How Lagos is competing with African countries – Sanwo-Olu’s aide

Gboyega Akosile

Published By: Paul Dada

In its quest for growth and development as well as making life more comfortable for residents, Lagos State is now competing with countries in Africa and not states in Nigeria, says the Special Adviser to the Lagos State Governor on Media and Publicity, Mr. Gboyega Akosile.

Akosile made this claim on Sunday during a live interview on the Breakfast Xtra programme on News Central Television.

The spokesman to the Governor said, the development was made possible by the the “remarkable achievements” of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s administration in many sectors in line with the THEMES+ developmental agenda, Lagos  now being compared with countries like Ethiopia, Morocco, South Africa and others by many people in the areas of infrastructural development, social contract with the citizens and other dividends of democracy.

Speaking on Governor Sanwo-Olu’s government, Akosile said the incumbent administration had delivered laudable infrastructural projects and dividends of democracy to improve the standard of living of millions of Lagos residents in the last five years.

Akosile said the administration had 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, being integral parts of the Babajide Sanwo-Olu administration’s THEMES+ 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 the Red and Blue rail lines inaugurated by Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s 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 Lagos State the only sub-national to embark on a rail project in the African continent.

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He said Governor Sanwo-Olu 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.

Speaking on the achievements of the Babajide Sanwo-Olu administration in the housing sector and addressing environmental issues in Lagos State, Akosile said 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 was also working towards addressing the issue of streetlights and security challenges in the Church.

Akosile said Lagos had 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 Lagos State Neighbourhood Watch was also doing a lot in terms of gathering intelligence to address insecurity in the State.