Lagos State has generated reputation for political, cultural and economic in a Federal Capital territory. The state is mirrored as the as the image brand of Nigeria. A state of Aquatic splendor. A center of Excellence par Excellence. Beyond any hyperbolic expressions, it is a state divinely blessed with the Sea ,Airport and natural endowments that makes her uniqueness the subject of attraction for innovation and development. In this regards, democracy in the last 22 years has been confronted with gains and pains. It has migrated in terms of innovation to the mothers of all custodian of the direction of commerce and corporate engagement in Nigeria. Head offices of several organization has added glamour to the institutional industrialization in Lagos state. The engagingly experimented democratic gains in Lagos state has manifested in evidential dividends of democracy although not completely without some challenges.
The return to democratic era in Nigeria has some significant effect in the life of Lagos state. As a senior prefect of other States in Nigeria, Lagos state under the piloting skills and administrative prowess of His Excellency ,former Governor of Lagos state,Bola Ahmed Tinubu has creatively harnessed potentials and played the card of necessity, which is the mother of invention, when the allocation of the local government development council established by him was starved of fund during the regime of president Olusegun Obasanjo. This among other challenges necessitated the innovative injection of IGR internally generated revenue drive to effect infrastructural facilities for Lagos state. It was a trying period but the sacrifices although with pains yielded result. Ministries were creatively engaged and a fantastic team spirit played out.
The democratic era in Lagos state witnessed the introduction and master plan futuristic documents to ensure continuity of the next level on consistent and continuous basis for Lagos state. The concept of successor and predecessor synergy has been finally registered to originality of thinking and action, irrespective of the pilot at the helms of affairs in Lagos state.
Lagos state in the last twenty two years has witnessed fantastic autonomy of three arms of government. The issue of rubber stamp is an illusion. The autonomy of the legislative and judicial arm of Lagos state has been uncompromisingly admirable. A house of Assembly peopled by intelligentsia’s and judicial arm peopled by Oracles of law.
The innovation of Bus Rapid Transport BRT, LASTMA for lagosian to ease transportation has been amazing. It has also generated employment and this has been significantly remarkable to the success of revenue generating indices for Lagos state government. This is deeply rooted in road construction. Road construction has been significantly symbolic as one of the dividend of democracy in Lagos state.
One of the interesting democratic gains of Lagos state is the emergence of Governors after his Excellency Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu. He has carefully choose and influenced brilliant and technocratic successors. Babatunde Raji Fashola dazed the National Assembly during ministerial screening with erudite administrative submission of stewardship account of Lagos state. This was also followed by His Excellency Akinwunmi Ambode and presently a University of Lagos product Sanwoolu Babajide ,who has also been brilliantly following the master plan in theory and practice. Undoubtedly correct ,a man with excellent pillow talk material in the person of Dr Ibijoke Sanwo-Olu. Governor Sanwo-olu has been creatively engaging with several project commissioned in Lagos state and more in the pipeline.This becomes achievable with team spirit and cabinet members with fecundity of imagination. He is blessed with the best Deputy Governor so far in the history of Lagos in the person of Dr Hamzat Obafemi.
One of the gains of democracy in Lagos state has been impressive security arrangements. E policing and intelligence gathering has made the metropolitan definition of Lagos state an attractive environment for both local and foreign investment. The very reason for a well managed IGR expression for the development of Lagos state. A state signatory to the institutionalisation of Amotekun and enhancing legislative backing to support investment.
One of the challenges of this beautiful state has been the issue of youth restiveness and unemployable youths. This became more pronounced during END SARS agitation. Properties worth millions of naira were razed down.People lost properties and loved ones.
One of the recommendations for a better Lagos state is the investment in data capturing of residents and residence. This will help plans and control insecurity.
The activities of NURTW must be addressed strictly for ticketing. The level of extortion is increasingly embarrassing.
The state should invest in voters education to produce mental infrastructure for good governance. The trade secret of Lagos state has been that of leadership mirroring standard. There is no rocket science in this.
The state also should set a standard of scale of preference for project implementation. Road construction in remote areas will connect the opulence environment to that of humble means equality of dividends of franchise.
In view of the above, the Lagos state of our dream needs think tank team to be raised as part of the administration trade secret. Ideas rules the world. Invest more in education and vocational training schools. A regular family meeting with stakeholders ,teachers ,students Union bodies,even opposition party chieftain, security personnel and good proposals should be the watchword of this administration. The Governor needs to connect the town and gown. The governed and the government must have a connecting spirit in the dividend of democracy and particularly ensure that all governmental power that will assist lagosians to have PRE PAID meeters in their various homes are possible. Power supply and exorbitant billing of estimated bills is making lagosians to be suffering and smiling. Constancy of power supply is key.Nonsensical crazy bill should be killed.
It is on the basis of the aforementioned without claiming monopoly of wisdom that the Lagos state of our dream will be a subject of both national and international mirroring standard in the assessment of good governance. Centre of Excellence will forever be excellent with excellent leadership spirit without political and economic interruptions of Excellence in excellent goal attainments.
Dr Benjamin Oluwatosin Olowojebutu
Chairman
University of Lagos Alumni Association
Lagos State Branch