Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, has said the 2015 presidential election should not be about promises for a person like President Goodluck Jonathan who has been in the saddle for six years. Rather it should be about his achievements in the past six years, to warrant him being re-elected into office for another four years.
Fashola, who said this when he
commissioned the Glover Road in Ikoyi area of Lagos, added that same was applicable to other candidates in the election across the country.
Governor Fashola, who spoke at the
venue of the handover which took place in front of the residence of elder
statesman, Otunba Subomi Balogun, said the road handover was another promise kept by his party, the All Progressives Congress (APC) administration.
He recalled that the road was a promise that he made to the community when the government opened the Lekki –Ikoyi Link Bridge last year.
“I am happy to be here to come and fulfill a promise that I made to this community when we opened Lekki – Ikoyi Link Bridge, I remembered during my address at the opening of that link bridge, that it was the beginning of our work in reducing the travel time, in bringing greater connectivity and choice for
commuters in this community and Ikoyi generally,” he said.
According to him, with the road in place, residents would no longer have to drive all the way down through Alexandra and Gerald roads if they were going to another part of Ikoyi as government begins to upgrade more roads in Ikoyi to
create choice for commuters.
“Glover Road was the first road that we picked in fulfilment of that promise. First for its historic role and also because of its length which is 1.2 kilometres which intercepts Kingsway Road and helps us to
disperse and distribute traffic up to the other side of Ikoyi and for those going through Obalende and Ikoyi and those going to join the Third Mainland Bridge.
“That was the strategic purpose for
Glover Road. It has nothing to do with any personality as Otunba Subomi Balogun has rightly said; he is a resident here, a community leader here and his house is here so if he benefits from it that is the purpose for which he pays taxes,” the Governor said.
Also predicting that political opponents would say his administration built the road because of the elite living there,
Governor Fashola, who recalled that the area was initially dominated by white residents, said the area still has a large number of people who come there every day to earn their living adding that such Nigerians comprised both skilled and unskilled labour.
“Yes, Ikoyi is prime real Estate, it has
always been since the colonial days, in fact at one time, majority of the people who lived here were all whites, many Nigerians and Africans used to come here to work and the truth is that even as many Nigerians now live here, manynpeople still earn their livelihood from Ikoyi.
“They do not live here; they come here every morning as drivers, they come here every morning as cooks, they come here every morning as nannies, as gardeners,
there are also business premises around here, bankers, stewards in hotels, caterers, you know what they share in common? Every time they come to Ikoyi in the morning, they leave their homes and say one simple thing, ‘I am going to
work’,” he said.
He added that with the commissioning of the road, his administration’s work on Glover Road had been concluded.
“We have finished the road, the street
lighting is there, the bicycle lane is there for those who want to ride bicycles the healthier way to travel especially short and middle distances, it is a safer way and
for me the work continues the work is
going on now in First Avenue, Ikoyi Club 1938 road, all the way through the Bank Road connecting from here through to Obalende,” Fashola said.
Noting that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) had criticised the building of Ikoyi Link Bridge as expensive, Governor Fashola said: “It is important to emphasise that we started the Lekki- Ikoyi Link Bridge in 2010, in three years we finished the first class architectural masterpiece that has put Lagos back on the global architectural reckoning.
“For our political opponents, they say it is expensive, they say every negative thing about it, but we used the same contractor, Julius Berger, to build that bridge and the same contractor has not been able to help them to deliver the Second Niger Bridge that the President promised since 2011, that is the difference between us and them.”
Among the promises also kept, the Governor said, was the commissioning of the fifth Independent Power Plant which his administration has built to power the Lekki Water works, Ikoyi Waterworks and Victoria Island Waterworks.
He added that the IPP became necessary “because we cannot get reliable power supply from the Federal Government grid.
“We have also lit up several streets in
Lekki this evening and the driving
experience of the residents of Lekki will change irreversibly for the better from tonight, the security in Lekki will be better with public street lighting and so that was why you have to tarry a little for me to get here.”
He noted that the opposition party was interested in bringing money to share to the electorate close to election times, adding that this is the money members of the opposition could have used to build infrastructure and better the life of citizens.
“We built you a bridge; they were
bringing you money in the twilight of
elections. Is it money you want or
service? Do you want me to take that
bridge down and give you money
instead? So for those who say there is no difference in the two parties, there is a clear difference, we do the work they share the money,” he said.
He expressed dismay that the ruling party continues to come back to the electorates with new promises without keeping the old ones.
“I have said time and again, that the issue in the Presidential election is not new promises by the PDP Presidential Candidate; it is his records of service and about what he has done with the
promises he made in 2011,” he said.
In his goodwill message, Otunba Sonoma Balogun, congratulated Governor Fashola for his landmark achievements which he said have lifted the life of the people of Lagos.
“When history records the beautifying of Lagos, particularly Ikoyi, after Bourdillon, Glover Road will rank as one of the best that you have done. You have performed creditably well,” he said.
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