The Governor Magazine
Special Inaugural Edition
Special Inaugural Edition
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governor<br />
the<br />
SPECIAL INAUGURAL EDITION<br />
Primarily, the main thing responsible for what<br />
you see in Lagos constituency today, the<br />
progress and development trajectory of Lagos<br />
constituency today is due to the political<br />
system Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu instituted<br />
and the enduring structures he put in place<br />
starting from 1999.<br />
I would say with all sense of modesty that<br />
Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu's political system<br />
is about the only one that I can see in the<br />
political firmament of Nigeria since 1999 that<br />
has been well grounded philosophically and<br />
ideologically.<br />
If you look at the various political systems in<br />
other parts of Nigeria, you would have what I<br />
call an agglomeration of interests, views,<br />
groups forming political parties. Ideally, by<br />
definition that should be it, a political party<br />
should be an agglomeration of this divergent<br />
interest and all that, but the demarcation<br />
point with that of the Tinubu's system is that<br />
those other ones are not grounded in any<br />
philosophical framework or ideological<br />
perspective, perception or even inclination.<br />
<strong>The</strong> other parties and the other political<br />
systems in other parts of Nigeria, emerged<br />
largely “in my own view” as a platform to<br />
protect peculiar interests, not necessarily<br />
platforms for altruistic purposes for the larger<br />
interest of the public, and for the envisioning<br />
of deep-seated political structures that would<br />
usher in real progress and developments. That<br />
has been the marked difference between the<br />
Tinubu system and those other systems that<br />
has been the necessary ingredient for the<br />
continuity of the Bola Tinubu system in Lagos<br />
state, not necessarily without prejudice to the<br />
individuals that have occupied offices in Lagos<br />
state. It is because of the system and the<br />
endurance of the system put in place, which<br />
then means that anybody who comes in as<br />
the driver of that system, would literally have<br />
little room to maneuver but to go forward,<br />
and build on the structure that he/she meets<br />
in place.<br />
That continuity has largely helped the state<br />
that is Lagos state in forging ahead with its<br />
giant developmental strides, progressive<br />
policies, implementations of social services<br />
that seek to make life convenient and<br />
comfortable for its inhabitant. That's really<br />
the issue, the kernel of the issue. It is the<br />
philosophical ground norm of the Bola Tinubu<br />
political system that has ensured continuity<br />
and the focus on the programs and policies<br />
that in totality ensure the convenience of<br />
Lagosians and that has attracted people from<br />
all works of life from other states in Nigeria<br />
into Lagos, which is why today Lagos is<br />
bustling as it seems with population.<br />
Everybody is coming to Lagos because Lagos<br />
works.<br />
<strong>The</strong> opposition parties are at liberty to spew<br />
out inanities and mouth slogans that literally<br />
or metaphorically and figuratively means<br />
nothing. It is just in the nature of oppositions<br />
to criticize whatever it is because they also<br />
are hanging to seize power. So whether you<br />
are the best performer in the world your<br />
opposition must seek to run you down. I<br />
don't take such things seriously because you<br />
also have to put these “opposition” and its<br />
people into proper perspective and context.<br />
What is the track record of achievement of<br />
any leading light of this opposition? What?<br />
Where? None… practically none or very<br />
negligible, so therefore, they don't have the<br />
basis to make very intellectually rigorous<br />
criticism. If you must criticize, you must put in<br />
place viable and constructive alternatives,<br />
they are not bringing any alternatives to the<br />
table, they just say “oh, this is a one-man rule<br />
for 20 years”, compare and contrast in other<br />
climes or in other states in Nigeria. What has<br />
been the developmental trajectory in those<br />
other states? <strong>The</strong>y are all trailing behind<br />
Lagos state which says implicitly there's<br />
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