In the good old days of NUGA games when the number of universities in Nigeria could still be counted on the fingers of one hand, University of Lagos was famous for presenting contingents that were consistently well-attired on and off the field. Most times they delivered less, on the medal tables, than the promise of their sartorial elegance. That was the origin of ‘Eko for show’ slogan.
Ambode, in almost all his posters, is portrayed as a man with good taste when it comes to dressing. He comes recommended on the account of his years as a civil servant who knows the system. One hopes that this would not be his Achilles’ heel. He will need to get out of the civil service mentality for him to succeed.
Lagos state Civil Service is reputed to be too bureaucratic with the attendant slow service delivery. Doing business with the government entails a myriad of taxes and levies. One starts a process in one calendar year, the paperwork stretches into the next year. Rather than continue with the papers submitted earlier, one is made to make fresh payments and levies for the new year before the process can progress. This is patently unfair and it has to be reviewed.
There is also no better time than the coming dispensation to address the issue of the percentage of commission paid to consultants collecting money on behalf of the state. While their services may be needed because of the size of the state, what is paid should be seen to be commensurate to what obtains in other climes.
With Lagos now aligned to the center, the burden of bringing more states into the Progressive fold should no longer be borne by Lagos State hence there is no need to provision for this under any guise. Tinubu who is perceived to be benefiting from this arrangement needs to have his image cleaned up vis-a-vis accountability in the state, more so now the he has his focus at the center. He does not need the largesse any more.
Many people are depending on Ambode to put the interest of the masses ahead of loyalty to his godfathers. Doing otherwise, he would probably be remembered as ‘Ambode for show’. I am sure he would not like that as a legacy, so he better gets cracking.
— with Adeniyi Oshodi, Ayode
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