Lagos: Ambode preaches government with human face

Last weekend was an eventful one for the governorship
candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Lagos
State, Mr. Akinwumi Ambode, as he took time to spread his
manifesto to the nook and cranny of the state. During the
tour, he made it a point of duty to reiterate the core reason
for putting himself forward for the highest job in Lagos State-
service to humanity.
In his strategic and relentless campaign across different areas
of the state, he reassured supporters and stakeholders on this
‘service to humanity mantra,’ just as he wooed undecided
voters that he is in the race to serve and lead by example.
Ambode reasoned that Lagos had witnessed a record of
excellent service in the past 15 years and that the more than
17 million people living and working in this Africa’s largest
city-state “deserve a tested hand who will continue in that
tradition of excellence.”
His words: “The governor that Lagos State deserves at this
period of our continued growth and development is a man
with a track record of performance and excellence. A man who
is tested, who understands governance and is an experienced
administrator, who will not experiment with the resources and
growth template of this state.” He then declared: “I,
Akinwunmi, Ambode, is that man.”
His message of selfless service was the focal point of his
eventful weekend. This was the message he delivered on
Friday at the MUSON Centre, Onikan where he was the
Special Guest at the 3rd Annual Lecture of the January 9
Collective (J9C), where he spoke to the topic of the lecture,
2015 General Polls: Beyond the Rhetorics of Credible Elections,
which was delivered by Cambridge-based professor of Political
Anthropology, Prof. Anthony Kila.
According to Ambode, who is a Fulbright Scholar, selfless
service and leadership by example should be the hallmark of
an elected official who is desirous of making a meaningful
change and lasting impression in the lives of the electorates.
“Selfless service becomes non-negotiable if the process that
brought elected leaders into office is free, fair and credible.
But often, we see leaders who derail and abandon their
promises to the electorates because the process that brought
them to office was flawed. They feel they do not owe the
voters anything. This is why we in APC have been very vocal
about the need to have a credible election; to have a process
that is fair and transparent and to have an election that does
not seek to systematically disenfranchise electorates.”
He added that APC would not relent in urging the Independent
National Electoral Commission (INEC) to do everything in its
power to ensure that all the eligible six million registered
voters in Lagos State get their Permanent Voters Cards
(PVCs) in order to exercise their civic duties, failing which
those with Temporary Voters Card should be allowed to
exercise their constitutional rights. “This is the only way to
ensure that INEC’s preparedness is beyond rhetorics so that
the February elections can produce leaders that the people
want.”
On Saturday, the former Accountant General of Lagos State
further reiterated his readiness to serve and continue with the
record of excellence in the state when he met with the Zonal
Chairman of the Nigerian Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas
Workers (NUPENG), Lagos Zone, Comrade Tokunbo Korodo,
the National Coordinator of the Civil Society Club of Nigeria
(CISOCON), Comrade Babatunde Ashafa, the chairman of the
Council of Arewa Chiefs, Alhaji Sani Kabiru and a group of
senior citizens representing top retired civil servants in Lagos
State who met with him at different times at his Gbagada
campaign office.
It was the same message of selfless service and equal
opportunities for every resident of Lagos State that Ambode
delivered at the Teslim Balogun stadium in Surulere when he
held a rally for thousands of people with physical disabilities
on Saturday afternoon.
“Our administration will not discriminate. We will look after
your welfare,” he assured the tumultuous crowd who identified
with his touching recognition of the special needs of people
with physical disabilities. “Irrespective of your tribe, creed,
religion and physical disability, the APC government will look
after you and recognize your rights,” he assured the people in
company with his running mate, Dr. (Mrs) Oluranti Adebule.
Ambode also proved to be a people’s man when he rode in
the BRT bus on Saturday evening from Ketu to Fadeyi, after a
visit to the popular Mile 12 market in mainland Lagos to
preach the message of a government of inclusion. The
informal sector as well as the transport sector, he
emphasized , are an integral part of the development of Lagos
State, “and they deserve the government’s attention and
unflinching support at every given time.”
The APC candidate also reiterated his plans for sports
development when he spoke at a charity football march in
Ikorodu on Sunday afternoon, organized to drum up support
for his gubernatorial ambition. He used the occasion to
explain his T.H.E.S.E plan which as part of his campaign
manifesto emphasizes the harnessing of Tourism, Hospitality,
Entertainment, Sports and Excellence to get the teeming
youths of Lagos State engaged in those areas.
“Our vision is clear about the direction that Lagos State
should face after 15 years of solid foundation and progress.
And this is what our campaign is all about. We must
consolidate and build on the achievements of the past
administration of Asiwaju Bola Tinubu and the incumbent
actualiser, Babatunde Fashola, SAN. Lagos deserves
excellence through a combination of requisite experience and
selfless service. Lagos does not depend on sharing of oil
revenue any longer.
“Lagos is creating an enabling environment for businesses to
thrive and for citizens and corporate sector to pay their taxes.
Sports, entertainment and tourism are goldmines waiting to be
tapped and taken to the next level in Lagos State. This is no
time to experiment with the future of our state and we are
convinced that the majority of Lagosians appreciate that fact,”
Ambode stated.
At all the fora, he never forgot to assert that, “credible
election is development panacea.”