Politics
Two For The Vote Of One: Why Lagosians Need A Return Of The Sanwo-Olu, Hamzat Magical Synergy
By Teju Ajayi
At the risk of sounding a tad over-confident, it is safe to say that there is no better, more qualified, and more experienced pair in the Lagos State governorship election holding Saturday, March 11, than Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu and his deputy, Dr Obafemi Hamzat.
The facts are plain for all to see.
Asides the fact that none of the other contestants can come close to even lacing the shoes of Sanwo-Olu and Hamzat in terms of educational and professional accomplishments, private and public service experience, and leadership and administrative skills, their antecedents recorded in the last three and a half years has been a the yard stick through which other Nigerian states evaluate the performance of their leaders.
For perspective, Governor Sanwo-Olu has a Bachelor’s degree from the prestigious University of Lagos in Surveying & Geo-Informatics and later, a Master’s of Business Administration (MBA) in Management from the same university.
He is also an alumnus of the prestigious Harvard Kennedy School of Government, London Business School, and the Lagos Business School.
In addition, he is a member of the Nigerian Institute of Directors (IOD), Chartered Institute of Personnel Management (CIPM), and a Fellow of the Nigeria Institute of Training and Development (NITAD).
After a laudable stint in the private sector, he kick-started his career as a public officer with an impressive record of accomplishments.
Similarly, Dr. Hamzat, who graduated from Nigeria’s premier university, the unrivalled University of Ibadan with a degree in Agricultural Engineering in 1986 and a Master’s in Agricultural Engineering in 1988.
He later bagged his Ph.D. in System Process Engineering at Cranfield University, England in 1992.
Following his stopover in the private sector, Hamzat was appointed Commissioner for Science and Technology in 2005 during the tenure of former Governor Bola Ahmed Tinubu, and has since maintained his status as a dedicated public servant till he joined Sanwo-Olu’s ticket as his running mate in 2019.
Outside of the duo’s educational and public service accomplishments, the last three and a half years have seen them bring a magical kind of synergy to governance in Lagos. The term, Greater Lagos Rising upon which their campaign is built is a testament to the continuous rise of Lagos despite the vicissitudes of life that have threatened the peace of the state in the last few years.
The Sanwo-Olu/Hamzat administration traversed with enviable skill the difficult terrains and major disruption occasioned by the Coronavirus global pandemic.
With no precedent to draw from, Lagos government masterfully navigated the treacherous season that threatened to overwhelm cities and recovered with little socio-economic causality unlike many other economies around the world.
Its THEMES agenda became the beacon of achievement that other states were drawn to, which many others tried to replicate, and in three short years, this administration managed to activate the reality of functional transportation infrastructure with the delivery of two intracity Rail Mass Transit projects that have been commissioned by President Muhammadu Buhari.
This is while also scalling up infrastructure in public transportation services by improving BRT services, injecting new taxi scheme and energising traffic management agency for efficiency.
Of course, many can attest to the construction and commission of Lekki Deep Seaport and massive road construction projects in Eti Osa, Epe, Ikorodu, Victoria Island, Ikoyi, Alimosho, Ajeromi-Ifelodun, Somolu and other areas.
Purposeful governance has also seen the administration deliver on its health sector promises with new hospitals in Badagry, Epe, and Eti-Osa, with those in Ikorodu, Ojo and Lagos Island on the way.
On environment, the Sanwo-Olu administration has so far constructed 210 new drainage channels to address issue of flooding in vulnerable communities, while also raising level of infrastructure in emergency response agencies.
This includes the completion and equipment of four fire stations and recruitment of new fire fighters.
Interestingly, the administration’s commitment to quality education is just as commendable. Over 1,000 new classrooms have been added to public schools, with another 1,097 diverse projects completed in Lagos schools.
Teachers in the state have also received a knowledge boost with trainings in modern teaching techniques through Eko EXCEL and the provision of modern tools like tablets.
This has been particularly impactful as the overall performance of Lagos students in WAEC has seen a record improvement from 42 per cent to over 83 per cent.
His investment in the entertainment sector in the state cannot also be overemphasised, which is why entertainers who operate across the state have clamoured for a return of the Sanwo-Olu administration since the campaign season started.
Across the socio-economic strata of the metropolis, there remains no doubt that everyone can feel the impact of the government.
The reality is that Lagosians, and even neighbouring states have not seen the best of the Sanwo-Olu, Hamzat administration as an eventful four years was not enough to deliver on their fantastic vision for the city of dreams. Lagos is a dream that is steadily rising to reality, and politicking should not stunt that rising.
