Lagos State Governor, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu flagged of his campaign for reelection on Wednesday at the ninth Ehingbeti Summit in Lagos.
Wednesday was designated by the Independent National Electoral Commission for the commencement of governorship and state assembly elections scheduled to hold on 11th March 2023.
Sanwo-Olu sold himself as the best among the governorship candidates in the state and hinged that on his administration’s track records in the last three-and-a-half years, which have been in line with the T.H.E.M.E.S developmental agenda for Greater Lagos.
T.H.E.M.E.S represents the six-pillar development plan of the Sanwo-Olu administration. It stands for Traffic Management and Transportation; Health and Environment; Education and Technology; Making Lagos a 21st Century Economy; Entertainment and Tourism; and Security and Governance.
The Governor described some of those contesting against him as “noisemakers”, noting that, at the right time, men would be separated from toddlers.
During the summit, which ended on Wednesday, Sanwo-Olu launched the Lagos State Development Plan 2052, which it to chart a growth path for the state. He also signed two bills – Wealth Fund and Civil.
He equally witnessed the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the state government and Del York Group for Lagos Film City as well as the MoU between the government and Siemens Energy, which is for electronics technician training by the firm.
On the governorship election, Sanwo-Olu said he believed the people of the state would do the right thing by re-electing him.
He said: “Today is the day that INEC officially flagged off campaigns for governorship and House of Assembly elections. And there is no better time for me to do my official flag-off than at an economic summit like this where we are talking about our city, our people and Greater Lagos. What we are talking about is real; people can feel and they can see it.
“Some people can come here to claim anything. Some candidates would go about and make a lot of noise. They don’t even know what governance is all about. We have done a lot and people can feel it. People know this is a government that works for them.
“It is not about us; it is really to create that enabling environment for them (the citizens) to do well. Lagos State has witnessed prosperity in the last three and half years even in the COVID environment, and that is the trajectory in which we want to continue. So, tell the noisemakers that, after the noise, there would be calm and Lagosians will truly understand what we are talking about”.
On why he deserved to be re-elected, the Governor said: “For me, there can never be any better campaign; there can never be an any better conversation and there can never be any better means of showing and showcasing what this government has done for the past three-and-a-half years than what you all have seen here in the last two days.
“I want to tell all Lagosians that it is as clear as day and night. Of course, there are a lot of people on the bill. There are a lot of noisemakers on the bill. There are a lot of other people that don’t even know their right from the left on the bill.
“I know there are a lot of other people that are out and shouting. Let them shout but after the shouting, there would be calmness because indeed you Lagosians know the right thing to do. And you will do the right thing by voting for us and re-elect us to continue with the great work that we’re doing”.
