By Adebisi Adeyemi
In the last Presidential Election of February 25, 2023, almost everything worked against Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the Presidential candidate of the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC). Many Nigerians, especially the youths were angry with the performance of the party in the last eight years it has been in power, the party is also being blamed for the hardship the people and businesses are going through as a result of the Currency Swap/ Change policy of the Central Bank of Nigeria, and it is also believed that a strong cabal in the top hierarchy of the party he helped installed in power and the Presidency were against his candidature.
Tinubu, during the campaign lashed out against some government policies he believed were recently done, which he perceived were targeted against him. He was also castigated by Christendom for picking a fellow Muslim as his running mate. It was an open secret that Christendom in Nigeria adopted Peter Obi of the Labour Party as its candidate for the election.
Also, there were lots of talks about his failing health and drive to lead a dynamic nation like Nigeria.
But despite all these obstacles, Tinubu, Jagaban, as he is widely called, triumphed in the election. It was like he is destined to be the President of Nigeria. But he also proved that he is ready and deserved to be the President. Out of all the candidates, he was the one who travelled widest in his campaign as he canvassed all the states, except Taraba, where internal party conflicts prevented him from doing so. At all campaign stops, he and his supporters never failed to tell Nigerians about his pedigree in public office as the Governor of Lagos State, especially how he raised the state’s Internally Generated Revenue and kept the state running despite the seizure of the state’s Federal Allocations for many months by the Olusegun Obasanjo’s Federal Government.
But God proves that he is the only installer of Leaders. Despite Tinubu losing his perceived strongholds with the highest number of votes (Lagos, Kaduna, Kano, and Gombe states) he still went on to win.
Initially, I was neutral about the Presidential election but got into the thick of the fray when some ‘men of God” started ‘receiving vision’ from the Almighty about Tinubu’s failure at the polls weeks before the election also the fact that my wife was a member of the Tinubu/Shettima Campaign Council piqued my interest in the election.
But to some, Tinubu’s election was foretold by some men of God. Tinubu said during the ordination of his wife, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, as a Pastor of Redeem Christian Church of God, Pastor Enoch Adejare Adeboye, the General Overseer of the church called him ‘Abraham.’;
“When I asked him what it means, He said ‘watch out, you are a father of the Nation’, “Tinubu said.
Saturday, March 18, 2023, offers another date in the circle of election for Lagosians to decide who governs the state in the next 4 years as of May 29, 2023.
Top on the ballots are three candidates; the incumbent Babajide Sanwo-Olu of the All Progressive Congress (APC), Olajide Adediran of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Gbedebo Rhodes-Vivour of the Labour Party (LP).
While the campaign for the top post for Alausa is, unfortunately, being dominated by ethnicity and religion, Lagosians will do the Centre of Excellence a lot of good by examining the candidates in terms of their pedigrees, especially in areas of experience and tangible achievements. The Centre of Excellence deserves a man with a mark of excellence and not because of the religion he practices or his tribal affinity. Even his party affiliation should play just a small role in deciding who we cast our votes for on Saturday. Deciding who to vote for as the Governor of Lagos State should not be based on a hysterical decision.
For me, I am voting Babajide Sanwo-Olu as Governor of Lagos State. And this is because he stands shoulders above head over other candidates.
Sanwo-Olu has the best and richest experience in public service among the top candidate. He has been in the saddle of the state for the last four years and he has performed above the pass mark level. He is well above the average in his performance if the task expected is matched with the resources available to do the job.
The argument against him might be Lagos is the richest state in the Federation, what has he done?
Yes, what has he done to improve the lots of the most populated but has the smallest land mass among the states in the Federation? My fair assessment shows he has done a lot in terms of social infrastructure for the people despite the continuously increasing population that stretches the infrastructure as more people stream to Lagos every single day.
As I support the re-election of Governor Babajide Sanwo Olu, I am campaigning for him and I am starting from my neighbourhood. This is strategic as I have something to show the people of his achievements. His administration’s intervention in the road network in my area is a good example.
