A good commendation, as the saying goes, is a letter of recommendation.
This wisecrack becomes apposite in describing the level of confidence reposed on the Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, whose modest successes continue to permeate every discussion as far as democratic good governance is concerned.
Like the proverbial beautiful bride with many suitors, Sanwo-Olu has continued to attract attention from the high and mighty who literally dance attendance upon him just to hold court with him!
Only recently, the National Assembly Joint Committee on Works paid a courtesy visit at the Lagos House, Marina, to see the governor. The joint team comprised members of the Senate and House of Representatives Committees on Works, respectively led by Senator Barinada Mpigi and Hon. Akin Alabi.
Their mission was to see firsthand the level of work being carried out by the state governor with a view to advising the executive on areas that required strengthening and support in the form of infrastructure upgrade or complete overhaul as the case may be.
Justifying the need for the visit, the leader of the team, Mpigi said the lawmakers were in Lagos as part of their oversight functions to see firsthand some of the Federal Government’s major projects ongoing in Lagos and its environs, which include the 700-km Lagos-Calabar Coastal Road, repair works on the 3rd Mainland Bridge, and the Carter Bridge, amongst others.
The Senate Committee Chairman on Works commended the efforts of the Sanwo-Olu administratation in complementing the Federal Government’s infrastructural drive in the commercial nerve centre of the country.
He also commended the governor for doing a great job with the level of security around Lagos, particularly the Red and Blue rail lines.
Responding, Sanwo-Olu noted that there are challenges even with the huge opportunities in Lagos. He also called for concerted efforts on the part of all arms of government and the citizens to create a livable country that everyone would be proud of.
He therefore stressed the need to build more infrastructure, maintain existing ones, and make funding available to keep them in proper shape to serve the people of Lagos better.
The governor said: “We want to thank President Bola Tinubu for his great vision in ensuring that different parts of the country have meaningful, impactful, and purposeful governance, and he is showing it in all of his various interventions. The latest being the Renewed Hope Infrastructure Fund that the government is trying to put together.
“Lagos deserves, desires, and requires some of the infrastructure that you have gone around to inspect because it is important for us to build additional infrastructure, but more importantly, it is important to maintain and preserve existing infrastructure because these are assets that belong to all of us, the Nigerian people.
“For us as a government, we see ourselves as partners with the National Assembly and the Federal Government, because indeed, what we see at the end of the day is that our people get service. It is about the Nigerian conversation. It is about building our economy, nation, and country.
“We are excited that those investments are being made, and we want to assure you that this investment will be put to good use, preserved, and maintained properly. We will ensure that it brings about economic development for our people”.
While commending the joint partnership between the Senate and the House of Representatives, Sanwo-Olu encouraged members of the 10th National Assembly to continue to be passionate about their constituencies and ensure representational governance.
“We are all partners in progress, and what I will encourage you to do is let us not be deterred by whatever force that is trying to bring us down. Let us not be discouraged by forces of ethnic dimension, issues around kidnapping, banditry, and unwarranted death. That is not who we are. We are people who are driven by the willingness to create wealth, make life meaningful for citizens, and create opportunities for one another”, he said.
