Will Lagos State continue on the
path of progress charted by Ashiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu when he assumed
office as governor at the inception of democratic rule in 1999 and the
development sustained by his successor, Mr Babatunde Raji Fashola?
This was the pertinent question after Mr Akinwunmi Ambode emerged as the candidate of the All Progressives Congress late last year and ultimately coasted to victory in the April 11 polls.
Whereas many Lagosians were cautiously optimistic that the pace of development in Lagos would continue under the Ambode regime as we had it under the two previous administrations, two schools of thought left no one in doubt that Lagos growth in the new dispensation could surpass the pace of the Tinubu and Fashola administrations. The first school pointed to the governor’s track record in public service which saw him rising to the peak of his career and the passion for the state which he demonstrated at various times, as evidence that Lagos was in for a good time under the new government.
The second school said Tinubu and Oba Rilwanu Akiolu of Lagos who backed the election of the governor against all odds could not have been mistaken in their decision that Ambode has all it takes to take the state to greater heights. Meanwhile, everybody agreed that the governor’s predecessors – Tinubu and Fashola – had set a benchmark that succeeding chief helmsmen in the state cannot afford to go below if they are unable to surpass it. Five months after assuming office, the preponderance of opinions across Lagos suggests that the governor has not disappointed. Even the most critical observers are moderating their views to align with the claim that the Lagos Dream, as fashioned out by progressive politicians, is on course in virtually all facets of life.
“The slogan by the Ambode administration that it is for the progress
of Lagos (Ilosiwaju Eko) is afterall no fluke, going by the giant
strides that we have seen in five months,” Clifford Amata, a resident
of Ijegun-Ikotun, impressed by the continuation of the road projects
left behind by the Fashola administration, said. The roads include the
multi-billion Naira Ijegun-Jakande Estate, Isolo Road and Ipaja-Ayobo
Road, both in Alimosho LGA. The continuation of the road projects and
the fast pace to ensure completion in record time has given rise to
excitement in the two areas of the state after the non-completion by the
immediate past administration constituted bottlenecks that impeded free
flow of traffic. The two projects are in addition to the Okota-Ikotun
Road being fixed to ease traffic congestion in the Cele-Express-Iyana
Ejigbo-Egbe-Ikotun axis. Meanwhile, the governor’s spokesman, Mr Habib
Haruna, has quoted his principal as promising to commence the
reconstruction of two roads in the 20 LGAs and 37 local Council
Development Area (LCDAs) in the state at a cost of N19 billion. The 114
road projects will be done in collaboration with the LGAs and LCDAs.
“We expect you to create jobs in your communities and get our people employed on these projects”, Ambode told Executive Secretaries of the 57 councils during a meeting. At the parley, he expressed his commitment to the people of Lagos this way: “This is a government of continuity with improvement. As such, our people must feel that improvement. They must experience that improvement. They can only feel it if you are dedicated to serve them. As we work on the ways to improve the lives of our people, I charge you all to get involved in your communities. You must live within your community and accessible to the people.” It is not only in the road sector that Ambode in five months has impacted on the lives of the people. A story is told of how the governor outlawed arrest of motorists by the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) after the seizure of a truck bearing food produce for days and the content went rotten. An angry Ambode flew from Abuja and went directly to the LASTMA yard after being informed of the issue among other excesses exhibited by the traffic control agency against motorists in Lagos. Now the pace of the ‘Lagos Dream’, as envisaged by the governor, promises to accelerate following the inauguration of the Lagos 37-member cabinet made up of 23 Commissioners and 14 Special Advisers. “The cabinet is solid.
It is made up tested hands. The Ambode men have all it takes to move Lagos to the next level,”Aruna, the governor’s spokesman, boasted immediately after the State Executive Council was sworn-in on Monday. May analysts agree with the position of the Chief Press Secretary to the Lagos governor.
“The inclusion of six of those who served under the two previous administrations will means the men will bring their experience to bear on positive governance in Lagos and complemented by the new men appointed on merit and professionalism. This has the potential of ultimately moving the state beyond the pace we saw under the former administrations,”Dele Ogunruku, a policy affairs analyst, said.
Another Lagos resident, Frank Nosa, echoed similar sentiment. He said: “Looking at the cabinet, Ambode has made good his promise to inject new blood into governance based on merit and professionalism. The cabinet is composed of technocrats, strategists and politicians”.
At the swearing-in, the governor acknowledged that Lagos is on the brink of greatness, saying the cabinet members have “all been given this platform to write your names in gold.”Ambode further told them: “You must work to leave a legacy that will be spoken of in glowing terms in years to come.”
