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Fashola Attributes The Successes Of His Administration To Democracy And The People

Mar 4, 2010 - Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babatunde Fashola (SAN), Thursday attributed the successes of his administration so far to the twin factors of democratic governance and the contributions of the people of Lagos.

Governor Fashola spoke at the Lagos House, Ikeja when he played host to the Mayor of Sierra-Leone, His Worship, Akieremi George-Williams who led a delegation of officials from the city of Freetown on a courtesy call to the Governor to, according to him, “learn the secrets of the success of Lagos”.

Responding to his request, Governor Fashola told the visiting Mayor that democracy has been the bedrock of the successes recorded so far in Lagos State adding that the successes are attributable to the stability that democracy has created and the opportunities that it has provided for planning and continuity.

Governor Fashola said the second reason for the achievements in Lagos is the people, most of whom, according to him, “you may never see; who work round the clock with a very big passion in their hearts to change what they don’t accept”.

“We did not start the journey. We are torchbearers of another generation which started the journey. But because of the work they have done, may be we have been able to move faster; may be we have been able to fly higher. But we do so because we are privileged to stand on the shoulders of those that started the journey”, the Governor said.

“I, as probably the most visible face of the government, am only one man. With all the efforts that I am capable of, I cannot drive all the trucks that keep Lagos clean; I don’t carry a gun like the policeman who ensures that Lagos is safe and so on”, he said.

The Governor promised that “those who drive the engine of governance” in Lagos will assist the Mayor and the people of Freetown by sharing experiences that would enable them achieve the level of transformation that they require based on the resources available to them.

“I think that this is a journey with men and women who drive the government, who manage the vehicles, who drive the education system, who design the roads and supervise the contracts; who drive the healthcare system to save life, who clean the offices and monitor the environment They are here or their representatives. They will take you round to share experiences and with these you can replicate what they have done within the level of your resources”, the Governor said.

On how best to generate revenue to achieve his goal, Governor Fashola, who said the people remain the greatest resource, told the Mayor, “Every government that has legitimacy of the people in a democratic setting will find the resources with which to do its job”, adding that his administration has reached a position where Lagosians not only pay their taxes but are happy to do so.

“This is because they have a government that they elected; a government that responds to their aspirations; a government that explains to them the problems when there are problems”, the Governor said.

The Governor also stressed the need for African leaders to preserve the African identity cautioning that in their desire to embrace best practices from the Western world, Africans must not lose their uniqueness adding that the tendency of Africans to see things in Europe as commendable should not blind them to Africa’s rich cultural values.

He submitted that there are some commendable things worthy of adoption from Europe and America, but warned, “Best practices are best practices, but we must not lose our identity in best practices”.

He said one goal Lagos State Government has set for itself is that although it sees some things in the Western World as commendable, it understands that it cannot build Lagos as a masterpiece of Europe adding, “We have our own cultural values”.

“We eat roasted meat prepared at the roadside, we must accommodate that; we eat peanuts, plantain, yam, roasted at the roadsides; these are our own Ken Turkeys and MacDonald’s. And, therefore, we have to accommodate them for them to flourish”, the Governor said, adding, “while taking what we think that is good from Europe, from America, we must preserve our individual identities”.

Expressing delight that Sierra Leone has been moving forward steadily since the inauguration of the democratically elected government in that country, Governor Fashola said Freetown and Lagos will have a lot to share especially in the area of the Environment adding that the global threat to the Climate has made such cooperation even more imperative.

Mayor George-Williams, who led a 10-member delegation on a courtesy visit to the Governor, said he had been desirous to come to Lagos to see and experience first hand how Governor Fashola has transformed Lagos in less than three years of his tenure.

“I am motivated to come to Lagos to see for myself and to personally experience first hand what you have been doing in Lagos”, the Mayor said adding that this was apart from the reason of the cultural attachment between Lagos and Freetown.

According to the Mayor, since coming to the position of Mayor of Freetown two years ago, it has been his utmost desire to transform the city of Freetown from the ravages of the civil war which destroyed her infrastructure.

“I have come here to find the secrets behind the success of Lagos. It is my desire to find out how I can help my people transform from the ashes of decadence to prosperity. I have come here to strengthen the ties between our two cities and see how best to network with you; how best to transform Freetown”, the Mayor said.

He was ready to learn, the Mayor submitted, adding that the people of Freetown, who, according to him, are great admirers of Governor Fashola, “are waiting eagerly for the outcome of this visit because I told them when I was coming”.

Mayor Williams commended Governor Fashola for what he described as the great transformation of the city of Lagos adding that some of the snapshots he saw of Lagos gave him the impression of some of the most developed cities of Europe.

Also present at the occasion were the Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Barrister Opeyemi Bamidele, Commissioner for Health, Dr. Jide Idris, Commissioner for Home Affairs and Culture, Mr. Tunde Balogun, the 10-member delegation from Freetown among other top functionaries of the State Government.