Ahead of the 2015 election, Governor Babatunde Fashola of Lagos State yesterday warned that the state was too big for beginners to experiment with, saying; “The state needed someone who already understands the system of governance in Lagos.” Fashola, however, allayed the fears of residents on the effect of the falling oil price on Lagos economy, that; “The dwindling oil price will not affect the state economy.”
The governor made the statement at the public presentation of Lagos State Development Plan, LSDP 2012-2025 held in Alausa Secretariat, Ikeja, which also had in attendance the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC in 2015 Lagos governorship election, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode.
He stressed that he was able to improve on the legacy left by the former governor, Bola Tinubu because “I was already part of the government.”
According to him; “I can reveal to you today, one of the things that helped me the first day I resumed office was that the day I arrived I knew the Head of Service, HoS and Permanent Secretary, PS by name and face. And I knew how the government worked because I was part of the team that made it work.”
The governor noted that the state had commenced construction of several projects but could only be completed by someone who understands the mode of governance in the state because the tenure of the present administration will end on May 29th, 2015.
Fashola explained that some of the projects-the 70 million gallon per day Adiyan Phase II Waterways, the ongoing light rail and others-were parts of the developmental plans for the state.
He said: “And he (Ambode) was part of this development plan in the state. He helped to commence the plan because the plan started in his office when he was the Accountant-General of the state between 2007 and 2012. With this plan, it shows that this state is too important to be left in the hand of those who want to experiment with it. We must keep it in very safe hands.”
On dwindling oil price, Fashola said that the state economy was not built on extractive (oil) resources, “but on very strong immigrant capital that make up the human resources of the state. Our development partners feel at home because they bring value to our table.
“Our megacity status indicates the reality of today that we are a large population. And we have turned the burden of large population to asset. And that was why we can say that whatever happens to oil today, we will survive.”
Fashola enjoined residents to buy into the plan as their own and work with the government to ensure the successful implementation of the plan.
Earlier, Mr Ben Akabueze, Commissioner for Budget and Economic Planning, said the LSDP was borne out of the need to harness the various documents articulating the vision of Lagos as Africa‘s megacity.
He stated that the plan provided the framework to guide private and public investments in government programmes.
“The purpose of the Development Plan is to provide overall direction for the growth and development of the state.
“It will provide a framework by which all sectors of the economy can direct their energies and contribute to the improvement of the quality of life people in the state. It will set the overarching long term framework for government`s planning and budget system”, he said.
Akabueze added the plan would focus on developing the key areas of the economy, environment infrastructure and security, adding that successful implementation would make the state a model city by 2025.
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