I hardly ever contend with people who do not find anything positive about government and the act of governance especially, as practiced in Nigeria. Whenever I am accosted by those who malign government, I often listen and nod in agreement. After all, depending on whichever side of the divide you belong, (whether pro or anti-government) there are a multitude of convincing arguments to be advanced for your position.
In fact, it really does appear as though the anti-government exponents have the upper hand. Reason being that; there are more instances of government’s failure than success. Remember Operation Green Revolution, SAP, Vision 2010, Vision 2020, Ten Points Agenda, need I mention more? Government’s performance record over the years has been despicable, deplorable and abysmal. It has evidenced repeatedly an amazing capacity to promise and renege.
So, the logical question to ask is what is the moral derivative for speaking falsehood and a distasteful admixture of half-truths and outright lies? What saintly altitude do we attain by being so irritatingly corrupt? Today, corruption lies as the nuisance of our collective progress. It is perhaps more endemic than HIV/AIDS. What HIV/AIDS does to the human body, corruption has done to the fabric of our nation. It cascades from the top and trickles down to the grassroots.
Government and its cronies pilfer with immunity. Government in turn sets up an Anti-graft agency to hunt down those who sing discordant tunes and then goes for plea bargain if it’s caught in its own web. That is why “rich man wa steal money we no dey see their face for Crime Fighters”. (apologies African China)
Absurdity is really the catchphrase under this clime. Contacts are awarded to dead relatives. Projects are commissioned before completion. Heavy monetary allotments are made for projects that are designed to fail, ab initio. A case in point? Remember that a certain General, who thought he was wiser than us all, allegedly invested over $13 billion dollars into the power sector: we harvested the whirlwind and darkness as accruable dividend!
This for me (among several others) is a classic exemplification of standing logic on its head. I thought people only reap what they sow; at least the Bible says so. Where is Olusegun Obasanjo; where are Ibrahim Babangida, James Onanefe Ibori and the world-famous Alams! Am I accusing these men of criminal complicity? Far from it. Point is, it is worrisome that these men and many of their protégés are paddling a gospel I find beyond my reasoning capability. These people posses a larger than life physique. They make controversies appear legendary. What really is the moral worth of controversies?
Enter Babatude Raji Fashola. He is for me, the breath of freshness in this chaotic contraception referred to as Nigeria. Until I could visibly see the impact of his governance, I had thought we where eternally doomed. His entry into partisan politics marked the beginning of sanity in our polity. His, is politics of more action, less talk. I have taken the liberty to reproduce just a few of a myriad of his achievements for your perusal:
ROAD CONSTRUCTION
Among these are the reconstruction of the Murtala Muhammed way (Yaba – Iddo), Herbert Macaulay way, Aje Street, Commercial Avenue, Commercial Road, Montgomery Street and old Yaba Road on Lagos Mainland. The construction of Okota – Itire Overhead Link Bridge and Road works, Ajah - Badore Road; LASU-Iba road in Ojoo; Bourdillion-
Alexandra- Gerrard- Osborne Roads in Ikoyi; Old Ota Road Phase II, Agodo Community Road,Shasha Orisumbare street and Ejigbo Association Avenue in Ikotun; and Ijegun - Isheri Oshun
Isolo Roads.
Others are completion of the second phase of Adetokunbo Ademola road on Victoria Island Admiralty-Alexander (Lekki-Ikoyi) Link Bridge. Dualisation of Mobil Road and Wilmer Crescent in Apapa; construction of a road network in Epe; construction of Ijede-Egbin Road and Rotimi Odusanya Street in Ikorodu; construction of Alasia- Aiyetoro Road, Ijanikun; construction of Ikosi Road, Iba; as well as Ogunoiki, Sule Abore, Oodu Odogunyan-Odonla, and Uniyu roads all in Eti Osa and the commencement of work towards the transformation of the Lagos-Badagry Expressway as a ten-lane modern international high way.
The roads are of the highest quality. Not only are they equipped with service ducts, the drains are no longer bricks laid but reinforced concrete to ensure the durability of the roads.
TRANSPORTATION
The BRF administration, implemented the intermodal mass transit option. Today, the take off of the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) scheme is a success story. The number of high capacity BRT buses has been increased from 126 to 446 with a capacity to transport more than 400,000 persons daily.
The rehabilitation and construction of jetties, dredging of the waterways and other infrastructure in readiness for the implementation of efficient private sector operated ferry services. They include the construction of standard terminals at Ikorodu, Badore and Osborne as well as the dredging and channelization of the following ferry Routes:
i) Ikorodu – Badore via Oreta, Baiyeku and Ijede;
(ii) Ikorodu – Osborne;
(iii) Badore – Lekki;
(iv) Oke Afa – Mile 2;
(v) Tolu/Ajegunle – PortNovo Creek – Liverpool and
(vii) Planned repairs of Epeme and Iya Afin jetties
The third leg of mass transit is the light rail option. With the design of the designated corridors nearly completed, the BRF administration will soon be able to commence construction of the first route. The designated routes for immediate implementation are the Agbado-Iddo – Marina and Ojo/Okokomaiko to Marina.
An additional five routes have been identified for future construction, namely:
(i) Marina – Lekki
(ii) Ota/MMA – Iddo
(iii) Redemption Camp – Ojo
(iv) Redemption Camp – Marina
(v) Mile 2 – Marina
JOB CEATION
Job creation is evident in the following examples: 5000 employed as street sweepers; Over 2000 employed by the PSP operators for solid waste management; Over 2000 employed in the massive drainage and canal clearing works; about 3000 directly employed in the various greening and beautification projects including those employed in the supply chain; about 2000 drivers employed for the BRT operation; about 500 directly engaged in the Agricultural initiatives like Rice-for-Jobs; about 1000 additional staff employed by LASTMA and the Lagos State Fire Service as at the end of 2008.