The six returning members of the Lagos cabinet are as follows: Gbolahan Lawal, who held the Agriculture portfolio, as Commissioner; Jide Idris (Health); Folarin Coker, Special Adviser, Central Business District; Seye Oladejo, Special Adviser, Commerce and Industry; Ganiyu Johnson, Special Adviser, Works and Infrastructure; and Babatunde Hunpe, Special Adviser, Rural Development. In the new dispensation, Lawal takes charge as Housing Commissioner; Idris, Health Commissioner; Coker, Tourism, Arts and Culture Commissioner; Oladejo, Special Duties and Intergovernmental Relations Commissioner; and Johnson, Works and Infrastructure Commissioner. The new faces in the cabinet include Oluwatoyin Suarau, Agriculture Commissioner; Rotimi Ogunleye, Commerce, Industry and Cooperatives Commissioner; Akinyemi Asade, Economic Planning and Budget Commissioner; Babatunde Adejare, Environment Commissioner; Olawale Oluwo, Energy and Mineral Resources Commissioner; Benson Akintola, Establishment, Training and Pensions Commissioner; Mustapha Akinkumi, Finance Commissioner. Other commissioners are Abdul-Hakeem Abdul-Lateef (Home Affairs), Steve Ayorinde (Information and Strategy), Adeniji Kazeem (Justice), Musiliu Folami (Local Government and Community Affairs, Wasiu Anifowoshe (Physical Planning and Urban Development), Olufemi Odubiyi (Science and Technology), Ekundayo Mobereola (Transportation), Adebowale Akinsanya (Waterfront Infrastructure Development, Babatunde Durosinmi-Etti, Wealth Creation and Employment, Lola Akande (Woman Affairs and Poverty Alleviation), and Uzamat Akinbile-Yusuf (Youth and Social Development). The
Deputy Governor Dr. Idiat Oluranti Adebule takes charge at the Education Ministry.
The cabinet members are stars in their respective fields. But the credentials of some of them, already in the public domain, are too important to ignore. The returnee – cabinet members are bound to add value to governance with their wealth of experience secured under former administrations.
For instance, Lagosians expect a pace in road rehabilitation and reconstruction that goes beyond the milestones recorded by the Fashola administration. Ganiyu Johnson comes handy in this direction. Being a renown engineer who has seen it all as SA, Works and Infrastructure in the immediate past administration, Johnson is not new to his portfolio.
As Commissioner for Works and Infrastructure, he will only be building on the giant strides recorded by the administration under which he worked. And the dream of Lagosians for good roads and only be better for it. Expectations are equally high that the Ambode targets in the health sector will be met with Jide Idris being at the helm of affairs. Idris, having served in the past administration as Health Commissioner, brought innovation into the health sector. It was during his time that LASAMBUS, a novel initiative that responds to emergencies, in record time, came into being.
He is an old hand and asset capable of driving the health sector into greater heights. Although a new comer in the cabinet, Mobereola, as Transportation Commissioner, has seen it all in the transport sector. As the man at the driving seat at the Lagos Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LAMATA), he was involved in the many landmark transport projects going on across the state. LAMATA, under him, spearheaded the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project that moves thousands of commuters across Lagos communities daily, among others. Mobereola will definitely do more to carve his name in gold in the transport sector. There is obviously a funding challenge for governments across the nation owing to the parlous state of the economy arising from the drop in oil revenue, and Lagos is no exception. The governor is not new to paucity of funds. As Accountant General, Ambode was said to have been at the forefront of the efforts that saw Lagos surviving when the Obasanjo administration withheld funds due to the state from the Federation Account at the time of the impasse over LCDAs creation. He is sure to use that experience to innovate funding sources for his programmes. The situation gives assurance that the ‘Lagos Dream’, with Ambode as chief driver, is on course.
This was the pertinent question after Mr Akinwunmi Ambode emerged as the candidate of the All Progressives Congress late last year and ultimately coasted to victory in the April 11 polls.
Whereas many Lagosians were cautiously optimistic that the pace of development in Lagos would continue under the Ambode regime as we had it under the two previous administrations, two schools of thought left no one in doubt that Lagos growth in the new dispensation could surpass the pace of the Tinubu and Fashola administrations. The first school pointed to the governor’s track record in public service which saw him rising to the peak of his career and the passion for the state which he demonstrated at various times, as evidence that Lagos was in for a good time under the new government.
The second school said Tinubu and Oba Rilwanu Akiolu of Lagos who backed the election of the governor against all odds could not have been mistaken in their decision that Ambode has all it takes to take the state to greater heights. Meanwhile, everybody agreed that the governor’s predecessors – Tinubu and Fashola – had set a benchmark that succeeding chief helmsmen in the state cannot afford to go below if they are unable to surpass it. Five months after assuming office, the preponderance of opinions across Lagos suggests that the governor has not disappointed. Even the most critical observers are moderating their views to align with the claim that the Lagos Dream, as fashioned out by progressive politicians, is on course in virtually all facets of life.
Gov. Ambode
“We expect you to create jobs in your communities and get our people employed on these projects”, Ambode told Executive Secretaries of the 57 councils during a meeting. At the parley, he expressed his commitment to the people of Lagos this way: “This is a government of continuity with improvement. As such, our people must feel that improvement. They must experience that improvement. They can only feel it if you are dedicated to serve them. As we work on the ways to improve the lives of our people, I charge you all to get involved in your communities. You must live within your community and accessible to the people.” It is not only in the road sector that Ambode in five months has impacted on the lives of the people. A story is told of how the governor outlawed arrest of motorists by the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) after the seizure of a truck bearing food produce for days and the content went rotten. An angry Ambode flew from Abuja and went directly to the LASTMA yard after being informed of the issue among other excesses exhibited by the traffic control agency against motorists in Lagos. Now the pace of the ‘Lagos Dream’, as envisaged by the governor, promises to accelerate following the inauguration of the Lagos 37-member cabinet made up of 23 Commissioners and 14 Special Advisers. “The cabinet is solid.
