The gubernatorial election is just a breath away. It is time to reflect on the dreams and aspirations of those who wish to rule our dear Lagos, beginning from May 29, 2015. The vision of a leader can turn a poor society into a field of prosperity; it can also turn a rich society into a dungeon. I begin this review with the parable of the African King and his American friend who visited India in the early 1920s; a period of war, famine and depression in Europe and Asia. The two friends had berthed in the port city of Bombay on a windy night. They soon checked into a hotel overlooking the ocean shore.
At the break of dawn the second morning, the two were relaxing over breakfast after a night of storming in Bombay. Down and far away, the two friends starred at the sea of human heads, many of them haggard and without shoes. The African King looked down at the thousands of poor Indians milling and scurrying to the port for their daily bread. The King exclaimed: “Millions of Indians walking without shoes, this is extreme poverty.” His American friend disagreed as he said after a moment of thoughtful reflection: “This is not poverty. What I’m seeing is wealth. I’m seeing shoe business.” Here are two perspectives on the same object. One saw poverty and the other saw wealth and opportunities. The American returned to his country and within a short period, he brought several consignments of shoes which the Indians rushed to purchase. He made only five trips to become a multi-millionaire.
It is disastrous to have a society without a vision. A society without a vision is like a candle in the whirlwind. A leader without a vision withers the society like a grass in the desert. Vision is the brainbox of development. As the next election draws near, it is important to constructively engage all the candidates vying for positions, especially the new man that will lead Lagos, one of Africa’s most important destinations, with her boisterous history, her rich tradition of progressive politics and her distinguished plurality, like that of a rainbow.
I am lucky to have obtained copies of the Statements of Purpose and Declarations of Intent of all the contestants for the post of the Governor of Lagos in the 2015 gubernatorial election. I have read all. For many of them, their manifestoes are a mismatch of puerile thought, assumptions, ignorance and fantasy. However, I have singled out Mr. Ambode’s manifesto for a critical digest in the interest of posterity and to guide millions of people that live in Africa’s most important state, Lagos. The document is inspiring and transports the reader from dreams to reality, due to its simple and measurable format.
Leading Lagos requires special skills because of the State’s unique nature. For reasons of history, Lagos cannot and must not be left in the hands of the mediocre. For one thing, Lagos remains the hotbed of Nigerian political economy. The State also provided an historical platform, right from the earliest times, for the freedom and liberty of mankind.
Apart from the fact that the armistice for the end of the Yoruba Civil Wars was signed in Lagos on September 23, 1886, the city and the State have been the homo viators for the promotion of the greatest democratic values and the bastion of resistance against all forms of repression or anti-democratic norms. Little wonder that the battle for Nigerian independence began and ended in Lagos, so also were the campaigns against military rule, with which Lagos defined the form and direction. It is with this rich content of years gone by, that the political tradition in Lagos has always been and will always be in the hands of progressives. It is our hope that the coming election in the state will not be different. Lagos does not need a person with a blurred vision. The State needs a person with a vision that is clear, unambiguous, realistic and measurable.
The actualiser of the vision must also be a man of impeccable character, a purebred trailblazer with a track record in public administration. He must be a groundbreaker that also has a platform that controls public trust, he must be crystal clean and not enmeshed in the cell of recalcitrant rogues. The person must not be a rookie of an insidious political cartel that is known to have brought Nigeria unto her ignoble knees through corruption and brazen assault on the principles of democracy and human liberty. Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode fits this apt description. Without mentioning names, Nigerians know today the political party that has brought hardship and affliction to Nigerians, a party that has unleashed terror and repression on her citizens, a party that cannot be refashioned by anyone, no matter how clean, simply because of the party’s internal contradictions.
I did not only read the comprehensive vision of Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode, I studied it. I came to the conclusion that a society’s success is not defined by its poverty or its riches, but by the broadness of the vision of its leaders. Mr. Ambode has shown a keen and extraordinary understanding of Lagos State, her prospects, the challenges and the various tributaries of her social, cultural and spiritual diversities. Mr. Ambode has summarized his vision under five themes: LEADERSHIP, ACCOUNTABILITY, GOVERNANCE, OPPORTUNITY AND SERVICE, deriving from the name of the State (L.A.G.O.S).
Corruption is a major scourge in Nigeria. It is astonishing that many political parties in the country fail to talk about this issue during campaigns, thereby pushing this all-important concern under the carpet. Nigeria is rated by Transparency International (TI), as one of the most corrupt countries in the world. Corruption remains a cankerworm and a threat to sustainable development. Corruption breeds a heap of political and economic filth that undermines growth and development. A leader that does not want to deal with corruption cannot be trusted. It is noteworthy that Ambode is set to “provide authentic leadership to all arms of Government.” Mr. Ambode and his party are to provide “Accountability, Embrace the three tenets of Probity, Accountability, and Transparency.” As a thorough-bred chartered accountant since the age of 24, this certainly is a big plus to the people of Lagos. A classmate of Mr. Ambode at the University of Lagos, where he graduated, describes him as “dutiful, honest and dedicated” while one of his teachers at the Institute of Chartered Accountants, (ICAN) rates him as a “truthful and meticulous man of figures.” At the Lagos State Civil Service where he spent his career as an accountant and administrator, his colleagues describe him as “humble and honest to a fault.” At this moment in Nigeria, when the economy is nose-diving and national resources continue to diminish, there is no time like this to have a man of Ambode’s pedigree.
Mr. Ambode says he will “focus on delivering good governance to our people across all sectors of the economy and strata of the Society. Continue to build a better and just society, a society where hard work and honesty are rewarded, where equity and justice prevail; where the gap between the rich and the poor give way to the provision of equal opportunities to all, and where no segment of the society develops at the expense of others.” This shows a deep understanding of one of the critical challenges facing Nigeria and a clear knowledge of what governance is all about.
