On 29 May, 2015, Mr Akinwunmi Ambode will be officially sworn in as the 14th governor of Lagos State, having won the 11 April governorship election in the state. He will be taking over the baton from the outgoing Governor Babatunde Raji Fashola. As Lagosians look foward to this historic date, the task before Ambode no doubt is a huge one.
As a man with required experience, all eyes are on Ambode to sustain the cumulative lofty achievements of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Fashola. One of the critical areas that Ambode must consolidate on is the issue of security. Since Lagos is an emerging mega city, there must be a plan in the pipeline to boost the state’s Security Trust Fund already put in place by Fashola. Ambode must embark on the acquisition of the latest advanced security communications technology. These would track and monitor the daily activities of citizens of the state. More awareness should be created to make it all inclusive once it becomes operational.
As an avid lover of quality education, Ambode has promised free education up to secondary school level, as a basic right for the child. He has also pledged to continue the current schools renovation programme, upgrade libraries to e-libraries as well as making Lagos State University, LASU, and the Lagos State Polytechnic as centres of academic excellence. Lagosians earnestly await the fulfilment of this noble promise.
The Ambode administration must also do more on health and housing. The governor must improve primary health care system to make it more affordable and accessible. One thing he must do in this direction, is to establish medi-parks and bio-parks in collaboration with health experts and organisations. This would stave off the issue of huge capital flight occasioned by medical expenses embarked upon by the noveau riche abroad.
Apart from expanding the Lagos Home Ownership Mortgage Scheme (HOMS) to involve more people, the incoming Ambode administration must focus on affordability. The candid advice in this direction is to embark on mass housing scheme to target the lower class of the society. This would reduce the emergence of slums, given the fast exploding population of Lagos.
The Fashola administration has done well in the area of transportation. But the in-coming administration needs to do even more. The Ambode government must introduce and establish officially designated bus stops/routes in Lagos. New roads must be constructed and the existing ones must be adequately maintained. He should increase the number of traffic officials in the state to clear the roads of heavy traffic which is the bane of the city. These traffic officials should be on duty round the clock, especially at problematic junctions which are often abandoned during peak periods, leading to traffic chaos and loss of man hours.
Clearly, to decongest Lekki Road which has become a nightmare to motorists, the Ambode administration will need to build overhead bridges and prevent people from trading at bus stops. The incoming administration will also need to increase the usage of waterways for public transportation through channeling and dredging.
Lagos for the first time in years will be controlled by the same party at the Federal Level. The expected collaboration with the Federal Government should engender the drive for attaining the long-awaited special status. Lagos should be given special funds by the Federal Government to maintain its status as the commercial capital of Nigeria. This, among other things, will make Lagos one of the fastest developing cities in the world.
Be the first to comment