Ahead of next year’s governorship election, Lagos State Governor, Babatunde Fashola yesterday warned that the state was too big for beginners to experiment with, stressing that “The state needed someone who already understands the system of governance in Lagos.”
Speaking at the public presentation of Lagos State Development Plan, LSDP 2012-2025 in Alausa Secretariat, Ikeja, which was attended by the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Akinwunmi Ambode, Fashola disclosed that he was able to improve on the legacy left by the former governor, Bola Tinubu because “I was already part of the government.”
In the words of the Governor, “I can reveal to you today that one of the things that helped me the first day I resumed office was that the day I arrived, I knew the Head of Service, HoS and Permanent Secretary, PS by name and face. And I knew how the government worked because I was part of the team that made it work.”
Fashola added that the state had commenced construction of several projects which could only be completed by someone who understands the mode of governance in the state since the tenure of the present administration will end on May 29th, 2015.
He identified the 70 million gallon per day Adiyan Phase II Waterways, the ongoing light rail among others as projects which constitute the developmental plans for the state, positing that “he (Ambode) was part of this development plan in the state. He helped to commence the plan because the plan started in his office when he was the Accountant-General of the state between 2007 and 2012. With this plan, it shows that this state is too important to be left in the hands of those who want to experiment with it. We must keep it in very safe hands.”
The Governor went on to allay the fears of residents on the impact of declining oil price on Lagos economy, saying: “the dwindling oil price will not affect the state economy.”
He assured that the state economy was not built on extractive (oil) resources, “but on very strong immigrant capital that makes up the human resources of the state. Our development partners feel at home because they bring value to our table.
“Our megacity status indicates the reality of today that we are a large population. And we have turned the burden of large population to asset. And that was why we can say that whatever happens to oil today, we will survive.”
He called on residents to adopt the plan as their own and work with the government to guarantee its successful implementation.
Speaking earlier, the Commissioner for Budget and Economic Planning, Ben Akabueze explained that the LSDP was borne out of the need to harness the various documents articulating the vision of Lagos as Africa‘s megacity.
Noting that the plan provided the framework to guide private and public investments in government programmes, he said, “The purpose of the Development Plan is to provide overall direction for the growth and development of the state.
“It will provide a framework by which all sectors of the economy can direct their energies and contribute to the improvement of the quality of life people in the state. It will set the overarching long term framework for government`s planning and budget system”, Akabueze said.
While assuring that the successful implementation of the plan would make the state a model city by 2025, the Commissioner disclosed that it would focus on developing the key areas of the economy, environment infrastructure and security.
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