Lagos 2019: Contest against Ambode and waste your money–Oba Akiolu

Lagos 2019: Contest against Ambode and waste your money–Oba Akiolu

Thursday, March 23, 2017 9:34 pm


Lagos State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode (2nd left); Deputy Governor, Dr. (Mrs) Aderanti Olubule (left); Chancellor, Lagos State University, Rtd. Justice George Oguntade (middle); Mrs. Folorunsho Alakija, being conferred with an Honourary Doctor of Arts and Humane letters (2nd right) and Oba of Lagos, Oba Rilwan Akiolu I (right) during the 21st Convocation ceremony of the Lagos State University at the University Auditorium Complex, Ojo, Lagos, on Thursday, March 23, 2017.

By Kazeem Ugbodaga

Oba of Lagos, Rilwan Akiolu on Thursday said those nursing the ambition to contest the 2019 governorship election to govern Lagos should kill the idea as there is no vacancy and alternative to Governor Akinwunmi Ambode.

Akiolu, who spoke at the 21st Convocation ceremony of the Lagos State University, LASU held at the university’s auditorium complex, Ojo, Lagos, Southwest Nigeria said Ambode was performing well in the state and should be given second term of four years in office.

“And that was why about nine months to the 2015 governorship election, I told residents of Lagos that Ambode will be the next governor of the state either they vote or not but they all doubted me.

“The only way to avoid not wasting their money is to support Ambode and his deputy to rule Lagos for the next six years. “Few days ago, one of the aspirants greeted me and alleged that I halted his ambition. No one should come out in 2019 and declare his ambition. The only way to avoid not wasting their money is to support Ambode and his deputy to rule Lagos for the next six years,” he said.

The monarch also said if God would allow him to come back to this world again, he would still like to become a police officer.

“I always pray that if God could give me the chance to come to this world again, I want to be a police officer and lawyer and a first class monarch again.

“The state of the country indicates the type of police it gets. And that is why I can confidently say that my in 32 years as a police officer, I never collected money from anyone before performing my duties as a law enforcement officer,” he said.

Akiolu added that he often prayed before and after leaving his bed daily, saying: “that is one of the things I learn from the late father of Professor Peter Okebukola, who served as my cadet officer then. And the prayer has helped me a lot.

Also speaking, Ambode revealed plans by his administration to build a 6,000-bed hostel within the campus of Lagos State University (LASU), Ojo in partnership with the private sector to improve on the learning experience in the institution.

Ambode said government would continue to invest in infrastructure in tertiary institutions in the State including LASU to make them emerge as great citadels of learning and pride of all.

While commending the management and governing council of the institution for the professionalism with which the affairs of LASU had been piloted, Ambode charged them to build on the ranking of the institution as the best State University in Nigeria to become one of the best five universities in the country by 2020.

The governor particularly encouraged the management to work assiduously to make LASU emerge as the preferred university of choice by 2025.

He said: “You will recall that at the 20th Convocation of this institution last year, I made a commitment that our Government will invest massively here and upgrade its status to that obtainable anywhere around the world provided all stakeholders can ensure that peace reigns on Campus.

“One of the results of that is the accreditation of this institution’s School of Dentistry; the only State University to have an accredited School of Dentistry.

“We will continue to invest in physical and social infrastructure in this University. We have many projects nearing completion and these legacy projects when completed will no doubt change the entire overview of the landscape of the university. One of these projects is a PPP arrangement to deliver a 6,000-bed hostel for LASU.”

Besides, Governor Ambode urged students of the institution to take advantage of the Ready.Set.Work (RSW) initiative of the State Government to learn necessary entrepreneurial skills to be self-dependent and employer of labour, rather than looking for job after graduating from school.

He said with programmes such as RSW, government will continue to develop the capacity of tertiary institutions in the State to produce graduates who are immediately employable upon entry into the labour market.

While congratulating the eminent Nigerians who were deservedly honoured at the convocation ceremony, the Governor admonished the graduands to be good ambassadors of LASU and the State, especially by conquering the world.


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