'I FORESEE IGBO BECOMING LAGOS GOV'

By NBF News

Chairman of the Confederated Igbo Indigenes (CII), Lagos State, Prince Anayo Nnama, has said that Igboman would be governor of Lagos State 'in the nearest future.' He told Daily Sun:  'As our democracy grows, non indigenes will contest elections in Lagos and win. What I am sure of is that in the nearest future Igbo man will rule Lagos. Afterall, Zik won election in Lagos in the First Republic.' Excerpts:

Igboman as governor of Lagos State
It may sound funny but I tell you, that 43 per cent of the population of Lagos are Igbo, 47 per cent are indigenes while 10 per cent are other tribes and nationals. That tells you that at a stage as our democracy grows, non-indigenes will contest elections in Lagos and win.

What I am sure of is that in the nearest future, Igbo man will rule Lagos. Afterall, Zik won election in Lagos in the First Republic. I schooled and lived in USA for over 20 years. The law says if you live in America for certain period of time you can vote and be voted. This is exactly why Obama became the president of America.

Years back it was impossible such as the days of Martin Luther King but in our days it became possible. The Igbo own 70 percent of businesses in Lagos and our financial contribution is responsible for the economic growth in the state. If it doesn't happen now, it will happen in the future. Also what determines who governs is no longer tribe or religion but the ability and capability to preside over the affairs of the people. A time will come when a Yoruba or Hausa man will rule states in the South East and South South. Soon leadership will know no borders.

Fashola's achievements
Let me commend Asiwaju Ahmed Tinubu for producing a wonderful successor in the person of Governor Babatunde Fashola and for working very hard and returned him for second term. Today, Lagos is a dream city where everybody wants to live. Before the coming of Tinubu and Fashola, the state was perceived as a place where criminals resided because insecurity and all kinds of evil were recorded in the state. The most astonishing achievement of Fashola is getting Agberos out of Oshodi without a gun. During the military era, they tried in vain to dislodge them but could not. Fashola did it without engaging them in any struggle, that is a mark of leadership by influence and not by force. Lagos now wears a new look, crime is at its lowest minimum and the place is sanitized, you see traffic flowing and people are orderly that is government in action. Therefore I expect the action governor of Lagos to come to our aid in Oriade Local Council Development Area. He should consider the area for a commissioner slot.

Kirikiri roads deserve special government attention

The reason we are agitating for a commissionership slot, is because the LCDA is a development centre. It can't do much with the meager allocation at its disposal. There is the need for the state government to assist the council to do major projects, such as construction of canals, repairs of roads especially at Kirikiri axis. This axis attracted heavy traffic as heavy-duty trucks ply the area and the roads are bad thereby making life difficult for the people in the area. If the roads are constructed, there will be free flow of traffic and business will boom. We know the huge revenue the state and Federal governments generate from the area. It is expected that these two tiers of government should reciprocate by giving back to the society good life.

The second challenge is the construction of canal to prevent flooding. At The Sun Newspaper, of course, you know what I'm talking about, the road leading to The Sun from Kirikiri is bad. Sometimes before I can get to my house in Comfort Oboh from Kirikiri roundabout, it takes four hours and that is a journey that will normally take 15 minutes.

Plight of Oriade people
Oriade is a council development area, and can do little in terms of infrastructural development, that is why I am calling on Fashola to come to our aid. Yes, Fashola is doing well in Lagos even in Oriade. But for flooding to reduce in the area, the state government should construct a canal and repair damage roads to reduce traffic within Kirkiri axis. Now that the rain is here, you find water in people's homes in Kirikiri this ought not to be after all we voted massively for him and the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN). The people deserve the best, which Fashola is giving to the people of the state, but he needs to come to our aid also.

Why the council chairman should be returned for second term

Oriade LCDA chairman, Tunde Sanusi, has done well and we ask him to be ready to contest for second term and we the non-indigenes will vote for him again. With the meager resources within his disposal, he has transformed the area especially the riverine, in terms of health. He ensured that our kids were immunized, free medical care was given to people in the area and free mosquito nets were distributed to the people. On roads, maintenance is being carried out on the link roads as some major ones are patched and street sweepers can be seen everyday removing refuse from the gutters to refuse collection centres