Governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress ( APC) in Lagos State, Akinwunmi Ambode recently spoke with journalists , where he outlined his plans for the state, and issues relating to his resignation from civil service. He also touched on other germane issues affecting the state. SENIOR CORRESPONDENT, TEMIDAYO AKINSUYI was there. Excerpts:
With the spate of insecurity in some parts of the country, what are your plans to ensure a secured state for students? Secondly, how will you streamline the existing inequality between the private and public schools from primary to tertiary institutions and how will you ensure that the payment of leave bonuses cut across the private sector which is not controlled by government?
Akinwunmi Ambode
I like to thank you for asking those questions and I want to assure students that I equally have children that are in school. I want to tell you that the safety of all the children, including my own are of uppermost interest in my heart, when the city is safe, you too will be safe. You will see that in the last few years, we’ve had a safer Lagos, what we intend to do is to build on it by keeping the streets safe and light all of them up. Beyond that, we’ll use modern technology to secure all of you, including your parents. As much as we will do that we will be using CCTV and community monitors to ensure that round the clock security is provided for all Lagosians. You also asked about inequality in schools, I want to tell you that the public primary school that we have in Lagos has over a million students and in ratio 1:6, that is, for every public school there are six private schools. What do we intend to do? We will provide free lunch for all the students in the public primary schools, beyond that, we will use technology to provide tabloid for all our students in the public primary school, by so doing we would have found one way or the other to reduce the inequality between the private schools and the public schools.
What is going to be the relationship of the incoming Lagos administration with the Federal government, considering the fact that we run a federal system of government and how do you intend to maintain the relationship between the various ethnic groups since Lagos is a melting pot to several ethnic groups?
Ordinarily federalism is the submission of federating units into one entity called the federal government. So in essence all state submits some of their rights to the center; that is what federalism is. Lagos State is not out of that equation, but what do we have, we have a federal government that is controlled by another party, which in all cases always go against the aspiration of the people of Lagos State. This difference in party affiliation has no doubt affected the relationship between the state and the federal government. And that is why it appears there is conflict between the two levels of government. Look at the Murtala Mohammed airport road for instance, look at the Third Mainland Bridge or even the Apapa Express way, these are the things that ordinarily should be done in support of Lagos Sate by the federal government. When we say that we submit to federalism, it should not be because we are in another party, they should be doing things that are injurious and against the interest of the people of Lagos. And that is why we are saying that if we have a stronger center under APC, we will be able to have those benefits that are constitutionally and dutifully due to Lagosians. On the other hand, I grew up a Nigerian, am a Nigerian by birth, a Yoruba by tribe. At age 11, I had actually mixed up with all Nigerians from all walks of life because I went to a unity school. In going there, you make friends with Igbos, Hausas, Efiks and all others. I am living and I have lived for over 50 years in a cosmopolitan Lagos. I cannot afford to denigrate anyone in a way of ethnic aligning or religion, we are in a cosmopolitan Lagos and we will all live together and contribute our quotas to make the state better.
Lagos State is Africa’s fifth largest economy, what plans do you have to sustain the growth trajectory of the State?
Yes, it is true that Lagos is the seventh largest economy, in population wise, Lagos is larger than 32 countries in Africa, GDP of Lagos in 2013 was 109 billion dollars, GDP now is 133 billion dollars, that is, giving you about 27 trillion. So what does that mean for us? it means that if we want to grow the economy of Lagos, even in terms of what we have, it is a clear fact that 10% of Lagos economy is in the formal sector, 90% is informal and we have already stated that we can double the GDP of Lagos if we improve on the economy of the informal sector. When we harness what we have in Lagos we will be able to multiply the GDP. And the GDP is the combination of the goods and services that drives the economy. So our own intention is to improve on the business environment for every entrepreneur and every businessman to thrive and in doing so we will expand our economy in a manner that will allow us to expand our GDP. Beyond that, we intend to create more
jobs, which is in addition to allowing youths and those who are unemployed to have access to finance. We intend to create an employment trust fund that in the first four years, the government will be putting down 25 billion that will allow each division have access to 1 billion each in every year. So our youths that are not employed and the small scale entrepreneurs that do not have finance will have access to such funds and grow their businesses.
Apapa has become a nightmare to people doing business in that part of the state. What are your plans to improve accessibility and ease the traffic gridlock?
What we have there is a fall-out of the inefficiency of the federal government which is controlled by the PDP. Of all the roads that you have in Lagos, 117 of those roads belong to the federal government of which Apapa Expressway is one of them, there is nothing that the APC government has not done to allow business to thrive in that axis. Each time we try to relocate the traffic congestion and the tankers, we always have this bottle-necks and frustration from the federal government. Beyond what you see, we’ve expanded to ensure that we have additional seaports in Badagry and Lekki to ease out the kind of challenges we have in Apapa. But I want to assure the business community that if we voted to power we would do all we can within the law to Apapa more accessible.
How viable in your view is the Eko Atlantic City project currently embarked upon by the state government?
When I heard Mr. Jimi Agbaje say that the Atlantic City should be moved to Badagry, I think that was laughable. Let us say something very clearly: we have about 9000 hectares of land that is being reclaimed. There is nothing criminal or disturbing if you have new cities in your environment. What Eko Atlantic City stands to project is to create a new city where you can live and work. To create a new financial hub, as we speak they even have a free trade zone permit which will allow some new set of financial activities to spring up. You don’t have to be in Dubai or New-York to set up an international standard business, you can do that at the Eko Atlantic City. That is what Eko Atlantic City offers.
