Press Releases

I Want To Be Your Student, Porto Novo Mayor Tells Fashola
• As Lagos Governor urges African countries to look inwards

Apr 23, 2009 - Critical acclaim came on Thursday from faraway Benin Republic for Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babatunde Fashola (SAN) as the Mayor of Porto Novo, Mr. Moukaram Oceni, said he would like to be a student of the Governor.

Mr. Oceni, who led a large delegation comprising top government officials, businessmen and journalists from Benin Republic said his visit was to congratulate Governor Fashola whose developmental achievements in Lagos, according to him, has been a matter of great acclaim and admiration in Porto Novo and Benin Republic, adding that he has come also to learn from the Governor.

The Mayor, who made his remark in French Language, said, “I have come with my delegation to personally congratulate you because the whole of Benin is aware of the great work you are doing in Lagos. You have brought order, discipline and conviviality in Lagos State”.

“Lagos is very clean now. I came with a great delegation comprising elected members of Porto Novo City and businessmen to express our admiration and the admiration of the people of Porto Novo and we want to copy and learn from you what you are doing in Lagos and how you were able to change Lagos so rapidly. I want to be your student”, the Mayor said.

Going down memory lane in relation to the historic ties between Lagos and Porto Novo, the Mayor recalled that the two cities had served as trading posts for the Portuguese, adding that the two also share very strong cultural and ethnic ties.

The Mayor said the relationship between Nigeria and Benin Republic dated back to the 17th century, adding that the two countries share a lot in common especially cultural and language ties.

Inviting the Governor to visit Porto Novo at a later date, the Mayor said, “You are already a citizen of Porto Novo. All the People of Porto Novo will be happy to welcome you”.

Responding, Governor Fashola called on African countries to look more inwards for economic salvation saying the wealth of Africa is in excess of what Europe can offer the Continent, adding that it is a thing of regret that African leaders continue to think that help can only come from Europe when so many opportunities exist in the Continent to make wealth for the development of her people.

The Governor told the Mayor, “Somehow in all of Africa, we have not looked enough closely at ourselves. We have continued to think that help can only come from Europe”, adding, “There is so much opportunities for us in cross-cultural and cross boundary trade between African countries that we have not taken. Indeed, I believe that the wealth of Africa is in very vast proportion in excess of what Europe can ever offer”.

“A lot of great economies are emerging in Africa and we only need to look more closely at what we are doing”, the Governor said, pointing out that it is with the intention to open such trans-border trade and migration of people in an increasingly global world that his administration has made the Lagos – Badagry Expressway a matter of priority.

Governor Fashola, who lamented that the countries of the West-African sub-region seem to be close yet so far, declared, “I think that with the commitment of the Federal Government to support our State in developing this road, which we have already awarded and the contractor will soon move to site, the cross-cultural and cross-border as well as regional trade will only get better in the ECOWAS sub-region for a start where Lagos, Porto Novo, Lome, Accra, Fort-Lamy and all of those places will play an important role”.

Noting that Nigeria’s President Umar Yar’ Adua is the Chairman of ECOWAS, the Governor further declared, “I believe that some of the things that we will be looking to see will be more integration and interaction within the ECOWAS countries”.

He expressed joy that there is already a lot of interaction among people of the sub-region especially in the entertainment industry, mentioning particularly the movies and music which, according to him, have made their way across the borders of the countries of the sub-region.

Commending the Mayor for the initiative his government has shown in reaching out within Africa, Governor Fashola declared, “There is indeed much more that we can share. We just have to continue to reach out and I believe more African leaders and states at the national level should begin to look more to Africa and less to Europe”.

The Governor, who also observed that Porto Novo, like Lagos, belongs to an opposition party in Benin Republic, said the only way his administration has sought to show that the political party controlling Lagos is a better party is to put the people first and serve them selflessly.

Governor Fashola thanked the Mayor and his delegation for the visit saying his prompt response to the request for the visit was borne out of the fact that the two cities have a long history of mutual experiences. He pointed out that the two cities had served as trading posts in the old kingdoms and also the fact that the two peoples are indigenous to the ethnic Yoruba Group.

Noting that the frontiers and boundaries of knowledge are limitless, the Governor said the relationship between Lagos and Porto Novo would be that of partnership between brothers exchanging ideas, learning from one another and drawing from one another’s strength as well as avoiding the past mistakes, adding, “I also have things to learn from you”.

Also present at the occasion were the Deputy Governor, Princess Adebisi Sosan, some members of the State Executive Council and other top Government functionaries.