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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 />

The 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 />

The 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? They are all trailing behind<br />

Lagos state which says implicitly there's<br />

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