LEKAN ADENRAN
Governor Akinwunmi Ambode is winding up his tour of duty in the State of Excellence, Lagos. By May 29, the governor would be handing over to the Governor-elect, Babajide Sanwo-Olu. Although, by now, Ambode should have been preparing for a second spell in office after the March 9, 2019 governorship election, but the powers that be in his party, the All Progressives Congress, APC, felt otherwise.
For a man with Ambode’s achievements, his second term was already assured, moreso when virtually all political permutations were working in his favour; at least, until discordant tunes emanated from some segments within the party, who felt that they were not getting enough patronage from his government. His predecessors, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who is now the National Leader of APC, and Babatunde Fashola, the Minister of Works, Power and Housing, each served two terms.
Outside political party structure, the thinking among Lagosians was that the governor, going by his sterling performance within his first term in office, was not rejected by the people. This feeling was also shared by some politicians. Indeed, opposition parties, including the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, were finding it difficult to present candidates for the governorship position in the state, prior to the bubble.
An APC chieftain and former member of the state House of Assembly, Mr. Adebowale Olasoji, told The Nigerian Xpress that Ambode did not fail the people, who voted for him in 2015.
“Governor Ambode has performed very well. Before you can rate an administration, you must look at the antecedent of that administration. I’ve known Mr. Ambode as far back as when I was the executive secretary of Ikorodu Local Government. And ever since I’ve known him, Mr. Ambode has always been thorough and articulate in whatever he is doing.
“As I remembered, he audited our account at that time. He has not been much of a politician. Even though, he served in the local government, but that is not enough for him to see himself as a politician. Being in politics goes beyond serving in the local government, as a civil servant. But since he became the governor, he has concentrated on infrastructural development, which is what is lacking in Lagos State.
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“If you look at the number of untarred roads and the traffic situation in Lagos State; the environmental situation, you will discover that Lagos requires a huge amount of resources to be able to take care of most of these deficits. If one looks at traffic for instance, although, I am known to come from Ikeja, my ancestral home is in Ojokoro. If you look at the Abule Egba axis, sometimes you spent up to three hours, linking the Abeokuta Expressway.
“But today, the performance of Akinwunmi Ambode has actually turned things around. You hardly spend up to five minutes at that junction now; same thing with Ajah. If you go into the hinterland of Alimosho, it is a new ball game altogether. He has performed excellently well in those areas.
“If you look at jobs creation, he provided opportunities to young graduates to be able to fend for themselves. So, there are lots of areas where he has made a lot of impact. And you can only compare him to Babatunde Fashola when he was also the governor of the state.
“So, as far as I am concerned, if I have to give him any mark, I would give him 65 per cent performance. And I think that is enough to earn anyone second term ticket in the state. Unfortunately, the party that produced him believes that he has not done enough as far as they are concerned. That is why we are where we are today,” Olasoji said.
Although, the governor was not given the opportunity for a second term, he, at a time, was the “poster boy” of his party, according to another chieftain of the APC, who did not want his name mentioned.
“His performance was recognised across the length and breadth of this country. Many states started using Lagos as a yardstick for performance, even among the ordinary people,” the source said.
With Lagos suddenly becoming a construction zone, there is the fear that the incoming government may not continue with some of the ongoing projects that the Ambode government won’t be able to complete. This fear may not be unconnected with the trend among political office holders in the country, who upon assumption of office, feel that they need to embark on their own projects that would create a distinct legacy for them. Such projects include the Pen Cinema flyover and bridge ramp designed to unlock the gridlock at the Agege-Iju-Pen-Cinema-Oko-Ogba axis. Although, this project had a December 2018 timeline for completion, paucity of fund has ensured that it may not be completed before the expiration of the Ambode government.
There is also the 10-lane Murtala Mohammed International Airport road project. If this road is completed, it would be described as one of the greatest achievements of the governor in view of its importance, as the gateway to the nation’s busiest airport.
There is the Oshodi Transport Interchange Project, OTIP, a part of the Bus Reform Initiative of the state government, designed to transform the axis and enhance connectivity to all parts of the Lagos metropolis and beyond. The project, which is about 85 per cent completed, according to Commissioner for Works and Infrastructure, Mr. Adebowale Akinsanya, is expected to turn the once notorious Oshodi into a Central Business District, CBD, with business, travel and leisure activities conducted in a serene, secure, clean, orderly and hygienic environment.
