Ambode: Exiting strongly with applause

The tension was palpable and expectations high across the state on October 3rd, 2018,  a day after the controversial All Peoples Congress (APC) governorship primary elections were held in Lagos and Lagosians were awaiting the next step Governor Akinwunmi Ambode would take to consummate his avowed second term bid. The chairman of the APC Committee, Chief Clement Ebri, had earlier in the day surprised many when he turned around to announced the results of an election he had told the world did not take place. Hence, expectation was on the high side; people were expecting the governor to either fight on to contest the election or surrender and congratulate Babajide Sanwo-Olu the declared winner of the primary election. Like most statesmen, Ambode chose the latter, he addressed the state and pledged to work with Sanwo-Olu to ensure APC’s at the general election. “The interests of our beloved State must always supersede that of any person or group. It is in this regard that I wholeheartedly congratulate the winner of the Lagos State APC Primaries, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu and urge all Lagosians to immediately support our party’s gubernatorial candidate in the 2019 elections and work for the success of our dear party”, a relaxed Ambode told people of the state. The governor did not stop at that, he went ahead to campaign with Sanwo-Olu and even transverse the country with President Muhammadu Buhari to canvass support for the party.

And in spite of his inability to secure a second term, he can hold his head high  because history will be kind to him! The commissioning of his last set of  completed projects by President Muhammadu Buhari recently became his crowning glory! The projects are landmark projects which Lagosians will live to remember for a long time. These included the 10-lane Oshodi/Murtala Mohammed International Airport; 170-bed and well equipped Ayinke House at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital; Four Lagos Theatres; new 820 mass transit buses and the iconic multi-level Oshodi transport interchange. Just few days ago, he commissioned the Bariga Water Jetty, Ilaje roads, Lagos State University Senate Building and other impactful projects. The peculiar nature of Lagos politics notwithstanding, Ambode is an achiever by any standard! It was so bad that for the first time in the history of the state, the Lagos State House of Assembly refused to transmit the approved budget to the governor for accent so as to starve him of funds in the twilight of his tenure!

Apart from his last set of inaugurated legacy projects,  Ambode, right from his first day in office started writing his name in gold through various developmental projects in Lagos State including the rapid transformation of the 20 Local Government Areas and 37 Local  Council Development Areas. No matter the politics surrounding his re-election failure, Ambode has left his indelible footprints in the sand of time and nobody can obliterate this. To prove that he is in support of continuity, he reiterated his commitment to the State Development Plan (2012-2025) which is built on four pillars of Social Development and Security; Infrastructural  Development; Economic Development and Sustainable Environment. On assumption of office in 2015, Ambode immediately embarked on payment of backlog of N11billion as arrears to retirees of Lagos State Government and put smiles on the faces of many indigent families.   In his effort to develop rural areas, he completed more than 300 road projects in 20 Local Governments and 37 Local Development Council Areas. In order to secure lives and property, Ambode acquired equipment worth more than 7 billion Naira for the State Police Command and Rapid Response Squad and improved insurance and death benefit schemes for officers.

The operation LightUpLagos ensured streetlights were erected on many roads in the state while the Bus Reform Initiative was launched to bequeath a world class transportation system to the State. New bus terminals and shelters were constructed across the state while thousands of new buses were introduced. The Ambode road revolution saw to the rehabilitation and reconstruction of many roads while new overhead bridges were built across the state. The Berger bus stop which is the gateway to Lagos was transformed such that sanity was brought into the hitherto rough area.  A special Task Force was established which cleared the Apapa-Oshodi expressway of trucks, tankers and trailers while a Safety Arena was built in Oshodi, to bring all the Departments and Agencies responsible for the safety and emergency management under one roof while he repositioned Lagos State Emergency Agency, LASEMA. The agency now operates via four centers.

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The administration recruited 1,300 teachers into the primary education system and provided free medical services and psychosocial therapy to 700 survivors of domestic and sexual violence while a sum of 500 million Naira in Grants was presented to 275 Community Development Associations to complete various self-help projects. The  N25 billion Lagos State Employment Trust Fund was established and this has affected many lives positively.  The  Ready-Set-Work is an entrepreneurial and employability training programme aimed at ensuring that every student who graduates from any tertiary institution in Lagos has the knowledge, skills, and attitude required to gain employment upon graduation. Ambode Upgraded 14 flagship Primary Healthcare Centres (PHCs); Provided 20 Mobile Care Unit ambulances and 26 Transport Ambulances across the State. Public schools in Lagos State were renovated while the Lagos State University was completely transformed in terms of physical structures and equipping the buildings with furniture and modern medical equipment in case of the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital. As a result,  Lagos State University was rated as the best state university in year 2016. On investment drive, Ambode established Office of Overseas Affairs and Investment to promote and coordinate investments in Lagos State.

On agriculture, he developed the Strategic Plan for Accelerated Agricultural Growth (SPAAG), and set aside 50,000 acres of land for agriculture in the State. The Ambode administration collaborated with Kebbi State to produce the popular LAKE (Lagos-Kebbi) Rice.

The landmark Lagos State Electric Power Sector Reform was signed into law, to guarantee 24-hour power supply. Ambode has expanded the revenue base of Lagos from N22billion naira he met it in 2015 to  N34 billion Naira monthly in 2019 which has made Lagos State the envy of other states. Needless to say that he did all these without taking foreign loan.

These are some of Ambode’s achievements in the last four years as space would not permit to mention numerous others. The point remains that Ambode is not only a visionary leader but a man of action who wasted no time in transforming his visions into reality. I will end this piece by admonishing Ambode to reflect on the wise saying of Sivananda Saraswati who said, “There is something good in all seeming failures. You are not to see that now. Time will reveal it. Be patient.” . Ambode should learn from the travails of Ekiti State Governor,  Kayode Fayemi and be happy in the belief that nature has a way of rewarding hard work and redressing injustice.

• Akintunde, a policy analyst, writes in from Lagos