Media lynching of Governor Akinwunmi Ambode FCA is a needless exercise.

Lagos State residents and APC chapter party members knew the primary that heralded Babajide Sanwo-Olu in; as the party gubernatorial standard bearer is an orchestrated fraud: oiled by deliberate disenfranchisement of party members, application of violence, open intimidation, threat to careers of lilly livered public office holders and none public office holders members of the party.

The Mandate Group cabal and their supreme bosses Bola Ahmed Tinubu & Rauf Aregbesola do not and cannot win political contests in a free, fair and equity manner any more. The age of knowledge is here.

Now having to justify their unholy venture and to whip up sentiments toward the possibility of impeaching Governor Akinwunmi Ambode FCA. In which Media lynching is the preparatory strategy to soften the ground for this unpopular agenda.

Accusations that ranges from the absurd, to the unreasonable, and to outright fabrications are being peddled by their paid hawks on all streams of media platforms: as a justification antidote to the malfeasance that characterized the emergence of the rigged order on Lagos political landscape.

1. DISENGAGED SENIOR CIVIL SERVANTS

When you rose to the position of a PS or the GM, DG of a public outfit. You bear it in mind that “Pens Down” comes with this elevation. It is never a easy task to disengage anyone but the headship of Ministries Agencies & Departments is no birthright of any individual or group of individuals.

Bola Ahmed Tinubu Babatunde Raji Fashola disengaged several individuals who bore it with philosophical calmness and in good fate. In a single day Tinubu disengaged PS, Tutor Generals, Directors, Deputy Directors and Assistant Directors in their numbers. It did not become a political issue. Ambode who promoted civil servants to the level of PS so that they can leave service as PS is now vilified for ensuring they have better retirement package.

2. LAWMA

LAWMA do not have 25,000 staff members. So from where did this figure came from that 25,000 LAWMA staff members were sacked by Governor Ambode. What is the total staff strength of the Lagos State government in the first place. 80 percent of LAWMA staff members were transferred back to the main civil service; while Cleaner Lagos Initiative absorbed the rest alongside all the street sweepers, drain ducks and waste evacuators. Not one job was lost under the Cleaner Lagos Initiative. Those who sabotage the initiative from the beginning are hell bent on maintaining the fraudulent hold on Lagos waste industry.

3. STATE CHAPEL CHAPLAIN

The Christian Association of Nigeria Lagos State chapter has openly exonerated Governor Akinwunmi Ambode and his wife over the matter of the sacked Chaplain seconded by the African Church to the State Church for a two year tenure. The Chaplain a journalist with Punch Newspaper tried to rewrite his terms of engagement and sought to have Mrs Bolanle Ambode back him; her refusal to do so led the cleric to frustratingly resorted to open abuses on the person of the first lady while on pulpit: the video of the service session is there for all. It has nothing to do with holy communion. In fact it was an oil anointing service. The cleric after bashing the first lady on the pulpit ordered that those sitting at the back row come forward first for anointing. Mrs Ambode waited her turn and was anointed by the same cleric she thereafter took her leave. A deaconess who waited on the Lord for 17 years to have children will not be rude to men of God. The Ambode’s are close to the Adeboye’s.

4. LUC

Land Use Charge by law is meant for review every four years. We ceaselessly make demands for public services and infrastructure: but we shy away from funding our demands: the 2018 LUC was an amalgam of all state public utilities annual levies: waste, tenement rate and others. The law emanated from the Lagos State House of Assembly with input from APC as a party. So why is Governor Ambode being singled out as the brain behind the law: when he it was who opened the window for reversal immediately the law came into effect during his meeting with Corporate Lagos.

5. AMBODE HAS NO OPEN DOOR POLICY

The Office of Civic Engagement, Office for Peoples living with Disabilities, Lagos Office for Investment and Overseas Affairs, Lagos State Employment Trust Fund, Emergency Lines 122 & 767, Lagos State Emergency Services Agency LASEMA are official platforms set up by Governor Akinwunmi Ambode FCA: delegating to party officials appointed to man these outfits to deal with varied needs Lagos residents. So with these and more why will a resident need to physically sit with the Governor if not for desperate fault shopping narratives. Town hall meetings hosted across the state are meant to achieve what ?

6. AMBODE & LAGOS HEALTH SECTOR

Jide Idris has being the Lagos State Commissioner for Health since 2003 to date. He is in the best position to state if Lagos Health plan was distorted by Governor Ambode or not. Unknown to many litigation bogged down Ayinke House reconstruction the case was settled by the Ambode administration and the place is set for commissioning. CMDs appointed by Fashola administration are on their desk. Ambode investment in public health consist of high fitted ambulances, helipad, air ambulance among several others to numerous to list.

7. NO INFRASTRUCTURE

Infrastructure even his most rabid critic will not accuse Ambode of not providing public infrastructure.

8. AMBODE & TRAFFIC MGT

LASTMA had over 3000 men and officers employed into their ranks to boost transport management. Is this not a prove of Ambode’s concern for traffic management.

