Fashola And The Futuristic Pillars Of Lagos

By Tayo Ogunbiyi

In a few months’ time, the curtain will draw on the illustrious tenure of Governor Babatunde Raji Fashola in Lagos state. However, the legacies of the Fashola administration will, for long, remain indelible. Unlike other leaders who quickly derail as soon as they get hold of power, Fashola has shown unwavering commitment to the fulfilment of his electoral promises to the end.

From the outset, Fashola’s goal was to give Lagosians a functional and safer city, where people can find not only work, but also pleasure. His campaign slogan: “Eko o ni baje”, which means: “Lagos will not be spoiled”, was about change and moral regeneration.  This he achieved through visionary leadership, untiring commitment to excellence, technocratic competence, commitment to results and, above all, integrity. Lagos under Fashola has become a planned city with developed new towns and satellite communities that form the basis of the infrastructure: rail, road and water transportation for the future. Today, Lagos remains one of the rising cities in Africa.

In Ken Follett’s historical novel, ‘The Pillars of the Earth’, the writer explores the development of medieval architecture as captured in the building of a cathedral in the town of Kingsbridge, England. Like the medieval architects in the novel, for over seven years, Fashola has been going about the reconstruction of Lagos like a skilled builder. The result is that his administration has erected several pillars upon which the future of Lagos could now firmly stand.

The strength of every nation is measured by the buoyancy of her economy. China is, today, a major world power due to the viability of her economy. A strong and thriving economy entrenches democracy. In a Third World Country, like ours, poor and hungry people would constitute a threat to democracy. This explains Fashola’s dedication to the strengthening of the Lagos economy. Currently, in Nigeria, the Lagos economy has defied the threat of the global slump in oil prices. Lagos has effectively proved that it is possible to build an economy that is not solely reliant on oil.  A large chunk of the state’s infrastructure renewal projects is being financed from Internally Generated Revenue (IGR). In Lagos, the idea and the compelling benefits of paying taxes has become a way of life for the people.

Hence, Lagos is moving in the path of countries that have recognised that the payment of taxes is the first step to prosperity. Based on the flourishing economy pillar put up by his administration, a confident Governor Fashola recently affirmed that: “For Lagos, irrespective of what happens to the price of oil, the state would survive because it has been built not on extractive resources but on the very strong immigrants that make up the human resource of this state”. Leveraging on her stable economy, the Fashola administration has been able to execute the Home Ownership Scheme without borrowing. The wellbeing of a state is determined by the health of its people. For Lagos, with seven Maternal and Child Care Centres, MCCs (the eighth, ninth and tenth centres are already being equipped), numerous Flagship Primary Health Centres (all operating 24 hours full service), Eko Health Mission, Eye Care Health System Development Initiative, “Eko Free Malaria Programme, Limb Deformity Corrective Surgery Programme, a well positioned Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, LASUTH, Ikeja and functional General Hospitals across the state, the Fashola administration has, undoubtedly, erected a solid pillar for the state’s health sector.

Strongly tied to the health of a people is the kind of access they have to quality water supply. And the Fashola administration has built 18 macro and mini waterworks that have added 30 million gallons of water to the water supply in the state. It has equally demonstrated a dogged devotion to the realisation of bigger water projects such as the Adiyan Waterworks Phase 2 which is now under construction and being projected for completion in 2016 and expected to supply 70 million gallons of water daily. 25 million gallons of water are equally being added at Odomola Water Scheme while an on-going effort at upgrading the Ishasi Waterworks from 4 million to 12 million gallons of water  is almost nearing completion.  Today, security has become a major global concern. In Nigeria, we are currently experiencing troubles, tension and stress traceable to insecurity. In its typical pro-active and innovative approach to complex issues, the Fashola administration created the Lagos State Security Trust Fund. The Trust Fund, a Public-Private initiative, is saddled with the responsibilities of providing the needed fund to equip and empower members of the state police command to tackle crime and insecurity. The state is now in a position of having one CCTV camera, for crime monitoring, to about 10 sq kilometres as it has successfully merged its cameras and all the feeds are being taken in one location. Besides having a secure environment, it has been affirmed that the quality of our lives as human beings is substantially determined by the quality of the environment we inhabit. The environment we inhabit, like kola in Igbo culture, is life in itself. It is, therefore, in realisation of this truth that the Fashola administration has embarked on a carefully planned programme aimed at regenerating the Lagos environmental. To underscore the success of the programme, with over 150 trucks that daily patrol to collect bags of refuse, most highways and streets in the state are now cleaner while beautiful flowers and well trimmed trees in the state now adorn hitherto neglected spots in the metropolis.

In terms of infrastructure development, the Fashola administration is currently implementing 6 simultaneous transport solutions namely; Mile 12 – Ikorodu, Lekki-Epe, Lagos – Badagry, Lagos Light Rail, Lagos Ferry and Lagos Cable Car.  It is equally leading in the delivery of entrenched power and energy solutions with 3 completed power plants with two more to come. The state now enjoys over 300 KW of public lighting by street lights. With regards to food security, Lagos has multiplied increments in agricultural outputs in the area of poultry, vegetable, and agro-processing such as rice and cassava milling, transportation.

Being a visionary leader, Fashola is already thinking about the future of Lagos. His recent presentation of the Lagos State Development Plan 2012-2025, is a symbolic step marking the transition to the next phase in the state’s development plan. With the firm and enduring pillars that he has put in place for the development of the state, all other things being equal, Lagosians are, indeed, set for a Bright Rewarding Future.