One of the major traits of underdevelopment is the lack of opportunities. Mr. Ambode has deliberately chosen the word “opportunity” as one of his thematic focuses. He is to “provide opportunities and possibilities for all citizens irrespective of gender, ethnicity, educational background, religious affiliation, or physical conditions. Build a society where steady economic growth occurs, where the government and our academic institutions enter a new era of understanding and co-operation.” He goes further to emphasise service, that critical trait that is declining in our very eyes. He commits himself to “selfless service in all spheres of life; in our offices, schools, hospitals, shops, malls, restaurants, hotels, roads etc.” He goes further to say that he will “offer services that meet the standards and expectations of today’s world; standards that will put Lagos in the league of effective and efficiently run megalopolises of the world, with a 24/7 economy.” This will involve working round the clock to completely strengthen the State’s bourgeoning twilight and night economy which was at an all-time low until not too long ago.
Mr. Ambode’s vision brings into sharp perspective all the most important spheres of development in Lagos State with an unequalled understanding of the Lagos economy within its local and global context.
Currently, Johannesburg in South Africa is the most visited city in Africa. Ambode will compete with this graph using Lagos as a peg. He is set to boost tourism in an unprecedented version. Hear him: I will “prioritize economic growth and development for all; where everyone has equal access to jobs, regardless of sex, gender, religion, age or physical conditions.” This would put Lagos in her proper index as the economic boss of sub-Saharan Africa. He is poised to promote increased “community cohesion and civic identity”, two elements that are critical to peace and brotherhood in our urban and backbench communities.
It is instructive that Mr. Ambode underscores the need to address unequal distribution of wealth by tackling poverty headlong. He is dedicated to providing adequate safety and effective security of lives and property. This is a strategic way of dealing with urban decay, inter-communal violence and social disequilibrium. He leaves an enduring mark in the minds of millions of people in Lagos when he says he will improve the quality of lives in urban and rural areas of the State, and raise productivity through a government-driven provision of structure and super-structure. This is commendable and will be a game-changer if and when achieved.
Mr. Ambode realizes the enduring synergy between environmental protection and sustainable livelihood. He ties the destiny of Lagos and her huge population to the promotion of an environmental friendly state for healthy living. He has gone the extra mile to assure Lagos of his readiness to revive the tradition of her lush green scenery, the picturesque outlay of a modern city that draws the world the way nectar draws bees.
It is instructive that Mr. Ambode does not forget the consequence of human right violations on peace, growth and development. Right violations remain an ugly specter that hunts Nigeria’s image. This has been demonstrated in several instances like the barring of the BringbackOurGirls group in Abuja; the draconian repression of the people of Ekiti and Osun during the last gubernatorial elections in the States among many others. It is edifying that Mr. Ambode dedicates himself to promoting one of the key flagpoles of democracy, which is the unflinching support for human rights and the defense of the dignity of mankind.
Mr. Ambode has left no stone unturned. He addresses, for instance job creation, agriculture, health, education, youth, the physically challenged, security and law, children issues, gender and inequality, the aged, women issues and education.
He has an exhaustive and dazzling vision which seems to have been enriched by his biographical and spiritual affinity with the space he wishes to govern. He touches big and small issues. He has programmes for local government administration, the justice system, and environment and in fact, all the elements of the Millennium Development Goals, (MDG) as defined by the United Nations, (UN). One can say categorically that his vision transcends the benchmark of the MDG goals.
For instance, for the first time in living memory, he is to “establish the Employment Trust Fund with a commitment of N25b in four years by the government one billion naira to be accessed by each of the five divisions in the State for the next four years); Ikorodu, Badagry, Ikeja, Lagos and Epe Divisions.”
The prospect of small business is to be brightened through the “Small Business Loan Guarantee Scheme, to be managed by reputable stakeholders from the private sector, civil society in conjunction with government.” He is to “Promote legislations that reinforce equal opportunities for all in the labour market irrespective of tribe, sex or religion.‘
The phrase to reinvent the “Middle Class” is particularly cheering. One of the most interesting programmes on health is his determination to “establish medic-parks and bio-parks in collaboration with relevant stakeholders to stave off huge capital flight arising from medical expenses abroad.” This will no doubt flourish Lagos and rekindle the medical tourism potential of the state.
Mr. Ambode is to “Expand Lagos Home Ownership Mortgage Scheme (HOMS) to target more people in the areas of need and affordability, thus using alternative technologies that reduce the cost of housing delivery in the State.” His “T.H.E.S.E” programme is particularly thrilling. It is the systematic integration of Tourism, Hospitality, Entertainment/Arts Sports for Excellence, which will enable the State to explore, execute and enshrine a new vista of jobs for our youths, our women and vocational artisans.” He is also, among other things to establish the Lagos Finance Commission. I find Mr. Ambode’s vision to be original, realistic and of global standards. Nothing is as reassuring as the personal pledge to meet his stated obligations to the people of Lagos State, which he added at the end of his bundle of noble intentions for the people of Lagos. This depict Mr. Ambode as a man no frivolous disposition, who has weighed his words carefully, and is ready to match these words with action in a purposeful manner; what else is necessary to enhance the greatness of Lagos and preserve the determination that Eko oni baaje?
Adewale ADEOYE, a CNN African Journalist Award Winner, was first Nigerian to win the Steve Biko Scholarship Award, (South Africa), and was a four-time winner of the Nigerian Media Merit Award, (NMMA). Adeoye is also Chairman of Nigerian Human Rights Community, (NHRC), a coalition of 135 NGOs in Nigeria.
