Press Releases

Common Resolve To Change, Pathway To A New Nigeria - Fashola

Jan 20, 2011 - Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babatunde Fashola (SAN) on Thursday charged Nigerians to resolve to demonstrate the highest values of mutual respect, restraint, dialogue, compromise, and sacrifice rather than mere daily rhetoric.

He spoke at the City Hall venue of the Lagos Business School Alumni Association Executive Masters in Business Administration (EMBA) National Conference with the theme: "The Next 50 Years - Pathway to a New Nigeria".

He added that Nigeria has no business with poverty or unemployment, if the citizens do the right thing.

"It seems very clear to me and any person who pauses to reflect on our history that it will not profit us as we move into the 51st year of our nationhood to continue in the way we have carried on", he noted.

Governor Fashola explained that to reach the pathway for a new Nigeria, we must consider three things: Nigerians must have the inner will and resolve to change, conducive environment for the change must be present and the right values of the people.

He said it was instructive to note that what is needed is a resolution for change, reminding everyone that the administration did not change the public officers it met just as it maintained the Police officers.

He said the present administration in Lagos State has been able to achieve a great deal with the same set of public servants. Similarly, the successful security of the State is done by the same set of Nigerian Policemen with keener resolve to be agents of change.

Governor Fashola noted that despite the golden opportunities which the present set of national lawmakers had they were unable to give constitutional rights to each state to generate its own electricity.

Governor Fashola reiterated that within three and half years, Federal lawmakers amended the Constitution twice to fix elections dates into the Constitution when it should have been in the electoral law.

Said he: "The truth is that the momentous opportunity of a Constitutional amendment that ought to have given enormous dividends to the federation was trivialized and frittered away."

"We missed the opportunity in the areas of improved governance such as a more equitable revenue allocation principle that gives more funds to the States and therefore the ordinary people, a more participatory process in security that allows the States to recruit young unemployed graduates into their own Police Forces."

"A freer electricity distribution process that allows the States set up and operate their power distribution facilities and an independent Local Government system that is free of Federal interference and therefore enables Local Governments discharge some of their responsibilities of Primary Health and Primary education more efficiently", he added.

The Lagos State Governor bemoaned the attitude of the citizens who find delight in criticizing elected leaders at the Local Government Councils and even calling for their outright removal from office, stressing that most of the councils do not have enough funds to operate or fulfill their electoral promises.

He recalled that Nigeria had four separate opportunities - two registration exercise, one census and one national Identity card exercise to compile updated data of its people but messed them up .

Governor Fashola said it would be pointless to continue to clamour for free and fair election if the people have not resolved to ensure that the ongoing voters registration exercise, with its noticeable hiccups will not frustrate them.

He appealed to Nigerians to stop promoting things that will divide them, stressing that Nigeria's strength lies in its diversity, reminding that wherever there is strife there would be capital flight.

He charged the people to always promote our common humanity and refrain from division saying the money people spend is not defined by their faith and the meat that they consume does not have a Muslim or Christian label

The Lagos State Governor said it is amusing when reference is made to Ghana to deride Nigerian leaders, saying instead, that Nigerians could take a look at Ghana to apply some lessons here.

He emphasized that Nigerians as a people are great organizers but only need to re-channel some of the energy to other developmental areas to make the country great.

Governor Fashola said that the personal dexterity with which Nigerians organize social parties hosting up to 2000 people weekly without stampede or melee across several venues at different locations speaks volume about our great abilities as organizers.

He said now is the time for everyone to get involved in the process of nation building as any indifference would do no one any good, adding that during elections time, any citizen who stays away will be bound by all decisions taken by the winners.

Responding to the questions during the interactive session that followed his presentation, Governor Fashola pointed out that no society is crime free but each geographical location has different incidences like armed robbery, car snatching, suicide bombing and kidnapping, noting that nothing that has happened to Nigeria is unique to it.

On the violence that has rocked some parts of the State metropolis like Mushin, Fadeyi and Idi Araba very recently, the Governor said some arrests have been made and all those found culpable would be brought to justice.

On the proliferation of small arms, the Governor described it as a border management failure which the Government at the centre should be held responsible for.

He added that if the border areas were properly policed, there was no way the sophisticated arms and ammunitions can get into the country because there is no local factory manufacturing arms in Nigeria.

He charged the Alumnus of the Lagos Business School (EMBA) to speak out about several absurdities in government policies like the open border for wholesale importation of toothpicks and furniture ostensibly allowed due to failure to stop smuggling of such items.

Governor Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers State also called for Constitutional amendment that would allow States to distribute electricity.

He explained that Rivers State generates about 300 megawatts of electricity but cannot use it locally in the State because the law on power distribution prescribes that such generated power must be fed first into the national grid, which inadvertently shortchanges the State that generated the independent power originally.

Governor Amaechi also said there is very little the elected officials at the Local Governments can do to improve the lots of the populace because "it is created in such a way that it will only create jobs for the boys".

Earlier in his welcome address, the President of the Lagos Business School (LBS) Executive Masters in Business Administration (EMBA), Mr Opeyemi Agbaje said the Alumnus came up with the idea at this period of transition to contribute to policy formulation that will lead to transformation of the Nigerian society rather than the ongoing debates on personalities, zones, ethnic origin and political parties.

He expressed the belief that with the input from the Conference, Nigeria can build an efficient and world class financial system which would position it to become a law and order society.

Present at the event were the Commissioner for Establishment, Training and Pensions, Mr Jide Sanwo-Olu, former Commissioner for Health in Lagos State, Dr Leke Piton, Managing Director of Access Bank Plc, Mr Aig-Imokhuede, frontline politician, Mr Jimi Agbaje as well as Managing Director of UAC Plc, Mr Larry Etta among several other personalities.