Razaq Bamidele
Leader of an indigenous group in Lagos, Epe Youth Forum (EYF), Comrade Adewale Oladipupo, has taken a critical look at the performance of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu in his first year in office and gave him a pass mark.
Addressing a press conference in Lagos weekend, Oladipupo, said the governor has proven his mettles beyond expectations of those who have thought that the people of Lagos made a grave mistake by voting for him last year to govern the most populous state in the country.
According to him, Lagos people, who are cosmopolitan in nature are wise and very enlightened to recognise a good material that can serve them well, stating that, Sanwo-Olu’s track records as a cool headed administrator, superb technocrat and financial guru spurred them to pick a right choice.
The rights activist said Sanwo-Olu hit the ground running the very first day in office and because the state is not new to him, started taking right steps towards the right direction and thus attracting commendation from far and near.
Oladipupo reminded that the governor was the first governor that allayed the fears of the working force in the state over the N30, 000 minimum wage, saying, before anybody could say LAGOS, Sanwo-Olu has pledged commitment to pay N35,000 minimum wage for the state workers.
This N35, 000 minimum wage he promised was a testimony of his knowledge of the state inside out vis a vis its financial capability, expressing excitement that, since then, he has not renege in his promise to fulfil that commitment.
This development further boosted the morale of the workforce and thereby put the state on good footing to move to the next level of economic growth.
While expressing delight that, Sanwo-Olu has been walking his talk part of which commitment to pay more than N30,000 minimum wage to the workers, Oladipupo admitted that, really, a Daniel has come to judgement in Lagos State in the person of Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu as governor.
He has acted and still acting out of the box to convince the people that they have not made a wrong choice in him, stressing that a state that accounts for about 55 per cent of the country’s economy of the nation needs a good hand like Sanwo-Olu, who has the love of the workers to be at the helm of its affairs.
He further expressed satisfaction at some of other steps the governor has taken so far in all other sectors, noting that, not a few people would admit that, if he is encouraged to sustain the tempo, in another one year, it would be Uhuru for the state.
Speaking on his administration restrictions order on the operations of commercial Tricycles and motor cycles from some highways and bridges in Lagos State, Oladipupo said, that foresight initiative later became a blessing for the state aspiring to be a Mega City.
According to him, the initiative has started to yield fruitful results because, sanity has started reigning in the state’s road with little or no traffic madness besides drastic reduction in road carnage and rate of crimes, pollution of the environment through deadly emissions from the banned means of transportation.
He said apart from the fact that, it is a security matter, its implications on the health side is enormous, disclosing that, researches have shown that nobody could ride okada the way we do in Nigeria for two years and would not have heart problem later in life. This has further confirmed justification of the restriction is a welcome idea and is also justified.
The governor, the youthful activist described Sanwo-Olu as someone who knows what he is doing, reminding the critics that the restriction law is not a new one, but has been in existence since 2012 long before the governor came in. he just revived it for the benefit of the generality of the people and we are all witnesses to that now.
And the alternatives he has provided has made the standard of transportation to be in conformity with the Mega Status the state is driving at, reminding that, the importance of haulages and transportation sectors as key to the world economy can never be over emphasised.
The youth leader also gave kudos to the governor and his team over their commitment to a secured state and administration of justice, their strategy on security issues has severally yielded and still yielding fruitful results.
He observed that, the governor’s way of handling the security affairs of the state has encouraged individuals, corporate bodies, captains of industries as well as social organizations to support the state by donating generously to the Lagos State Security Trust Fund (LSSTF).
Putting in place a Task Force to rid the state of Land Grabbers popularly known as ‘Omo Onile’, was an initiative that has the mind of the people at rest to extent. And I am delighted over over the way the Task Force personnel have been performing creditably in the last one year.
How Sanwo-Olu has further guaranteed adequate administration of justice in the state, Oladipupo, was superb, reminding that, the governor one time presented 50 new vehicles to Magistrates to elicit better performance and facilitate efficient and effective justice delivery for all the people of the state.
The group leader also commended the governor for providing means of reducing crime by empowering the people to be financially reliant and economically independent.
Oladipupo referred to Sanwo-Olu’s empowerment schemes where 4, 885 people graduated from the 17 Skill Acquisition Centres across the state, saying, the initiative is a veritable way to engage idle hands gainfully and by extension curb commission of crime.
He said, acquisition of skills in several trades like Fashion Designing, Hat and Bead making, Aluminium Fabrication, Shoe making among others would increase the number of micro, small and medium entrepreneurs in the state and by extension improve the socio-economic status of the beneficiaries.
A lot of the beneficiaries are now financially sufficient, economically independent and emotionally stable to shun crime and be able to contribute their little quotas to the growth of the state’s economy. It is natural that where idle hands are gainfully engaged, the rate of crime in the communities would be reduced drastically. The dependence over government for assistance would also reduce.
Speaking on health programme of the administration, Comrade Adewale Oladipupo, said, his group has been following the administration’s programme on health and the environment and described it as heart-warming, saying, it is an indication that the governor has really demonstrated that he appreciates that health is wealth.
The group leader also mentioned a free surgical intervention programme held in partnership with a NGO, Benjamin Olowojebutu Foundation for residents suffering from Lipoma, Hernia, Fibroid and Breast Lumps as well as free dental and general health screening.
He felt excited over another free initiative tagged, “Healthy Bee Project” a collaborative effort of the state government and an NGO, BOSKOH Lagos Healthcare Mission International (HMI) that screen over 21,000 beneficiaries over a period of six days at seven centres.
He never forgot to mention, a total of 1417 free surgeries conducted for residents, including eye operation for children and adults, paediatric surgery, dental surgery and Ear, Nose and Throat surgery (ENT).
Among his laudable achievements that made his first anniversary eventful, according to him, is his realisation that availability of water leads to hygienic environment, so he praised Sanwo-Olu for resuscitating Adiyan waterworks phase 2, which has a production capacity of 70 million gallons of water per day.
In addition to that, Oladipupo said, acquisition of 10 new boats to boost its marine waste operations in the state by the Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA), saying with that and other achievements, the first year of Sanwo-Olu deserves a pass mark.
On COVID-19, the excited right crusader said, this administration’s prompt action taken to prevent the dreaded disease called coronavirus, was a testimony that this government is full of people with sharp intelligence.
He admitted that the issue of the dreaded monster brought out the best from Sanwo-Olu and his team, saying, his action saved the country a lot of trouble because it’s power of fast spreading into the hinterland was curtailed.
If achievements of of this administration is to be itemised fully, spaces would not be sufficient to contained them, Oladipupo asserted, saying, also, time could not permit us to conclude.
