It cannot be said of a man who has vowed that his watch would witness the rule and execution of brilliant ideas that the state he is governing is no longer vibrant; that that state is failing. That would be far from the truth and reality.
To claim Lagos is failing under Governor Akinwunmi Ambode is to deny not only the empiricism of the success recorded so far, but also to repudiate the firmness of the template upon which he is giving shape to the future.
But on account of the recent rash of robberies in Lagos, the sporadic gang wars in Mushin and Oshodi, as well as the return of traffic snarls on the major roads of the megacity, critics are warning that Lagos might be sliding under Ambode. This is an unacceptable verdict. Indeed, it is an unrealistic assessment even as it is a harsh conclusion unreflective of what is on the ground. What we behold really is a man armed with a gear preparing to land the state into the future. Ambode, by the reckoning of astute observers, is laying the foundation for an edifice that promises to house a beneficial future.
In a very short period (five months out of a potential 96-month tenure allowed by the constitution), he has posted a sterling performing that has seen the power of ideas at work.
The point is that Ambode is now wielding more enormous powers and operating with wider latitude supported by the vote of the majority in Lagos. These are weapons that are enabling him to work and achieve better than he did as the Accountant-General. In addition to other resources, they are capital requirements needed to add quality to governance, and to the lives of the citizens being governed; and above all, to “make life simpler and happier for our people,” as Ambode himself put it on May 29, 2015 when he was sworn in as Lagos State Governor.
He has gone ahead to kick start the great project of radicalising governance in quite noticeable ways. One of such is that he has brought back from the precipice of death hundreds of senior citizens and their kinsmen and women. The governor gave out N11bn to pay their pensions and gratuities. This is unprecedented. He is reviving the pay-as-you-go system which was discontinued in 2007. His goal is to return to that plan by August, 2016.
As an accountant, Ambode is quietly reordering government priorities by cutting down the cost of running the machinery of administration in order to free funds for social and economic renewal. This fiscal policy will enable him save N3bn monthly in that area alone, aside from the huge income from the internally generated revenue and what the central government in Abuja would be putting on the table.
It is injudicious to say a man who has fixed in five months the notorious Ayobo-Ipaja Road has failed. It had been an eyesore for the past eight years, embarrassing successive governments and the citizens yearly.
Ambode has also given a hint of how he hopes to run an administration oiled by compassion for the people. I think what he meant by the concept of “compassionate government” he spoke of on May 29 is what he has demonstrated many times over. He will relate with the people directly, not bureaucratically as it were. Their joy will be his joy. Their pain will be his pain.
In other words, his won’t be an abstract administration. He won’t be a distant and inaccessible governor. Which is why as he headed for the office once, a lady in the throes of anguish during a road accident found Ambode as one of those pulling her out; a poor woman with multiple births whose husband had run away from home was pleasantly surprised to observe the refreshing hand of Ambode bringing back the fleeing spouse; motorists used to seeing their governor only on a high horse rubbed their eyes feverishly to confirm they were not under illusion when they sighted a sweating Ambode in the mad gridlock along Oshodi-Apapa expressway as he sought a solution to the nightmare experienced on that route. Certainly this is not a failed governor who does not understand the pains of the citizens.
And early in October 2015, the governor announced a gigantic programme to light up some 67 communities in Lagos State. Under the plan, no community will be without electricity by the end of December, 2015. No other administration in the country has embarked on a scheme this ambitious. It captures the whole state at a go. I must also comment at the dramatic speed that attended this development. Ambode disclosed the plan on Tuesday, October 6, 2015 at the maiden Town Hall Meeting at Ayobo-Ipaja. By Thursday, October 8, 2015 only two days after, he had concluded the plans to start the project. Talk of passion and commitment!
Now consider the benefits of electrifying the landscape of a mega-polis occupied by more than 20 million citizens: criminals will no longer operate under the cover of darkness, thus enhancing security and safety of lives and business; artisans and small scale business operators can function with no worries over losses arising from lack of power; much money used to buy fuel for their businesses will be saved for reinvestment in other ventures; these will boost citizens earning capacity; thousands of jobs will be created through contracts for this ground-breaking electrification project.
All these activities on the part of Ambode represent an agenda to secure Lagos state in the present and launch it into the future.
Now there is some talk about Ambode not having a firm grip on the management of the traffic situation in the state on account of laws apparently attaching a human face to harsh traffic laws. For instance, critics have fussed about his statement that he wants to use technology in arresting those who contravene the law, instead of resorting to harassment or forcibly taking over people’s vehicles. Ambode has also asked Kick Against Indiscipline to treat motorists and street traders in a civil manner.
Of course, this aspect of the philosophy of compassionate government can be tempered with an application of the stick to discipline those who abuse the governor’s leniency and offer of a carrot. Which is why as I write this, the government has begun an intensive campaign against traffic misconduct. The Governor’s Monitoring Team has swung into action, whipping those in the habit of driving against traffic, plying the BRT lane, and those disobeying traffic lights. The governor has also instituted 24/7 communication channels by which the operatives of GMT can be reached for prompt response to security and traffic breaches.
Can you identify the man wheeling this vision with failure? No way!
PUNCH
END
Dear Mr Anibaba, thanks for your enlightenment campaign? We hear you. What you fail to realize is the reality on ground. Hundreds of people are robbed and attacked daily on their way to and from work, 99% of Lagos roads are devilishly bad(being the main causes of the crazy traffic), street lights are no more in existence(aiding robberies), Police, Lastma and KAI have become invisible and ineffective, which has led to the flagrant abuse of traffic laws eg; Okadas now fly all restricted roads including BRT lane, without giving a dam, since the Police no longer arrest them, so also Danfo buses and private cars have made the BRT lanes their home, for the same invisibility of the Law enforcement agents. A governments first duty to its people is provision of security for lives and property. Thus, his so called task force should ensure this in the short run, quickly, then a holistic plan put in place in the long run. Pls tell Ambode to forget using our money to buy 3 choppers. One is sufficient. What he should do is donate upto 1000 power bikes (BMW or Honda) to the police and Lastma to use in patrolling the highways and streets, especially during morning and evening rush hour traffic.
Finally, from your write up, Abode in five months, has achieved just three things; Pension payment, Ayobo/Ipaja road repairs and N3billion savings. The fourth one (To light up 67 communities) is still WIP. It’s quite pathetic to pride Abode on just 3 achievements. I for one will not judge him yet until May 29 2016, by then we will know if he means business or he has just come to ‘chop and clean mouth’ like others. My advise to him, if he wants to be remembered for good in Lagos is to; fix the security problem, fix the traffic issue, fix all Local and state roads in Lagos, provide electricity, provide educational facilities, upgrade health facilities and empower small and medium scale enterprise. I rest.