Ambode’s responsive governance style

IT is an acceptable norm, that a democratically elected government must meet the need of the people that voted them into power. They enjoy the ultimate sovereignty, from the liberty perspective. Since governance derives its backing and supporting from the constitution and the people, it is mandatory for the same government to listen, carry along and feed the people back about its activities.

The strength of a good government lies in its victory which comes from the ballot system and this has a numerical strength, where the party with the highest numbers of vote forms a simple majority. The contrary view of democracy equally says when a government voted into power refuses to perform or meet the yearnings or aspirations of the people that democratically voted for them, same electorate or the people being governed have the right to reject such government by voting them out of power in subsequent elections.

This means that when a government becomes destructive and retrogressive, the same people that empowered them with their votes can abolish or terminate such government. Having said little about what constitutional government is all about, I now need to come to back to the main issue — Governor, Akinwunmi Ambode — he has within a short period of time in office being able to correct the negative view of the people of the state towards governance.

Yes, democracy is about being responsive to the people that voted you into power. Our amiable governor has within three years of his assumption of office proved critics wrong by being responsive and progressive in the discharge of his duties to the people of the state.

I remember on assumption of office, his address to the people of the state, in the presence of traditional rulers. He openly promised and vowed to give the people the state a sense of belonging by adopting open policy in his style of governance, Ambode has proved to be the governor of the people in action and otherwise with the level of infrastructure being put in place across the 20 local government areas and 37 local council development areas across the state.

When Ambode assumed office as the Lagos State governor, not a few people thought that he started from slow lane, but, as soon as he got his groove, the narrative changed, as he now runs on the fast lane. He started out with a human approach to governance by encouraging the Lagos State Traffic Management Agency and the Vehicle Inspection Agency to stop being aggressive in dealing with Lagos motorists. He even pulled the VIOs off the roads, and changed the name of the Kick Against Indiscipline agency to the more benign Lagos State Environmental Sanitation Corps.

Today the entire three senatorial districts in the state are witnessing massive reconstruction, expansion of roads with streetlights and one rebuilding process or the other.

• Ademola Orunbon,

 Epe, Lagos