GOVERNORSHIP candidate of Lagos State chapter of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Mr Jimi Agbaje, on Tuesday promised to develop all the five divisions of the state into viable economic hubs.
The PDP candidate equally promised to address the numerous socio-political and economic dislocations that affected indigenes of the state in the last 20 years of the current democratic dispensation.
Agbaje gave this promise in Ikorodu when he met with representatives of the five divisions of the state under the umbrella of the Conference of Indigenous Associations of Lagos State (CIALS).
This was just as aborigines lamented lopsidedness in political appointments, environmental degradation, among others, saying all these were critical areas needing attention.
According to the governorship candidate, there is the need to ensure that the current trend whereby the economic potentials of the state was limited to Lagos Island was urgently and frontally addressed, adding that the agenda formed part of his re-anchoring programme that was aimed at even development of all parts of the state.
He assured that the programme would address the numerous problems currently plaguing the state, such as quality education, mass transportation, education and provision of water, when fully implemented.
“What we are looking at is a situation whereby we turn each of the five divisions making up the state to an economic hub, using the various comparative advantages of each of the various division for economic development in a sustainable manner that won’t cause someone living in Badagry, for instance, to seek livelihood in a far-flung area such as Lagos Island,” Agbaje said.
The PDP governorship candidate, while admitting that the indigenes of the state had sacrificed much to accommodate others, assured of a fair term that would ensure that non-indigenes were not relegated in the scheme of things in the running of the state under his leadership, promising to dispassionately look into the issues of marginalisation and loss of opportunities raised by the association.
President of the association, Professor Rasheed Ojikutu, in his earlier address, lamented that aboriginal Lagosians had become marginalised in their homeland due to the hospitality extended to non-indigenes.
According to him, issues such as lopsidedness in political appointments, environmental degradation, land grabbing by privileged state officials and politicians, dwindling opportunities to indigenes in accessing slots in state government-owned educational institutions formed part of the critical areas needing attention.
Articulating the grouse of indigenes of the state, Ojikutu said, “Those of us who are seated here are representatives of the people of the five divisions of the state. We are fighting for the interest of the entire indigenes of Lagos State and since you are an indigene. We are urging you to join our struggle.”
“Our demands are simple. When we talk about the indigenous people of Lagos State, we are not saying that the non-indigenes should not exist and thrive in the state. However, we are saying that we should have a fair share in the prosperity available to the state,” he added.
Ojikutu, while maintaining that the indigenous people of the state had demonstrated enough hospitality to non-indigenes, enjoined the PDP governorship hopeful, Agbaje to right the many wrongs that the situation for the indigenes in a manner that would ensure fairness and equity to all residents of the state.
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