Press Releases

Nigeria Will Overcome Current Challenges - Fashola
…Invites Russian Federation, others to Ehingbeti 2010

Mar 11, 2010 - Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babatunde Fashola (SAN) on Thursday affirmed that the country’s democratic governance would soon become a model for the continent on how challenges can be surmounted for better and stronger polity.

Governor Fashola, who spoke in his office at Lagos House, Ikeja when he received a delegation led by the Ambassador of the Russian Federation to Nigeria, Mr Alexander Polyakov said Nigeria’s democracy will get better and mature with experience as the legislators, commissioners, ministers at both the state and federal levels can only get better as time goes on.

Said he: “We are learning a new responsibility and way of life where authority is shared across all levels, where limits of authority are drawn and rights also carry duties”.

“This is a ten year story. Lessons have been learnt. We are becoming wiser, richer and more experienced in dealing with the responsibility of democratic governance. It is a very enduring form of governance”, Governor Fashola added.

The Governor explained that democracy is the only form of government that teaches compromise, teamwork and patience adding that it is the best form of government which in the fullness of time, all nations of the world will commit to.

While stressing that Nigeria’s democracy is getting stronger, Governor Fashola said: “Wherever you have people there would be conflicts and when you have conflicts, one of the test of leadership and democracy is to provide a platform for leadership to resolve such conflicts”.

Governor Fashola added that irrespective of where or which part of the world it is, there would still be the problem of provision of roads, hospitals, jobs and other social facilities, stressing that what however makes the cases different is that the complexity of a particular area determines its intensity.

The Governor while responding to the Ambassador’s expression of the interest of Russian businesses in Lagos State invited the Russian Embassy to take advantage of the forthcoming biennial Lagos Economic Summit (Ehingbeti 2010) to get its businessmen to participate and display Russian business opportunities.

Governor Fashola said the summit represents an avenue for Lagos to show the investment opportunities it has to the whole world and urged the Embassy to take advantage of it.

The Lagos State helmsman also declared the interest of the State Government in the tractor and gas business which the Ambassador spoke about earlier as it would be very useful since the state is developing an export free trade zone which would be an avenue for generating new jobs and opportunities.

While expressing happiness with the development of democracy in Russia, Governor Fashola pointed out that both countries have very enduring things to share on their democratic experience.

He added that just as the Russian Ambassador spoke about traffic jam on the streets of Moscow, he also saw on cable television potholes in London, all pointers to the fact that the challenges are not peculiar to Nigeria.

Earlier in his address, the Russian Ambassador, Mr Alexander Polyakov had thanked the Governor for his presence at the inauguration of the association of former students who schooled in the Russian Federation last year.

He added that he is impressed by the dynamism and responsible way Governor Fashola is tackling the several challenges of Lagos.

He said he was very impressed with the comments of the people about the achievements of the Governor and how supportive they have been of the many developments in Lagos.

Mr Polyakov also said the Russian Embassy still has its Chancery office located in Lagos, adding that looking at the Lagos experience also reminds him of Moscow which has similar challenges like Lagos.

He said the Russian Government is keen on re-establishing its presence in Nigeria through the truck assembly plant and gas plant as well as reopening its cultural centre in Lagos.

Among those who were present during the visit were Commissioner for Home Affairs and Culture, Alhaji Tunde Balogun, Chief of Staff to the Governor, Mr Lanre Babalola and Commissioner for Establishment and Training, Mr Jide Sanwo-Olu and the Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on foreign relations, Ms Toyin Caxton-Martins.