It is made up tested hands. The Ambode men have all it takes to move Lagos to the next level,”Aruna, the governor’s spokesman, boasted immediately after the State Executive Council was sworn-in on Monday. May analysts agree with the position of the Chief Press Secretary to the Lagos governor.
“The inclusion of six of those who served under the two previous administrations will means the men will bring their experience to bear on positive governance in Lagos and complemented by the new men appointed on merit and professionalism. This has the potential of ultimately moving the state beyond the pace we saw under the former administrations,”Dele Ogunruku, a policy affairs analyst, said.
Another Lagos resident, Frank Nosa, echoed similar sentiment. He said: “Looking at the cabinet, Ambode has made good his promise to inject new blood into governance based on merit and professionalism. The cabinet is composed of technocrats, strategists and politicians”.
At the swearing-in, the governor acknowledged that Lagos is on the brink of greatness, saying the cabinet members have “all been given this platform to write your names in gold.”Ambode further told them: “You must work to leave a legacy that will be spoken of in glowing terms in years to come.”
The six returning members of the Lagos cabinet are as follows: Gbolahan Lawal, who held the Agriculture portfolio, as Commissioner; Jide Idris (Health); Folarin Coker, Special Adviser, Central Business District; Seye Oladejo, Special Adviser, Commerce and Industry; Ganiyu Johnson, Special Adviser, Works and Infrastructure; and Babatunde Hunpe, Special Adviser, Rural Development. In the new dispensation, Lawal takes charge as Housing Commissioner; Idris, Health Commissioner; Coker, Tourism, Arts and Culture Commissioner; Oladejo, Special Duties and Intergovernmental Relations Commissioner; and Johnson, Works and Infrastructure Commissioner. The new faces in the cabinet include Oluwatoyin Suarau, Agriculture Commissioner; Rotimi Ogunleye, Commerce, Industry and Cooperatives Commissioner; Akinyemi Asade, Economic Planning and Budget Commissioner; Babatunde Adejare, Environment Commissioner; Olawale Oluwo, Energy and Mineral Resources Commissioner; Benson Akintola, Establishment, Training and Pensions Commissioner; Mustapha Akinkumi, Finance Commissioner. Other commissioners are Abdul-Hakeem Abdul-Lateef (Home Affairs), Steve Ayorinde (Information and Strategy), Adeniji Kazeem (Justice), Musiliu Folami (Local Government and Community Affairs, Wasiu Anifowoshe (Physical Planning and Urban Development), Olufemi Odubiyi (Science and Technology), Ekundayo Mobereola (Transportation), Adebowale Akinsanya (Waterfront Infrastructure Development, Babatunde Durosinmi-Etti, Wealth Creation and Employment, Lola Akande (Woman Affairs and Poverty Alleviation), and Uzamat Akinbile-Yusuf (Youth and Social Development). The
Deputy Governor Dr. Idiat Oluranti Adebule takes charge at the Education Ministry.
The cabinet members are stars in their respective fields. But the credentials of some of them, already in the public domain, are too important to ignore. The returnee – cabinet members are bound to add value to governance with their wealth of experience secured under former administrations.
For instance, Lagosians expect a pace in road rehabilitation and reconstruction that goes beyond the milestones recorded by the Fashola administration. Ganiyu Johnson comes handy in this direction. Being a renown engineer who has seen it all as SA, Works and Infrastructure in the immediate past administration, Johnson is not new to his portfolio.
As Commissioner for Works and Infrastructure, he will only be building on the giant strides recorded by the administration under which he worked. And the dream of Lagosians for good roads and only be better for it. Expectations are equally high that the Ambode targets in the health sector will be met with Jide Idris being at the helm of affairs. Idris, having served in the past administration as Health Commissioner, brought innovation into the health sector. It was during his time that LASAMBUS, a novel initiative that responds to emergencies, in record time, came into being.
He is an old hand and asset capable of driving the health sector into greater heights. Although a new comer in the cabinet, Mobereola, as Transportation Commissioner, has seen it all in the transport sector. As the man at the driving seat at the Lagos Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LAMATA), he was involved in the many landmark transport projects going on across the state. LAMATA, under him, spearheaded the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project that moves thousands of commuters across Lagos communities daily, among others. Mobereola will definitely do more to carve his name in gold in the transport sector. There is obviously a funding challenge for governments across the nation owing to the parlous state of the economy arising from the drop in oil revenue, and Lagos is no exception. The governor is not new to paucity of funds. As Accountant General, Ambode was said to have been at the forefront of the efforts that saw Lagos surviving when the Obasanjo administration withheld funds due to the state from the Federation Account at the time of the impasse over LCDAs creation. He is sure to use that experience to innovate funding sources for his programmes. The situation gives assurance that the ‘Lagos Dream’, with Ambode as chief driver, is on course.
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