The major road, Ikereku/Fadehan Streets Road which is in Ifako- Ijaye Local Government Area was in a terrible state when I moved to the area. I decided to mobilize my neighbours to get the attention of the Governor to the poor state of the road. Through the Chairman of our LCDA, Chief Rasak Sodipe of blessed memory and Dr Folorunsho Omitiran we were able to mobilize to the Office of the Executive Governor on Thursday, June 27, 2019, when the administration was barely a month in office. This protest, with the collaboration of the Progressive, Majeobaje, Millennium Housing Estate, and Hope Garden 1&2 Joint Community Development Association was a huge success.
The road was given priority attention and within a few months was rehabilitated and is now in a good state. Through this intervention by the state government, residents and passers-by in the area now have smooth passage within and through the area. Also, buildings and properties in the area have appreciated while the security architecture which was before affected by the bad state of the roads has significantly improved.
This act shows that Babajide Sanwo-Olu has been a listening governor since his early days in office. And this has shown in the lots of projects, and infrastructures his administration has been able to provide for Lagosians in the last 45 months.
These are some of them: Completed and commissioned several kilometres of networks of roads, flyovers and link bridges across the state; sectional rehabilitation of roads as well as made a major impact in improving the intermodal transportation system in the state including the completion of the major phases of Lagos Rail Mass Project and acquisition of boats and barge for the operation of LAGFERRY.
In the area of Education, the Sanwo-Olu administration has made great strides in the upgrading of infrastructure including the renovation and digitization of 243 public secondary schools’ libraries; the comprehensive upgrade of 970 public primary and secondary schools; construction of new school buildings and renovation of 197 public schools across the State. It has also recruited over 1,000 new teachers and construction an 8,272-bed hostel for LASU students.
For its Social/ Economic Intervention programmes, its achievements include training over 500 youths in aquaculture, poultry farming and solar farm construction technology, and training 1,050 rural women in boosting outputs in agricultural production with the beneficiaries given equal access to markets.
And under the Lagos State Employment Trust Fund (LSETF), the Sanwo-Olu Administration has helped 3,673 businesses with N1.156billion and a plethora of interventions including, grants, mentorship, business advisory, and capacity building as well as market access opportunities; and support 1, 835 businesses with NGN939.97million.
Its interventions in Housing have resulted in the handing over of 600 housing units across the state under its Greater Lagos LBIC Apartments, LagosHoms and other Housing Schemes.
Under Heath, new centres of Lagos State Health Management Agency (LASHMA) have been opened in Ikorodu, Ikotun and Epe, 563,210 Lagosians covered under the Health Insurance Scheme; establishment of 10 Triage and Oxygen centres; commencement of the administration of COVID-19 Moderna vaccine in 183 designated centres; completed and commissioned 4 Mother and Child Centers across the state; reconstruction of the New Massey’s Street Children Hospital ongoing to make it the biggest Children Hospital in Africa, and the comprehensive renovation of public health facilities across the state.
In the critical area of Security/Emergency Management, the state has donated security equipment worth billions of naira to the police. These include 180 patrol vehicles, 200 patrol motorcycles,4-high capacity troupe carriers, armoured personnel carriers and 1,000 security gadgets. The state has also employed additional 100 firefighters.
Other critical areas of intervention include Environmental Regeneration, Agriculture and Food Security, Tourism/Entertainment; and Administration of Justice.
No doubt, the Babajide Sanwo-Olu Administration has shown that it is capable of handling the enormous task of governing the Centre of Excellence. Its commitment to this task is not in doubt either. So I am making my commitment to returning this Administration to power come March 18, 2023. I am committing my time and other resources to this objective.
To enable Sanwo-Olu to finish the good job he started in Lagos, I am pleading with all Lagosians with valid voters cards to please vote for Sanwo-Olu for a second term on Saturday.
*Adebisi Adeyemi is a publisher and CEO of Gem Communications Resources