9. VOLUNTEERISM

Volunteering is not the same thing with employment. Volunteering is not a career. Volunteering is time bound and not in perpetuity.

10. AMBODE & HOUSING

Eighty five percent of housing stock provided by the Fashola administration is left unoccupied because it is not affordable to Lagosians: priced out of the reach of residents. So why should the Ambode administration add to these housing stock. Please where did the narrative came from that Lagos State did not avail FGN land for NHS. Rent to Own initiative could not even fill these estates.

11. VINDICTIVENESS

Let us define criticism, vindictiveness and see that some accusations are just immaterial and in bad faith.

12. AMBODE & BANIRE

Muiz Banire is a SAN he does not need fault shoppers to carry his cross for him. Is it Ambode that compelled the three Senators from Lagos State to frustrate his nomination as the AMCON board executive chairman. Or is it Ambode that denied Banire’s candidates council chairmanship tickets.

13. LAWMA 2 & OPEN LAGOS.

Not one worker in LAWMA was disengaged. From 1999 till date contract sums are confidential in Lagos State. A tradition unbroken by Ambode.

14. COMMISSIONERS CALL

All commissioners in Lagos State are politicians and they must add their narrative to the cocktail of lies to be in the right stead with power hawks.

15. STATE CONTRACTS

Contracted projects in Lagos State are awarded by the State Tenders Board; process of contract awards are established in line with federal government pattern for the country. Successful bidders automatically becomes “cronies” while unsuccessful ones becomes “critics”

16. AMBODE LOPSIDED FOCUS

Accusation of Ambode not paying attention to health, housing, education, employment shows these accusers are not conversant with Lagos or with the budget of Lagos. Ambode administration has built 7 bridges to enhance traffic management in the state and thousands of kilometers of road networks.

17. UNDESILTED DRAINS

Laughable is the reality. Drain desalting contract retainers is firmly in the hands of APC chieftains statewide. A bad party man such as Ambode will have to bear the failure of his party men to deliver: even as he stand accused of no patronage.

18. STATE CONSULTANTS

Alpha Beta is the sole consultant to Lagos State government on tax matters. Laralek is the sole consultant to Lagos State government on construction. Laralek a registered consultant and contractor in Lagos state before the administration of Governor Ambode. The firm stepped in and took over from Deux Project: Deux Project voluntarily and at short notice disengaged her services from Lagos State government.

(Deux Project’s Tunji Olowolafe, Bola Ahmed Tinubu and NNPC board nomination story is for another day).

19. STATE EXECUTIVE MEETINGS

A 12 hour State executive meeting is a misnomer and time wasting. Even Federal Executive Council meetings, European Union executive meetings and United Nations executive sessions do not last this long.

20. AMBODE & LIGHT RAIL

Lagos is about continuity. Lagos is also about change. Positive and dynamic changes that respond to the needs of today and tomorrow.
Light rail project is on course Ambode administration took it from Iganmu across the Lagos Lagoon to Marina stretch. Ambode is not responsible for the none meeting of delivery date: the project is a world bank funded project stalled by PDP, recession, right of way issues among others. Lagos State government has only persuasive and monitoring detail over. We need be informed to stop spreading crass ignorance.

22. ROAD CLOSURE

Nigeria Governors Forum members no longer uses Sirens. Only accusers desperate will talk of road closure for Ambode movement. It was when Theresa May UK Prime Minister and French President visited Lagos that roads were closed for three hours with alternative being put in place manned by LASTMA officials. Road closure in 364 by 3 days in office only happened 4 times and emergency critics are using this. Irresponsible lot.

22. EPE ALONE

Governor Ambode signature of public services is evenly spread in the five divisions of the state. Badagry, Alimosho, Ikorodu, Ifako Ijaiye, Ibeju Lekki, Ojo all had testimonies of solutions to their different challenges.

23. AMBODE & COMMISSIONERS

Ganiyu Johnson and other commissioners who left Ambode administration resigned none was not sacked. Only 3 out of 40 resigned. Let good conscience judge here.

24. AMBODE & PARTY LEADERS ….

On Ambode’s relationship with party leaders: let enumerate just a little. N1bn was allocated monthly by Governor Akinwunmi Ambode for party management and administration: party leaders should tell the members what this money was deployed into. 300 inner city road contracts was awarded party leaders statewide in their respective catchments. 5000 Lagos State Neighborhood Safety Corp employment routed through party leaders. APC state executive gets N50m subvention monthly. 3000 LASTMA employment routed through party leaders. 1000 public school teaching jobs routed through party leaders. Festive seasons largesse routed through party leaders. Hajj & Pilgrim slots routed through party leaders.

It is in the enlightened best interest of the APC party chapter in Lagos State to live with the consequences of their choice: as we go into the general elections. It is to their best interest we go as one not divided by their ill informed mudslinging against a performer serially acknowledged so publicly by Bola Ahmed Tinubu & other people and groups of good conscience. No one has the monopoly of the media or hack writers. In fact APC need Ambode more than he needs them now. Lagosians are the most enlightened voters in Nigeria and other political parties will not stomach electoral manipulation come 2019.

A word is enough for the wise.