Instead, voters must ignore the din of the market that only seeks to distract and focus on returning the duo with the magical synergy to continue steering the ship of Lagos State.
Teju Ajayi, Principal partner at The Architects Place Ltd.
Politics
Edo PDP opposes suspension of LG bosses by state assembly, says ‘It’s unconstitutional’
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Edo says the suspension of all the chairpersons and their deputies in the 18 LGAs of the state is “unconstitutional”.
The chairpersons and their deputies were suspended on Tuesday by the Edo state house of assembly for two months over alleged misappropriation of funds.
Blessing Agbebaku, the speaker of the house, said Monday Okpebholo, governor of Edo, had written a petition to the assembly regarding the chairpersons’ refusal to submit the financial records of their LGs to the state government.
In a statement, Anthony Aziegbemi, chair of the PDP in Edo, said the “illegal” suspension is a disregard to a supreme court decision that affirms the autonomy and independence of local governments.
“How can the governor direct the State Assembly to suspend democratically elected chairmen of the 18 local councils for insubordination when these elected officials enjoy autonomy and independence as enshrined in the constitution and are not subordinates of the governor, the state assembly, or any other arm of government?,” he said.
“We are also aware that the chairmen and their vices were not even given the opportunity to be heard in their detence and were suspended unheard on watery trumped up charges, in total disregard to the constitution.
“We want to restate that the constitution remains supreme, and any attempt to undermine its provisions or disregard the judiciary and its rulings is not only illegal but also a direct attack on democracy and the rule of law.
“The speaker of the Edo state house of assembly and the entire assembly have clearly overstepped their constitutional mandates with this illegal action and we urge them to immediately reverse its decision, in respect to the rule of law and democratic governance.”
Aziegbemi said the suspended officials should report to their councils on Wednesday and carry on with their normal duties.
Also speaking on the issue, Anthony Ehilebo, a PDP chieftain, said Okpebholo has no legal backing to request the financial records of the LGAs.
“In fact, the governor and the assembly members are in contempt of the supreme court,” Ehilebo said when he appeared on Politics Today, a Channels Television programme.
“The purported suspension of the local government chairmen by the state assembly is as absurd as the president asking the national assembly to suspend state governors because they refused to submit statements of accounts to him.
“This is a witch hunt. The LGA chairmen are all PDP members.”
The lawyer said the suspension “is unknown to law and will be ignored”.
Politics
Ex-sports minister Bolaji Abdullahi resigns from PDP
Bolaji Abdullahi, a former minister of sports and youth development, has resigned from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
He disclosed his intention to resign in a letter dated December 16 and addressed to the PDP ward chairman in Ubadawaki, Kwara state.
Abdullahi confirmed the development to TheCable on Monday.
The ex-minister also said he is yet to decide which political platform to pitch tent with.
“The decision of what to do and where to go will be taken in the future that’s left to God,” he said.
In the resignation letter, Abdullahi said he reached the “difficult” decision after days of reflection and introspection.
“I write to formally resign my membership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP),” the letter reads.
“I have had ample time to reflect, and I have come to the difficult conclusion that this is the only tenable option for me at this time.
“Mr. Chairman, please permit me to express, through you, my gratitude to the leadership of the party for the opportunities that I have had to serve the state and the country on its platform, and for the great moments we have shared.”
Abdullahi was the PDP candidate for the Kwara central senatorial district election in 2023. He lost the race to Salihu Mustapha of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Politics
PDP debunks inviting Jonathan to contest 2027 presidency
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) says it has not extended an invitation to former President Goodluck Jonathan to contest the presidency on its platform in the 2027 election.
Speaking with BBC Hausa, Ibrahim Abdullahi, deputy spokesperson of the country’s main opposition party, said no ticket has been issued to the former president.
Abdullahi said the party has many eligible people who can contest for the presidency on its platform, adding that a recent interview he granted was interpreted to mean that Jonathan he asked to run on the PDP platform.
“The report that PDP has issued its presidential ticket to former President Goodluck Jonathan or invited him to contest the 2027 presidential election is not true,” he said.
“What happened is this, I had an interview with a journalist where we discussed some issues.
“But in the course of the interview, he mentioned President Jonathan, asking about our opinion of him, because there are reports that he is being urged to run for the presidency.
“I responded by saying that he (Jonathan) is eligible to contest the election, because he is a Nigerian and has the right to do that by the provision of the law, and he still has one more term left.
“So, there is nothing wrong about him contesting the presidential election because he is eligible in the face of the law.”
The deputy spokesperson said the ticket would be given to someone who has shown interest in running for the presidency.
Jonathan, then in the PDP, lost the presidential election to former President Muhammadu Buhari in 2015.
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