What plans do you have to push for a broader definition of the derivation element from the federal government?
When we get into government and which is what we have been doing, part of the issues that we want to pursue are those on derivation as it affect sales tax and other taxes that we generate from hear. We will take it to the National Assembly and ensure that there is an expansion in the content of the derivation principles that you have in the constitution. Beyond that, one of the strategies that we’ve also used is to say that sales tax belongs to the state. And there is a law that is backing that up. In addition to that, value added tax is supposed to be a state tax. The military government that we had in 1985 went ahead and imputed value added tax as part of its own tax. That is one of the things that we intend to fight for, because when you talk in terms of derivation of sales tax and other taxes, it is only Lagos State that generates almost 70% of that sales taxes and we intend to pursue it along side VAT and other taxes because we need those sources of revenue to expand on job creation in the state and allow businessmen and entrepreneurs to thrive in the state.
You retired early from government as Accountant General of Lagos, what made you retire, were you forced to leave?
I have lived all my life wanting to be a leader, I have not come to this situation by accident, my personal experience even at the point where I lost my father at the age of eighteen when I was in the secondary school was a turning point for me. I faced the challenges of life and I saw my leadership qualities at that tender age. In all that, I have worked through my carrier in the civil service as an outstanding person. I became an accountant general at the age of 43, I became a permanent secretary at the age of 37, I graduated at the age of 21, even at 24 I had become chartered accountant; so have always had positions of authority at an early age. Beyond that, I am also a Fullbright scholar that studied at Boston University, of which the main programme was on public leadership that was at the age of 35. I have always seen myself in a position of public leadership, so for me to start now, that I want to be governor is not something I cooked up. I have always seen myself taking up leadership role at a tender age. After getting to the pick of my carrier at the age of 37 and spending twelve years after, it is enough for me to go and find something else to do. I retired voluntarily after working as a permanent secretary for twelve years, I wanted to be recorded as the youngest person that retired from an exalted position at a young age. It is not about money making, it is not about amassing wealth, I moved on to go and face higher challenges. I have served Lagos State meritoriously for 27 years, I want to serve Lagos state at a higher capacity for additional four years. That I s why I am here!
But how do you want to react to allegations that you were forced out of service contrary to your claim that you retired voluntarily.
That is absolutely untrue. Here I have here with me (shows documents) this is the certificate issued by the Lagos State government saying that I retired voluntarily and satisfactorily, I also have here with me a letter of commendation issued by the incumbent governor four months after I retired saying that they gained tremendously from my selfless service. There is no other testimonial to say that, all they are doing is just political gimmick to diminish my value. I have the character, I have the competence and I have the capability to be your next governor.
The governorship candidate of the PDP, Jimi Agbaje, is generally considered as your biggest opposition, do you think he pose any threat to you personally or to your party the APC?
We are fifteen candidates and he just happens to be one of us. The truth is this, coming into this race, I actually had twelve contestants that contested with me and I was able to defeat them. But beyond that, PDP as a party has always used that phrase, ‘we want to capture Lagos.’ They said that in 2003, they were not able to do it. They said it in 2007, they were not able to do it. They said it again in 2011, they were not able to do it. So, it has become some kind of record. But let it be clear, I am that candidate that has that cognate experience that Lagos State is looking for. I have toiled all my life working for Lagos State, I started as an accountant in 1985 and left Lagos State civil service in 2012. I have stood for Lagos State when it mattered most. I made revenue for Lagos State for those 27 years. The growth and development of Lagos State is not out of my purview, this candidate for PDP has toiled all his life working for himself, at no time has he ever contributed to the growth and development of Lagos State. When we talk about of experience, who has stood more for Lagos State? Lagos State is just 48 years old, of those 48 years, 27 of it I have toiled for Lagos. I have been council treasurer for almost five local governments for 13 years, I have been auditor general for Lagos State, I have been permanent secretary Ministry of finance, I was among the first set of people to procure bond issuance for the people of Lagos State. Whatever development you are seeing in Lagos State today, none has been behind my back. Look at the other opposition candidate, when we had Ebola virus in Lagos State Last year, as a pharmacist, he never said a word, as a politician in the last sixteen years he’s never had any political appointment or won any election. My good brother is a pharmacist but he is in a wrong party, he left the then ACN because he felt he was a progressive, now he is in the company of conservatives. Is it about ambition or passion for Lagos State? We need to ask him. Does he have passion for Lagos State? This is a man that has lived between Ikoyi and Victoria Island for the past 58 years. I have lived in Iju, I have lived in Badagry, I have worked in Alimosho and Ajegunle, I know my people.
It is on record that the government of Asiwaju Bola Tinubu and the incumbent, Babatunde Fashola promised Lagosians the Fourth Mainland Bridge but the project is yet to take off. Why the delay?The design of the bridge is ready, the feasibility study of the project has been done. All other technicalities that are needed have been done by the Lagos government. But characteristic of the federal government’s led PDP to frustrate the development of Lagos, the President, Goodluck Jonathan has refused to append his signature to the project and you cannot actually carry out such a gigantic project without the approval of the federal government. I however want to assure Lagosians that we would continue the push and hopefully if our party wins the presidential election, Abuja will be more disposed to it.http://dailyindependentnig.com/2015/02/jonathan-refused-approve-fourth-mainland-bridge-ambode/
