An evening with Akinwunmi Ambode

Last Thursday at the Lagos State banquet hall, Alausa, Ikeja, Governor Akinwunmi Ambode treated the crème-de-la-crème of the country’s journalism profession to sumptuous dinner and exotic wines. It was also a night of tributes for what is generally perceived as the great job the Lagos governor is doing. What is good is good and at the pains of being taken as fawning or sounding hypocritical, speaker after speaker praised Ambode for taking good governance many notches higher than he had met it. And they were damn right!

For me, Ambode, more than all his predecessors, passed the good governance test I had set when no one had an inkling Ambode would be governor, and it is this: A government will be deemed to have performed creditably well if citizens feel its impact in many ways from their little corners, whether or not they have access to anyone in the government to influence anything or help themselves to the so-called “dividends of democracy.” In the Agege area of the state where I live, I see the impact of the Lagos State government in its efforts to solve the problematic traffic situation of Pen Cinema and its environs. At Ikeja where I have my office, I see efforts directed at solving the chaotic traffic situation with the construction of state-of-the-art motor parks. This has been replicated all over the state. I have always been of the opinion that one of the major causes of unmanageable traffic in Lagos is the absence of motor parks. It baffles me that we build roads without making provision for parks, thereby leaving commercial and other vehicles no option than to park right in the middle of the road to pick or drop passengers. My church is on Bakare Street in the Alapere-Ketu area of the state and I can see on-going work aimed at dualizing Estate – Alapere road. Lagos State has had the good fortunes of having three governors in a row that have the good sense of wanting to do “something”, however small, for the people. But my belief, always, is that a lot more can still be done – and will have to be done – for Lagos to live up to the billing of a well-planned and well-run mega city, as distinct from a slum that many parts of the city still remains.

And this leads me to my second hypothesis in the good governance chain, to wit, Lagos can, and must, generate between 20 and 40 times its current level of internally-generated revenue for it to have the financial muscles concomitant with the quantum of challenges facing it. I recognise that Lagos has come a long way from the days when it depended solely, like the other states of the federation, on federal hand-outs but I still do not think the N25billion internally-generated revenue that it currently boasts is the best it can achieve. Many thanks to ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo! If OBJ hadn’t seized Lagos’ federal allocations, it is doubtful if then Governor Bola Tinubu would have been forced to think out of the box. Necessity, they say, is the mother of inventions. Taking a cue from biblical Joseph, OBJ’s was one decision meant for the hurt of Lagos but which Providence turned into a blessing. Nevertheless, Lagos can, and should, generate between N500 billion and a trillion Naira monthly before it can meet up with, and be on top of, the challenges posed by the daily influx of people into the city; otherwise, it will only manage to struggle.

Like Ambode himself admitted, there are far too many people outside the tax dragnet and the blame for this must be shared between unpatriotic citizens and hare-brained policies of government that discourage people from paying tax. I recollect when the Lagos Signage people first showed their face, everyone in the building where my office was were enthusiastic and wanted to pay, but when they brought bills that were gargantuan, we quickly yanked off our sign boards and all revenue was lost to the state. Start little and grow into it. As our people would say, “kere kere n’imu elede n wo ogba”; which means the pig just doesn’t barge into the fence but prises it open little by little. Same must be said about efforts geared at combating traffic offences: Where the penalties are steep, we encourage people to cut corners. You may not believe it but theories abound that corruption exists because it performs some (useful?) functions in society. The demand and supply graph of corruption will interest anyone. Rather than pay steep price as penalty for committing an offence, the offender is likely going to settle for bribing his or her way out of the problem. So, we help to stoke the embers of corruption rather than smother it when we apply stringent measures and we drive people away from paying tax when we are too ambitious with the rates imposed on them.

Lagos will also have to find a way to plug all leakages. While it is true that no one can completely eradicate corruption, it must be reduced to the barest minimum. One form of corruption, which we seldom take to heart, is that of people getting paid for work not done. In many offices not only in Lagos but all over the place, supposed workers loiter or, to quote one of our erstwhile military dictators who said some University dons were teaching what they were not paid to teach, they go to the office to do what they are not paid to do. They gossip, sell recharge cards, bring melons to the office to dress, etc. There is the need to trim the workforce; I know Labour will not like to hear that and politicians will tremble to consider it but slim fit is the vogue these days. The Lagos governor disclosed that the state has a workforce of 150,000 and carries a monthly wage load of N9billion. Taken out of its IGR of N25 billion, a hefty balance is still left; not to talk of what comes from the Federation Account. Lagos is in a world of its own when it is compared with the other states of the federation. I should think it is the only state that generates more IGR than its wage bill. Some states have IGR as low as N400million but carry a wage bill of billions. Onigbese! Because of its vision and also because of its peculiar circumstances as one of the fastest growing mega cities in the world and one that attracts close to 100 Nigerians on a daily basis, Lagos cannot afford to rest on its oars or be lethargic. I know it can be more business-like. Why, for instance, must anyone give subvention to agencies of government that should, on a good day, be cash cows contributing to, and not depleting, the coffers of the state? There is still some work to be done in that respect. Such agencies must be allowed to run as business devoid of political encumbrances.

I made two demands of Ambode at the event, both of which dwelt on the need for him to come to Macedonia and help us. We need him to concretize the Alapere canal; otherwise, all the property on both sides of the canal, including my church, will be lost in no time. Continual dredging of the canal has led what was a “small gutter” as those familiar with the history of the canal put it, into a big river now. And it keeps enlarging. The second demand was that, to complement the dual carriage-way un-going at Alapere, Mr. Governor should help us pave Bakare and Owo-ade. These two important roads used to serve as “escape routes” each time the main Ori-Ola Street is locked down but is now impassable. I also told the governor I have heard people say that “powerful and well-connected” landlords, whose buildings possibly contravene regulations, have consistently pulled their weight at Alausa to prevent Bakare and Owo-ade being tarred. Ambode shook his head in amusement, suggesting that such shenanigans were impossible with him. We wait to see, abi? Seeing is believing; as they say. When Bakare and Owo-ade are paved, I will add to Ambode’s pounded yam, like my grandma used to promise me whenever she wanted me to surprise her with good deeds. Friday was a night to remember. I met old friends and colleagues. I was refreshed not only by the food and drinks but also by the ideas that were traded at the event. Ambode described himself as an introvert when advised he had to up his media visibility, especially with second term knocking on the door. We will remember that Lagos nearly tripped at this hurdle the last time out; but were my colleagues who gathered last Thursday the electoral college to hand out the second term ticket, Ambode is home and dry already granted, as one of my colleagues inferred, we all spoke our mind! Politics is usually a game of intrigues, deceits, and subterfuge – and the heart of man, who may know it? Now, which is more difficult to work with: An introvert or extrovert? They have their advantages and disadvantages. It is better for CEOs to cut a path in-between both. The media team of Ambode, erudite and accomplished in their respective fields, must find a way to lead their principal into the middle-of-the-road for greater efficiency. I have no doubt in my mind they are up to the task – and that Ambode will cooperate.

LAST WORD: Whoever and whatever has caused the ongoing fuel crisis this yuletide, with the attendant suffering and sorrow, is wicked, pure and simple, and will burn in Hell. Oh yes!

 FEEDBACK

I must say I thoroughly enjoy your piece. You speak real truth to the powers-that-be and you also admonish them. You have always been a fearless and conscientious writer whose column I look forward to reading every Sunday. This federal government has been a let-down to Nigerians who expected so much from it, especially in its anti-corruption war. It’s so sad. Please continue the good work. God bless you! -Yussuff.