The project is expected to consolidate all the 13 city and interstate bus parks into three multi-storey terminals, providing standard facilities, including waiting area, loading bays, ticketing stands, drivers lounge, parking areas, rest rooms, accessible walkways and pedestrian sky-walks, linking all the terminals.
Ambode himself has, however, allays the fear that these multi-million naira projects would be abandoned if not completed by his administration.
He said: “I know that the feedback we are getting is that Lagosians are worried whether some of our critical projects will be delivered before we leave office. We want to assure them that with what we have had from the contractors and the inspection we have done today, these projects will be completed.
“And some of them, if they are not completed, Mr. Jide Sanwo-Olu will complete them on assumption of office. That is the whole essence of governance of continuity that we are preaching. That is why we believe strongly that he will not only complete them but also escalate them to higher level and that is the whole idea about APC.”
But the governor is handing over a better Lagos come May 29. The first major impact of his administration was felt when he decongested the entire stretch of the Third Mainland Bridge up to Julius Berger on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway with lay-bys and bus stops at some strategic points to take traffic off the road. This singular move ensures that the usual Iyana Oworo traffic was eliminated. It also ensures free movement at Alapere junction as well as Julius Berger bus stop, although indiscipline by commercial bus drivers, especially private cab operators along the Berger axis as well as the connivance of police and other security agencies has ensured that the traffic bottleneck is back there.
The transformation of the popular Berger in Ojodu Local Council Development Area, LCDA, with pedestrian bridge across the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, construction of lay-bys, slip road and segregated bus park was another defining moment in the life of the administration. It transformed a once chaotic, dangerous and dirty environment to beautiful scenery.
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Ambode’s operation “Light-Up Lagos Project” has ensured that major highways and streets in the Lagos metropolis are well lit to boost 24-hour commercial activities, enhance security and enhance the aesthetic look of the city as well as other parts of the state where similar facilities were provided. The light up Lagos project and the huge outlay on security has ensured that the state is one of the most secured in the country despite its humongous population of almost 20 million. Night life is gradually returning to the state, which is a boost to the economy.
Some other notable achievements of Ambode’s tour of duty include backlog payment of N11 billion, as arrears to retirees of the state government, completion of more than 300 local government road projects, acquired equipment worth more than N5 billion for the State Police Command and Rapid Response Squad. Equipment donated include 100 four-door saloon cars, 55 Ford Ranger pick-ups, 10 Toyota land cruiser pick-ups, 15 BMW power bikes, 100 power bikes, Isuzu trucks, three helicopters, two gun boats, 120 power generating sets, 15 armoured personnel carriers, revolving lights, siren and public address system, vehicular radio communicators, security gadgets, including bullet proof vests, helmets, handcuffs, uniforms, kits and improved insurance and death benefit schemes for officers.
Others include launch of the Bus Reform Initiative, to bequeath a world class transportation system to the state. The project was to see to the construction of new bus terminals, introduction of 5,000 new buses, and construction of 100 modernb Bus Shelters across the state; already completed Tafawa Balewa Bus Terminus and Ikeja Bus Terminus; acquired 434 new buses for Ikorodu Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) corridor; and commenced work on Oshodi-Abule Egba BRT corridor along the Lagos-Abeokuta Expressway (13.5 kilometers; 14 bus stations; 14 pedestrian bridges).
Ambode’s reaction to his being denied second term was strange in the context of Nigeria’s political milieu. After a spirited fight, the governor quickly moved to douse tension that had gripped the state through his statements and actions, aligning with the position of his party by working for the election of Sanwo-Olu.
He had said then: “Fellow Lagosians, the last few days have witnessed intense political activities that have gripped the attention of the nation and created palpable tension in the polity. I strongly believe that the time has now come for the state to move forward in order that the gains of the last three and a half years are not lost.
“APC is a great party and the interests of our beloved state must always supersede that of any person or group. It is in this regard that I wholeheartedly congratulate the winner of the Lagos State APC Primaries, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu and urge all Lagosians to immediately support our party’s gubernatorial candidate in the 2019 elections and work for the success of our dear party.”
With those words, the governor entered the campaign in full throttle and even the commendation of politicians across the country, including President Muhammadu Buhari.
Ambode has no doubt shown that for any political office holder, who is serious about making the desired change, four years are more than enough to write your name in gold.
“In these three and a half years, as your governor, I have seen visible proof that we can achieve unbelievable things when we all come together to believe in our dreams. With your support, we have made Lagos a better place and changed the face of our state. I did not do it alone; we did it together because you believed” Ambode said in September 2018.
