I’m the change Lagos needs–Agbaje

Ahead of the February 28 governorship poll, the Peoples
Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate in Lagos
State, Mr. Jimi Agbaje has said that what the state needs in
the election is change and not continuity.
Agbaje, who asserted he was the change the state needed,
spoke in a recent interview with journalists in the state.
Excerpts:
Looking at the annual Internal Generated Revenue in Lagos
State, can you really say that the state government has
matched the money with the level of development across the
state?
The answer is no. Although I am not saying the state has not
done anything at all. The IGR has moved from N10bn in 1999
to N400bn today. So you have an increase in capital. But then
what has been the other side of it? The question is one, our
borrowing has also increased. As recent as 2007, I think our
borrowing was about 51 per cent of the total revenue but
today as at the end of 2014, our borrowing is now about 113
percent of the total revenue. In other words, today, Lagos
owes about N435 billion and our income is about N389 billion.
So, our debt has increased tremendously. Here people talk
about the rating and rankings, but everyone knows that rating
or not, when you are borrowing at that rate, especially now
that oil has crashed, and we have debts in dollars which we
have to pay, we are in for a tough time ahead.
Again, the IGR has been at great cost to those that are caught
in the tax payment and that is why a lot of people are
complaining about the burden of tax and the multiplicity of the
tax. If there is anybody that is caught in that tax, you don’t
even have a right of reply. So, if they say your income is
N1million, you have to pay the tax of N1million. You cannot
even say it is not so. When you say your income is N1million
and the Lagos State Government say your income is N1.5m,
you are going to pay the tax of N1.5m. There is no right of
appeal because nobody is going to listen to you. So, it is a
very oppressive kind of tax payment. While it is good on one
hand, at what cost are we really doing this? When people talk
about continuity in governance, Lagosians are saying that
mustn’t continue and that is why we have come to address
the situation.
Looking at the social condition of Lagosians , can you really
say the Fashola-led administration has fulfilled its promises
of giving a brighter, rewarding future to Lagosians in this
regard?
On the issue of social condition, how much has government
really done for the people? It is very important that we look at
the social conditions as it affects Lagosians. Take for instance
the BRT buses. The BRT was meant to provide an alternative
to the rickety molue buses. It was meant to ease transport,
make it faster and comfortable, not just for the poor, but even
for the middle class. Again, while the concept was good, can
we say that the implementation has been okay? I am not sure
there is a day that you will drive from Ikeja to Lagos and you
won’t find one BRT breaking down on the road. So, you can’t
say that the people have really benefited from that project in
terms of social conditions.
What can you say about the security situation in Lagos espe­
cially in the last eight years?
There has been improvement. The issue of the Security Trust
Fund is something one cannot question. It is a good move but
we still have a situation where crime still needs to be tackled
more. Crime in our inner cities can now be said to have
increased tremendously, even in our metropolis. We still feel
very uncomfortable when we are in traffic even at 6:00 pm in
the evening. These are things that we need to begin to look at
seriously. We want a 24 hour economy, so that people can
feel safe to work at night. That is the way you create jobs
How will you say Lagos has fared in terms of qualitative lead­
ership?
With all sense of responsibility, Lagos has suffered from
governance. Lagos has been affected by vested interests.
Everything that has been done in Lagos has to take into
considerations vested interests of few people. It means that if
you want to bring industry to Lagos, if those who have vested
interests are not given adequately, then your business cannot
come, even if it comes, it is seriously frustrated. If you want
to build any high rise in any special area, vested interests are
all there. It affects political life and those who are put into
office. Instead of continuity, we want change. This is because
change is going to bring about bold ideas and new opportuni­
ties. Change is going to bring about greater developments to
Lagos. We will maximize resources at our disposal. I think
that is even more important now when we look at the current
economic situation of our oil sector.
The APC has been the party in power for sixteen years in
Lagos. Do you think that the PDP has the machinery to
dislodge that formidable structure at the polls?
The machinery of the APC, a party that has been in power for
the past 16 years, so it is a formidable machinery? But the
beauty of it is that when it is time for change, everything will
work for you. There are people who have issues with the
government of the day. These are market women, professional
traders, youths, even civil servants. What matters now is that
if Lagosians really want a change, how do we use our
structures and what we have to bring about that change?
That is the difference between a Jimi Agbaje on a DPA
platform and the one on a PDP platform. We are not asking
anybody to rig the elections. All we are saying is ‘Let the
peoples vote count.’ Put in place mechanism where people
can have their say on who governs them.