In its quest for growth and development in Lagos State, as well as making life more comfortable for residents, the state is now competing with countries in Africa and not other states in Nigeria.
During a live interview on the Breakfast Xtra programme on News Central Television on Sunday, the Special Adviser to the Lagos State Governor on Media and Publicity, Mr. Gboyega Akosile said that due to the remarkable achievements of the Babajide Sanwo-Olu administration in many sectors in line with the T.H.E.ME.S+ developmental agenda, Lagos is now being compared with countries like Ethiopia, Morocco, South Africa and others in the areas of infrastructural development, social contract with the citizens and other dividends of democracy.
On Sanwo-Olu’s government, Akosile said that the incumbent administration has delivered laudable infrastructural projects and dividends of democracy to improve the standard of living of millions of Lagos residents in the last five years.
He said that the administration has records of key achievements in the areas of Traffic Management and Transportation; Health and Environment; Education and Technology; Making Lagos a 21st Century Economy; Entertainment and Tourism, and Security and Governance, as well as ensuring inclusion in government, which are integral parts of the T.H.E.ME.S+ developmental agenda.
He said: “Everything he (Governor Sanwo-Olu) has done is key and paramount to the living standard of Lagosians. All the areas that we have touched on in the last five years are key. Do you remember what COVID did to us in the world? Do you want to talk about how Mr. Governor tackled COVID head-on? How he rescued Nigeria and not just Lagos. In fact, he helped some neighbouring countries around us, like Ghana, Benin, and the rest of them, curtailed the spread of COVID-19 in the region. That is a monumental and huge achievement, and it shot us up in the global rankings.
“With other health initiatives of the governor and the current administration, Lagos State is occupying an enviable space within the African rankings of the 10 best health facilities in Africa. What that tells us is that we are not competing with states in Nigeria; we are competing with countries in Africa.
“This is what a lot of people don’t take note of when they are comparing. They don’t compare Lagos with states; they compare Lagos with countries. They compare us with South Africa, Morocco, and Egypt, and those are countries. When people compare our rail projects, they compare us with Ethiopia, whereas Ethiopia is a sovereign country and Lagos is a state among 36 states. That shows that Lagos is not here to joke”.
Akosile said that the Red and Blue rail lines inaugurated by the Sanwo-Olu administration are a game changer, noting that the administration inherited the Blue line rail project, completed the first phase, and is currently working on the second phase. He said the Red Line Rail was also started and completed during the incumbent administration, making the state the only sub-national to embark on a rail project in the African continent.
He said the governor has also addressed the Apapa gridlock in fulfillment of his campaign promises to address the traffic problem, which has affected businesses for many years in the Apapa corridors, where the two busiest wharfs in Nigeria are located.
On the achievements of the administration in the housing sector and environmental issues, Akosile said that the incumbent administration has injected more housing units than any previous administrations in the state and also ensured sanity in the environment sector.
He said: “The Ministry of Environment is doing a lot. I was shocked to discover that people are living under the bridge like a residential apartment. We are doing a lot, and it is work in progress. The Commissioner for the Environment, Mr. Tokunbo Wahab, has been doing a good job in the area of the environment. He has a background in law; he is a lawyer, and that is why nobody has been able to hold him by the jugular because he ensures that he follows due process.
“We don’t make people homeless. We are here to serve the people of the state. We have done a lot in the area of housing. In fact, without sounding immodest, the current administration has injected more housing units than any previous administration in Lagos State”.
He said the Sanwo-Olu administration is also working towards addressing the issue of streetlights and security challenges in the church.
Akosile said that Lagos has also been adjudged the safest state in Nigeria because of the huge investments of the incumbent administration in ensuring that the lives of Lagos residents and their properties are secured, adding that the state Neighbourhood Watch is also doing a lot in terms of gathering intelligence to address insecurity in the state.
