Governorship candidate, Lagos State chapter of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Mr Jimi Agbaje, has promised to restore the lost glory of the state and ‘deliver it from the stranglehold of one man,’ declaring that he remained the candidate to beat, come 2019 election.
Agbaje gave this promise while speaking at his official declaration and launch with the critical stakeholders and members of the press on Saturday at Lekki area of the state.
The governorship candidate also promised to make life more meaningful for the teeming residents of the metropolitan state and kick-start a proper economic development of the state, vowing to do things differently in the state for the benefit of the people and not the way they had been done in the last 20years by those now in power.
“These people have been in government in Lagos State for 20 years, what do we have to show for it. Lagosians between the ages of 18 and 50 do not see the future in the Lagos of today, adding that many Lagosians always preferred to relocate abroad where there were opportunities.
“Many residents of Lagos State want to relocate abroad, where there are good schools, constant electricity, and other amenities of life. The ruling party in the state has spent about N6 Trillion or $35 Billion in 20 years and they have nothing to show for it.
“Lagos State is one of the two megacities in the world that does not have light rail. Over 50 per cent of the students in Lagos States public schools fail the West African Senior Secondary School Examination (WASSCE).
“Poor people in the state manage to send their children to private primary schools and when they get to the secondary school level, they don’t have money to pay again all because our public schools are bad. We are mortgaging the future of our youths if we don’t get education right,” he lamented.
Agbaje said the healthcare system of the state was not working, pointing out that had accounted for why nobody wanted to go to public hospitals anymore, even as he faulted the housing and transport schemes of the state.
According to him, the only enduring roads in the state such as the Lekki-Epe Expressway were those constructed by the administration of Alhaji Lateef Kayode Jakande.
While faulting the democratic system being operated by the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) led government in the state, said he was running for the office of the governor of Lagos because he knew he could make things better and make life more meaningful for the people of the state.
“Our campaign is centred around those things that would make life better for the people of the state. In four years, the traffic situation in the state would be made better.
“The ruling party in the state has been on the light rail project since the past 12 years, we will get it done in four years. We will run a model based on health insurance.
“It is easier to do business in other states than in Lagos. People are made to pay all sorts of levies and taxes. They copied what we said on Social True Fund in 2015, but they didn’t get it right. We will cancel all these levies and attract investors into the state.
“We will ensure that the younger ones benefit from the Social Trust Fund. They also copied our campaign promise of free Wi-Fi, but they didn’t get it right. This is not a luxury, it is something our people can enjoy,” Agbaje said.
“My campaign would be ‘People’s Lagos’ and not ‘One man Lagos.’ Their leaders control the local governments in the state, they appointed the councillors and rendered the local governments ineffective.
“What we have today is that the people are beginning to fear the government and we are taking a risk of tyranny.
“The JK you know has not changed. Those who voted for us in 2015 have not changed. We will beat them silly in 2019.
“They have shown that they have failed. They say I am their customer, but the customer is king and the ground is good today. By February 2019, they would know that the game is over. We are ready for them, let the campaign begin,” he said.
He used the occasion to introduce his running mate, Mrs Halimat Oluwayemisi Busari, who he said would join hands with him to make Lagos State better for all from 2019, promising that she would never treat his deputy as a spare tyre but would be giving critical duties to perform.
