Why Tinubu must get credit for transforming Lagos — Governor Sanwo-Olu

The controversy over the role of All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu in the wave of infrastructure transformation seen in Lagos State over the past two decades can now be dispelled .

Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu on Monday set the record straight, saying Mr Tinubu was the mastermind behind the development master plan implemented by successive administrations in Lagos which has improved the state governance.

This, Mr. Sanwo-Olu said, is a fact that cannot be denied by anyone who worked closely with the former governor of Lagos from 1999 to 2007.

Mr. Sanwo-Olu was a special guest on Your View, a program on Television Continental (TVC), where he spoke about his government's achievements, re-election, family values ​​and relationship with the APC presidential candidate .

Lagos is widely regarded as a model of good governance, infrastructure renewal and innovation. The state recently made history as the first sub-national entity in Africa to complete modern intra-city railway infrastructure without a federal budget allocation – a widely applauded feat.

Mr. Sanwo-Olu said Mr. Tinubu could not be denied credit for the reforms that gave direction to the infrastructure programs implemented by his successors to transform Lagos into one of the largest economies in Africa. /p>

The Governor, who said his working relationship with Tinubu began in 2002, highlighted that he was a living witness to the development of the Lagos State Economic Empowerment and Development Strategy (LASEEDS ) edited by Tinubu.

The LASEEDS document, Sanwo-Olu said, was harmonized with a 10-point agenda document and became the precursor to the Lagos State Development Master Plan (LSDP) that emerged from the economic summit of Lagos (Ehingbeti) initiated by the Tinubu administration.

He said: "In all humility, I joined Mr. Tinubu's government more than 20 years ago. I was the managing director of my bank before joining Tinubu in November 2002. From day one from my appointment, I was in Tinubu's cabinet and saw things first hand. I am a living witness to the development vision proposed by Tinubu.

"It's not something we should talk about; it's a fact we all know. Under Tinubu's leadership, we put in place documents called LASEEDS and SEEDS, which are development plans We also had what we called a 10 point agenda, which laid the groundwork for a revenue generation campaign, transport reform and public infrastructure renewal.

“The LASEEDS and SEEDS documents served as a model of transformation in Lagos. We set up the Ehingbeti Economic Summit to take place year after year, where we bring together private sector inputs and let's flesh it out in public documents and generate a working document that we could implement. I was Commissioner of Economic Planning and Budget, so I was one of those who put together the documents. L he Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority (LAMATA), for example, did not just jump out of space, Tinubu established LAMATA with the World Bank in 2002. I was among the first group of staff who worked at LAMATA, which is one of the best transport agencies in the world.

"That's how the plan was developed and we had a 20-year development plan for it, which former Governor Babatunde Raji Fashola improved. He removed some elements and replaced them based on the realities of the time. Former Governor Akinwunmi Ambode did the same. Our government is doing the same because there is continuity. We are able to see the challenges of previous governments and we have decided things that we can take it quickly. Tinubu deserves the credit because he was the one who was able to put together the first procession of very smart people who worked with him to develop a workable plan."