‘Ambode’s three years will outshine Fashola’s eight years’

Aregbe Idris, a businessman, entrepreneur, political analyst and politician, is one of the strong men who brought the present governor of Lagos state, Akinwunmi Ambode to power in 2015.

Presently, he spearheads the governor’s “Our Lagos, Your Lagos” project. In this exclusive chat with NAIJ.com, Idris speaks on what the project stands to achieve and how it would be realised.

What does ‘Our Lagos Your Lagos Project’ stand for?

This is an initiative put forward to ensure Lagosians embrace the new outlook of Lagos state driven by the state
governor, Akinwunmi Ambode. The objective of this project is to improve the everyday life of residents at the grass
root level and serve as a platform for information on various advantages created by this government.

We plan to be at the top of every Lagosian’s mind, when you hear “Our Lagos Your Lagos”, the first thing that resonates in your mind should be Lagos belongs to everybody who lives in it. In as much as you live and conduct you business legally and respect the tradition laws and terms of the state. Lagos state is for you. The state is governed by a government but the people been governed have vital roles to play in making Lagos a more conducive place for survival. Together we can build a Lagos of our dream and that’s the main purpose of this project, to act as springboard to fostering understanding between the government and the people.

What prompted the idea of the project?

Lagos has up to 20 million people, less than 6 million registered in the last general election, less than a million gave the mandate to the party in power today. Something is wrong somewhere and this is one of the major reasons that gave birth to OUR LAGOS YOUR LAGOS project. We need to engage the people and also empower them with information and resources. If we all are asking is for is a better and safer Lagos, then we all need to play our parts to the development of the state. Lagos belongs to everybody in as much we respect the vision of the state.

Is the governor totally in support of the project?

His Excellency, Akinwunmi Ambode stands for unity, equality, progress for all Lagosians and that is what the message of OUR LAGOS YOUR LAGOS is… ITESIWAJU IPINLE EKO is everybody’s business.

What is your target and what exactly do you want to achieve?

It’s a clarion call for all Lagosians with a resonant effect across the country. As I said earlier, the development of Lagos state is everybody’s business, so this is a platform that connects the government and the people to help manage mis-information, identify problems, provide solutions for basic issues most especially within the grassroot. Loyalty on both from both the citizens and government is key to development and progress. And we have a governor that cares about the people and achieves result with ease.

Who are your main target?

Without doubt, our main targets are Lagosians; indigenes and residents. We hope to reach out to all lovers of Lagos, young and old, home and abroad.

Is this an avenue to cover up the general perception that Ambode is a ‘slow’ governor?

Who says he is a slow Governor? We have a governor that works day and night, cares about the people, stands for unity within and amongst the people, talks about fairness, equality, advocates for positive change, balancing the progress and development between the elite and the masses.

This is a governor who so much thinks about the majority and not the minority in all his dealings. Please let’s remain calm and feel the breeze of Akinwumi Amobode with ease. Study him, he doesn’t talk, he acts.

Ambode’s three and half years will supersede Fashola’s eight years. And if you are in doubt, just remain calm and be ready to compare when the time comes. With Akinwumi Ambode, ITESIWAJU EKO is assured.

Will this project create more enemies or friends for Ambode?

Akinwumi Ambode needs to create enemies at first to send a signal of good governance attached to his profile. Leading a state like Lagos is not a joke, there is a tendency of implementing policies that might not be comfortable at first, but on a long run, put smiles on the faces of Lagosians. And to achieve this, it’s normal for a working governor to be criticized by people in the first six-eight months in office, but by the time he is in the second year in office, people will see the difference between him and others.

The post ‘Ambode’s three years will outshine Fashola’s eight years’ appeared first on Nigeria News today & Breaking news | Read on NAIJ.COM (Nigerian newspapers).