By Charles Okogene
Yes, former Governor Akinwunmi Ambode conceptualised and started it. I am talking of the Pen Cinema Bridge and the BRT Terminal that is directly opposite County Estate that used to be the site of the late Michael Ibru’s Mitchel Farms. The bus terminal currently sits on a parcel of land that used to serve as a rendervozus for yellow buses that ply Iju and it’s environs, including parts of neighbouring Ogun State.
However, for reasons he did not explain to Lagosians, Ambode stopped work on the two landmark projects the moment the ‘owners”of Lagos and the powerful chieftains of the ruling All Progressives Congress Party (APC), denied him support for a second term ticket to contest as Governor of Lagos State, the richest State in Nigeria, if not Africa.
Well, that is not the crux of this piece, the real mccoy is that Sanwo- Olu is delivering on his words to complete as many projects that his predecessors could not finish before leaving office. He is walking his talk and making the saying that government is a continuum a reality.
By that singular act, he has dmystified governance; shown that governance is no rocket science and by extension proved to the good people of Lagos State that he meant every word of continuity he campaigned with while seeking the mandate of Lagosians. That continuity in project delivery is one of the linchpins of his administration, no matter who initiated it. For Sanwo-Olu, as long as any uncompleted project(s) will serve the interest of the greatest number of the people of Lagos State, it must be complted, no matter who started it. That is how it should be in any progressive society.
While time will not permit this writer to enumerate all the project(s) he inherited from his predecessors that he has completed without noise, it will be unfair not to name just a few like the Oshodi/Abule -Egba BRT Corridor that dates back to the days of Babatunde Raji Fashola (SAN), as the Governor of the over 20 million populous state and Ambode. Anyone, familiar with the chaotic state of the road especially the area where the Ile Epo Market is situated down to the notoriously crazy Oshodi, will appreciate what the governor has done. Sanity now reigns supreme in the area; BRT buses are now a common feature on the route and in no time, the presence of yellow buses, Keke and ‘Okadas’ will be a thing of the past. It will become a historical fact to be found in the chapters of history. Sanwo-Olu is building better on the achievements of his predecessors.
What of the Lagos/Badagry Expressway? Though, a federal concern, Sanwo-Olu is battling it and other internal roads within the Satellite Town vicinity.
We must also not fail to mention the state of roads in the state of Acquatic Splendour when he took over the bation of governance in 2019. They were replete with craters called potholes to the extent that Lagosians had given up hope of ever driving on a smooth road again. And when Sanwo-Olu took over and vowed to to fill the potholes, Lagosians doubted him but in no time, he shamed the doubting Thomases. Today, most Lagos roads are as smooth as a day-old baby’s head.
His handling of the COVID-19 issue has earned him the alias of an Incident Commander from the public; though he recently tested positive to the virus including his workhaolic health commissioner, Prof. Abayomi but the good Lord delivered both from the jaws of death. This writer can go on enumerating the areas he has excelled in less than two years of providing purposeful leadership to the people. It is not surprising, therefore, that he became the choice of The New Telegraph Newspapers that singled him out for the prestigious honour of Governor of the Year Award. An award the whole wide world described as well deserved a as they look forward to the day he will step out in his cut to fit outfit, suit or agbada, to receive it.
His commitment at making sure that the traffic logjam that the state is known for, for decades, becomes a thing of the past is also commendable with different laws and taskforces he has either signed or established to checkmate erring motorists. The infamous Apapa port logjam/congestion, which the Presidential Taskforce has failed woefully to mitigate, is receiving Sanwo-Olu’s attention as he is seeking to take over the control of the road leading to the port from its owners, the Federal Government.
In short, there is no area or part of the state that has not positively felt the presence or impact of Sanwo-Olu’s quiet/humble giant strides/revolution in governance.
Sanwo-Olu, indeed, truly deserves the Governor of the year Award and more. I am persuaded by the views of many commentators who said the award and many other that have come his way will motivate him to work harder for the people of Lagos.