Over 9000 self-employed persons graduated from the state’s Skills Acquisition programmes and received financing under the Lagos State Micro-finance Initiative; over 10000 employed directly as construction workers on the various roads, bridges and housing construction projects; the upsurge in public construction works as well as some new regulations have created job opportunities for surveyors, architects, valuers, engineers, accountants and lawyers. Under the state’s vacation job programme, about 10,000 young people were employed on our Enterprise Registration and Identification (ENTRIDA) scheme during the last long vacation period.
EDUCATION
This administration has sustained the provision of free education in all public nursery, primary and secondary schools in Lagos State. In the same vein, it has continued the comprehensive rehabilitation of School infrastructure. In 2008 alone, it undertook the rehabilitation of 746 classrooms, completed 85 blocks of abandoned classroom projects while also undertaking the construction of 704 new classrooms at about N5.07billion.
Government’s efforts also included maintenance intervention works on 712 classrooms, school walls, roofs and drainages. With over N580million spent on provision of science equipment for both senior and junior secondary schools.
Contracts have also been awarded to provide 20,800 pupil’s dual desks, 3150 Teacher’s desks and 90 principal’s furniture. Procurement and distributed about six million free text books for children at all levels in our public nursery, primary and secondary schools while also placing emphasis on training and retention of teachers.
HEALTH
In the health sector, government is committed to providing curative health care at the secondary and tertiary levels while also emphasizing preventive care through the provision of primary health care especially for women and children.
Apart from sustaining the provision of free health care for children under five, the aged above 60 and free ante-natal care for women, it has further expanded services of free screening and treatment for a number of silent killer diseases such as Tuberculosis, Diabetes, High blood pressure Prostate cancer and Breast cancer.
As at 2008, it had made provision for ten new Mobile Intensive Care Units, 57 new ambulances for health care centers at the grassroots and took delivery of a new Field Hospital, which is a standard hospital on wheels that can be deployed during emergencies to on the spot medical and surgical services. In addition to strengthening the School Health Programme with the provision of mobile dental clinics to offer dental care to school children.
Such programs as the Cleft Lip/Palate and the Limb Deformity Corrective surgery continue to offer succor and hope to hundreds of indigent persons. From LASUTH to the General Hospitals in Lagos Island, Amuwo Odofin, Gbagada, Ajeromi, Isolo and Ikorodu considerable development has being achieved.
Other projects completed or nearing completion include the 100 bed maternal and child health complexes within Ikorodu, Mushin, Surulere, Isolo and Ifako Ijaiye General hospitals; the 50 bed trauma and burn centre at the Lagos end of the Expressway and the staff clinic at the Secretariat, Alausa, Ikeja, transformation of LASUTH and LASUCOM into centers of medical excellence, rehabilitation and equipping of wards, clinics and the 5 suite theatre complex and the provision of a car park, multipurpose sports complex, Animal House, Dental Centre, the Bola Tinubu 144 bed four storey ward, pediatrics/family medicine complex at LASUTH and the procurement of thoracic endoscopy and pacemaker implantation equipment.
The Governor further states “We understand that a qualitative health care system is not just about drugs, structures, equipment and ideas. It is also and significantly so about personnel. We have therefore been engaged in training and re-training of our medical personnel and this we will intensify as we move forward. We are determined to make the necessary investment for the emergence of Lagos as a prime global destination for persons in quest of qualitative medical care.”
HOUSING
As at 2008, the Ministry of Housing had constructed 2000 housing units in seven locations across the state. Apart from direct construction, gvernment is also utilizing the strategy of Public-Private Partnership to meet the housing needs of the state. In this respect, 27 Developers have proposed the construction of 20,000 housing units in ten different locations across the state. Under this arrangement, the government provides the land as equity while private resources are deployed to construct the estates. Necessary approvals have been given and work is under way in a number of them.
Government is currently addressing the problem of congestion created by high population density in the metropolis through the establishment of Satellite Estates in sub-urban and rural communities such as Agbowa-Ikosi, Ado, Imota, Epe, Igbogbo, Oke-Eletu and Ibeju. It is estimated that these schemes will provide at least 20,000 new housing units for different categories of residents.
This is in addition to the aerial digital mapping of Lagos State through the Geographic Information System (GIS). This project, which is currently on-going, will provide a modern, scientific information data base of the physical features of Lagos to aid effective planning.
Through government’s rural integration program, it has intervened in over 500 communities with the provision of rural electrification, micro water works, rural roads and other basic facilities. These include the provision of 314 integrated development projects in 38 contiguous rural communities.
To improve water supply in the state, it completed five micro-water works at Iwaya, Ojo, Badia, Oworonsoki, Otto-Awori and Igando. Out of the 15 water projects that was planned, it has awarded twelve and will deliver two million gallons of water daily will start reaching completion.
The government has continued the aggressive provision of street lights on major roads while commendable progress has been made in tapping the potentials of marine agriculture in the state through the implementation of the Marine Agriculture Development Program (LSMADP).
In an interview BRF granted Caterina Bortolussi in 2008, he said: “Locally and nationally we can’t finish all the work required in a four-year term but we could set irreversible milestones and an irreversible foundation for the future”.
The future he was alluding to I presume, is 2011. Lagosians, lets do it right again. BRF may not be a saint. Admittedly, there are gravely, yet-to-be-substantiated allegations against him. However, he has shown that he is a departure from the norm. Let us not kill this messiah by denying him our votes. He deserves a smooth pass to 2011. Eko o ni Baje o! O baje ti
Prince Ezebuchi Onuoha
Unilag, Mass Communication, 300level.
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