I’ll run inclusive govt if elected – Ambode

The Lagos State gubernatorial candidate of the All
Progressives Congress (APC), Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode, has
said he is in the race for the office of the executive governor of
Lagos State to provide strong leadership and create a safer,
cleaner and more prosperous Lagos where government will be
accountable to its citizens.
Speaking at a recent event held in his honour at the Civic
Centre, Victoria Island Lagos by Friends of Ambode (a group
of his old school mates from Federal Government College,
Warri), Ambode, the youngest ever Auditor-General in Lagos
State, at 37, said having served the state meritoriously and
without blemish for 27 years, he was set to challenge the
system and make Lagosians more prosperous.
He told the guests, mainly chief executives and senior
management of leading private sector firms as well as some
old students of Federal Government College, Warri, his alma
mater, that he would run an inclusive government, where
everybody must have a voice and where opportunities would
be jointly created for everyone. He also humorously told the
guests that he was not afraid of elections, having previously
contested and won an elective post.
In a citation eloquently delivered on Mr. Ambode by a former
schoolmate, Mrs. Ifueko Omogui-Okauru, the immediate past
chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Services, Ambode was
described as intelligent, bold, unique, process-driven and
dependable. She also described him as people-oriented,
visionary and a team player. She said the celebrated
accountant-general, who ensured while in office that salaries
and contractors’ fees were promptly paid, possesses both a
global outlook and grassroots knowhow. According to
Omoigui-Okauru, the fact that Mr. Ambode was, as the state’s
permanent secretary, finance, given the additional
responsibility of accountant general, was a clear expression of
his dependability. “You don’t give additional challenging
responsibility to someone who is not dependable.” She
concluded by noting that his effective combination of the
virtues of strong ‘character and competence sum him up in
one word- ‘trustworthy.’
Beyond these, Omoigui-Okauru said Ambode’s leadership
essentials were demonstrated more in the impact he has left
in the minds of those who know him closely as friends and
colleagues. “They see him as very passionate (about whatever
he commits himself to). They describe him as focused,
humane, organised and one who never accepts limitations.”
In his remarks, Mr. Fidelis Oditah (SAN), a former classmate
of the candidate, said Ambode, as prefect back in school,
demonstrated immense leadership quality and left indelible
marks as a trendsetter. According to Oditah, Ambode as the
President of Federal Government College, Warri Old Students
Association, demonstrated maturity as a social engineer and a
man of impeccable character and high integrity.
Speaking on why Lagosians should trust the APC candidate,
Oditah stressed that: “You can give him your money without
receipt and he will refund you to the last kobo when needed.
He is entirely selfless. He is a man who has devoted himself
entirely to his community. He is a genuine friend. Lagos State
is blessed to have him.”
Also speaking on the occasion, another old student, Dr.
Ifowodo Ogaga, said Ambode was groomed for leadership by a
unity school, the second oldest unity school in Nigeria, which
had people of different backgrounds and classes from all
corners of the country. “He has been groomed for the role of
unifying everybody in Lagos. His career background as a staff
of the State Waste Disposal Board has prepared him to clean
up Lagos.”
Ambode, a chartered accountant and Fulbright Scholar,
challenged guests to put their right foot forward. “Mine is to
create a 24/7 economy in Lagos. I will create lower level jobs
for youths. I drive myself very hard, because I am focused to
leave a legacy for my children. We must take Lagos on a
vertical ride. It is not about resources. It is about efficient
management of our resources. Let us all work together to
make that change – change at the centre, continuity in
Lagos.”