotional and psychologically stability and of course, being trusted & tested.
It becomes more difficult and very demanding if a whole nation is involved or a state, with so much at stake like Lagos state.
Lagos is the former Federal Capital of Nigeria. The state is presently the 4th largest economy in the Sub-Saharan of African, a feat achieved on account of the functional, potent, resourceful and enduring BLUE PRINT of economic and infrastructural development bequeathed on the state by Asiwaju Tinubu, the President-Elect, while he’s exiting Lagos as governor.
Even though, FCT Abuja is the nation’s Administrative Capital, Lagos remains the commercial capital and nerve center of the country. Everything is in Lagos-The Nigerian Treasure, Ports, Industrial & Manufacturing Hubs, The best of Nigerian People, The Nation Logistics, The Financial Institutions, The Nigerian Stock Exchange, Everything about Dangote, Otedola, Adenuga, Elumelu, and BUA are here in Lagos.
Lagos conveniently connects the whole Nigeria with the entire globe. When the foreigners get to Lagos, they assume it’s a representation of the entire country. All the embassies and foreign missions are here. The best hospitality in the country-Eko Hotel & Suites is in Lagos.
Except revenues accruing to the FAAC Accounts from Oil & Gas, other revenue from economic activities and Tax related activities like VAT, Excise Duty, WHT etc accruing to the Federation Accounts from Lagos state have remained the largest in the past 20 years.
It’s therefore imperative and germane that Nigerians, both at home and in Diaspora must continually pray for stability, as well as continuity of governance in Lagos state. This is the only path to the continual prosperity and general wellbeing of the state.
Instructively, the legacy of continuity in governance encapsulated in the Blue-Print bequeathed to the state by Tinubu remains the best gift ever, by any leader living or dead.
It’s the same legacy that some uninformed and disgruntled leaders of opposition groups have sworn to tear into pieces. It’s the same legacy of stability in governance that they are running helter skelter to extinct. It’s the same blue-print they are busying holding nocturnal meetings to draw curtains on.
How do they want to achieve this? By imposing exuberant, uninformed, political neophytes, embryonic, ZERO precedent and antecedent in governance candidates on thestate with a view to reverse and bastardize the fortunes and glory of the state, and commence regime of looting of the State’s Treasury and resources, which may be unprecedented in the history of this country.
For the avoidance of doubt, this writer is not making saint out of the leaders who have bestrode the governance landscape of the state in the last 20 years. We are not submitting that they’re set of perfect leaders. But, they’ve remarkably done well. They’ve labored and displayed altruism to protect and safeguard the Treasure of the state.
For emphasis, they emerged from leadership crucible and functional tutelage in order to be at the helm of affairs of the state.
Babatunde Raji Fashola was Chief of Staff for 4 solid years, involving in high-tech political and leadership meetings before he assumed the office as governor. Akin Ambode was Permanent Secretary and Accountant General of State, while also operating in the heart of revenue generation of the state for years. Of course, the incumbent governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu has been in the mainstream and heart of governance in the state for about 20 years.
He was Special Adviser to an ex-Deputy Governor. He was acting Commissioner in the Ministry of Commerce for years before he was moved in a substantive capacity to the Ministry of Establishments, Training and Pensions as Commissioner. He also got involved as MD/CEO of Lagos State Property Development Corporation (LSPDC).
That’s the reasons why he’s seamlessly fits into the office of the governor. That accounts for his unusual maturity, emotional and psychological stability in governance. That’s the more reason why he’s been able to key into that awesome Blue-Print of developments, and in the process continuing the implementation of the execution of those gigantic and eye-popping projects across the state.
That’s why he’s in good stead to further fostering the executive/legislative relationship, a key factor for success in democratic governance. That’s why he’s been able to paddle the affairs of the state with some relative measure of success in the last 4 years. That’s why he’s been able to optimally deploy the civil service as engine room of governance.
That’s the reason why he’s been to strike a balance and equilibrium between governance and politicking, by managing diverse interests of political leaders across the state.
Its same resourceful and tested & trusted governor that the opposition leaders are comparing with the one they called JANDOR and Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivor, the duo who ought to have been contesting for councillorship in the Local Government Councils in a decent clime. These are political neophytes who are very anonymous and largely unknown in the state’s political sphere. Both of them have never been known to involve in any governance activities at any level in the state.
These are the “political boys” the likes of Ayo Adebanjo, Bode George, Wale Oluwo and other disgruntled and frustrated leaders of opposition parties are clamoring for, and running helter skelter to foist on the state as governors comes Saturday, March 18, 2023. What a people! What a selfish plan!
This piece is therefore a clarion call to the good people of the state of the need for them to be circumspect, cautious and be very thoughtful of what becomes of the glory, prosperity, growth & development, as well as excellence status of the state if the state is handed over to group of locusts, cankerworms and palmerworms?.
So, it’s incumbent on all Lagosians to move into their respective polling booths in thousands with a view to casting their votes in the forthcoming gubernatorial elections for Babajide Sanwo-Olu, who has displayed capacity, resourcefulness, firmness, as well as held the state together in the last 4 years.
It’s also important for the state electorates to use their votes to politically extinct permanently all those who don’t wish the state well. That’s the only path to go.
It’s imperative to use our votes to return APC candidate to office thereby ensuring that the President-Elect has a solid home front that he could continue to refer as his political fortress and home. This is the only way to reward and compensate the Iconic politician for his years of selflessness and for so much he has done for the state and its people.
Kola Amzat (FCA,FCIB)
LAGOS BASED FINANCIAL CONSULTANT,
09077509348
