2019: We’ll prioritise education, healthcare, others in Lagos ― Gov candidates

FOUR governorship candidates for the coming election in Lagos, including Mr Babatunde Gbadamosi of African Democratic Party (ADP), Mrs Omolara Adesanya of Peoples Progressives Congress (PPC), Mr Olumuyiwa Fafowora of Action Democratic Congress (ADC) and Mrs Adebisi Ogunsanya of Young Progressives Party (YPP) on Saturday said they are resolved to prioritise education, healthcare, security and infrastructural development in the state if elected into office in next month’s exercise holding across the country.

The candidates gave this promise while speaking at the governorship debate organised by the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) Yoruba Service, promising also to run a transparent government as they all decried alleged financial wastes ongoing in the state.

Gbadamosi, Adesanya, Fafowora and Ogunsanya all said the poor state of education, healthcare, lack of water and incessant power supply, traffic situation, among others were of serious concern to them and, therefore, the reason why they threw themselves into the race.

Speaking during the debate, YPP governorship candidate, Mrs Ogunsanya, while lamenting the poor state of education, among others, said there was the need to put a stop to the current drift and effect a change for the better.

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The governorship hopeful promised more funding, up to date training of teachers, while also promising to eradicate poverty by creating job opportunities through investment.

ADP standard bearer, Gbadamosi, while also decrying poor handling of education and healthcare, said his government would address the poor transportation system in the state, the incessant power supply, the issue of water supply, among others.

He said he was poised to improve water transportation system by bringing into the state high capacity boats that can ferry a large number of people and vehicles at the same time thereby reducing congestion on the roads and reducing travel time.

“Lagos was created to make life comfortable for its people and you can see how the state was under the first governor, Sir Mobolaji Johnson and later Governor Jakande. I, Babatunde Gbadamosi, would make education, healthcare delivery accessible, provide good roads, light and water and other things that would make things easy for everyone,” he said.

“What we would do urgently is that there are big boats now available that are of high capacity, we would make them available and by the time they are in operation, they would reduce congestion on our roads drastically,” he added.

Also speaking on the same issue, Fafowora, the ADC candidate, while recalling that former Governor Lateef Jakande’s dream of building a metro line for the state was unfortunately dashed, noted that constructing a metro line for Lagos was one of the key programmes of his administration.

According to him, Lagos with a population of over 20million will need a metro line to address it’s challenging traffic situation, saying if other developed cities of the world, including New York, could have such, nothing should stop Lagos from having it’s own now.

“If elected, I would bring about New York experience to Lagos, that is what I would do,” he said.

On her part, Mrs Adesanya said the BRT would be made to work optimally under her administration and the workers made to do a shift if possible, while also promising to improve road condition in the state as well as boost water transportation by encouraging the establishment of boat building yards in the state.