Press Releases

700 Days In Office: Fashola Unveils Impressive Scorecard

Apr 28, 2009 - Lagos State Governor, Mr Babatunde Fashola (SAN) on Tuesday reflected on his first 700 days in office, declaring that the state has employed over 22,000 people, and disbursed almost N1 Billion in micro credit financing to enhance job and wealth creation.

The Governor who spoke in an interview with newsmen after inspecting on-going projects and commissioning the Montgomery Road, Commercial Avenue, and Aje Street as well as unveiling the statue of Herbert Macaulay in the Yaba Mainland area of the state also said the administration has built more skill acquisition and training centres while also setting up micro credit funding to develop entrepreneurial skill of young graduates and unemployed people.

Governor Fashola had earlier visited the Surulere integrated Leisure Centre, the Adeniran Ogunsanya Shopping Complex, the Tejuosho Markets and the Oyingbo Market to inspect the progress of work at the various sites and confirm reports on the projects.

Governor Fashola who spoke on why the State has not embarked on the payment of N10,000 monthly stipend to unemployed graduates as promised during the campaigns said that “since after taking office, we reviewed that programme and we thought that instead of cushioning the effect of unemployment we should really solve the problem decisively rather than paying people unemployment stipends, we should employ them and that is why we have moved from paying allowances to actually creating jobs”.

He added that “Instead of giving them N10,000 some of them have accessed up to N250,000, some N500,000 others N100,000 or more. They have become employers themselves and also employing more people and we think that is way to continue to go because even those other economies that were developed on this idea of an unemployment stipend are moving away from it because what they have found out and research has shown is that it creates dependency rather than productivity”.

Governor Fashola also added that “you need productive people at every time in the economy and therefore Lagos cannot afford to be different and say we are going back to where people have learnt very bad lessons. Beyond that there is also the question of dignity .The dignity of a man who goes to queue for unemployed stipend, and we want to raise people with dignity. Young people with their dignity, their pride and their courage intact that they are contributing to the economy rather than being merely dependent”.

The Governor also informed that dispensation has been given for the employment of about a thousand graduate teachers who have finished the two years graduate scheme and have been reabsorbed into full employment while there is also a dispensation to employ strategic officers like surveyors, engineers and architects and in those areas where the State is lacking the requisite manpower in the civil service.

According to Governor Fashola, the present administration will continue not just to employ graduates but has generally ensured that unemployed people have been put to work in so many of the schemes that it has done in the last 700 days

“Through our vacation jobs, we kept the children at work and busy while their parents were at work, In the first year it was 4,500, we scaled up to over 5000 last year and we will be also doing the same, once the children go on summer vacation this year”, he added.

Governor Fashola explained that at all the construction sites that he has visited on the tour, not less than 2000 people are working on a continuous basis in the last 18 to 19 months.

The Lagos State helmsman asserted that everybody will be happy as the administration plans and progresses gradually, saying “so far, I think we are within schedule. All of the things we committed to in the last 100 days, some more progress have been made”.

Governor Fashola listed the achievements of the administration in the last 100 days as including commissioning of 195 LAGBUS buses, the upgrade of the Teslim Balogun Stadium and completion and handing over of Ago Palace Way and Bridge.

He added that “We have paid pensions to Local government workers which have been in arrears since 1999; we paid them about Five Billion Naira. We have put that behind us. The Lagos Badagry Expressway project is about to start, we have awarded the contract, we have mobilized the contractor and it is left for them to move to site. The railway project is almost there because we have approved the contractor that will build it. It is only the letter of award and the payment for the two routes that is waiting and I think we should be able to complete that within the next 100 days so that the contractor could move to site”.

“During that period we have handed over the transfer loading stations that we promised Lagosians, the first one has been completed, work is on-going on the second one at Oshodi. Once they finish we would move to the third one at Ogombo and on and on. During the period also, we have completed and handed over Bourdillon road and we have also aided the contractor to commence pilling of the link Bridge between Bourdillon and Lekki Phase I to link you into Admiralty Way”, Governor Fashola stated.

He told the audience that the State is also making progress on its water transportation initiatives and had flagged off one of its concessionaires- Metro Marine Ferries to commence operations.

Governor Fashola added that the State has also retrieved some jetties in Lagos with the collaboration of the Federal Government and is evaluating them for upgrade, repairs and handover.

In his words: “The jetties that we are constructing have made appreciable progress, the one in Ikorodu, Ipakodo and Badore are making appreciable progress. The one at Osborne was delayed, but work has resumed there and I must thank all the people who assisted us in getting the contractor back on site for Osborne and who patriotically gave up their lands”.

Governor Fashola also added that progress is being made on the Maternal Child Care Centres being built across the State: saying, “That of Ikorodu is almost completed, Amuwo is making progress, Surulere and Isolo are making progress, I think the one in Ifako is also at appreciable level. I think between now and the next 100 days, one or two should be ready and would be handed over while we should be able to complete all of them between eight months and one year time”.

The Governor informed that the 12 water works projects of two million capacity being embarked upon are at various stages of completion and expressed optimism that in the next few months they would be put to use.

He thanked all Lagosians for the progress, saying: “Without you, it would have been more difficult. Those of you who paid your taxes and those of you who did your work, those of you who cleaned your streets, those of you who obeyed the law”.

“Last Saturday we had a real carnival in Lagos that is also part of our 100days achievement. The best Eyo festival that has ever been hosted in Lagos and we are going to do more of it and I thank all of you for being law abiding, the Eyo masquerades for cooperating with us by not flogging people and LASTMA, LASAMBUS, the Oba of Lagos, security agencies and all of you. We truly had a great time and greater time still lies ahead of us”, Governor Fashola added.

On reasons for inspecting on-going projects, the Governor said once the administration makes commitments, it sticks to it, saying “We don’t stick with it because we want to do so. We see it grow, we monitor it and see its progress to see whether we are on time because time is so important to us. It is not only about telling people that we want to do something but we also want to do it within the time that we made the commitment to do it”.

Governor Fashola who also stopped by at Oyingbo market said he made the trip to have a first hand knowledge of what the contractor is doing as and feel the pulse of the people who are affected by the project because the progress reports usually sent to the Governor do not catch the feelings of the people and also presents an opportunity to hear from them.

The Governor said he also checked on the Army Ordinance depot to know how much progress is being made to help them move the wall which would enable the State establish the BRT route which is the only issue delaying the completion of the road is completed all the way to Oyingbo.

The Governor added that work is already going on at the back and the state is rebuilding the warehouses inside before it takes down the walls.

At Tejuosho, Governor Fashola stopped by to see what progress is being made by the two contractors and expressed happiness that the basement has been sunk in one for the sublevel car park while the first floor foundation in the other one is already in progress.

Governor Fashola was also at Adeniran Ogunsanya which is home to a neigbourhood shopping mall and supermarket being redeveloped and substantial progress being made there.

He also informed that a cinema is also coming as part of the development in the old UTC stores and entertainment centre adding that Domino stores has done something similar such that people in Yaba don’t have to go to Victoria Island to watch cinemas, promising that the same will happen to people in Surulere, as well as Alimosho, Orile, Apapa and Ajegunle.

On why the 700 days is being celebrated in a different way, Governor Fashola told the reporters that: “Every 100 days represents an accounting and reporting activity between us and those who put us here and therefore it is not a celebration. Also if you look from the first hundred days till now when we made the promise that we will report and we will account every hundred days. Each one hundred days has assumed a different character”.

Said he: “We have also addressed different segments of the community from political leadership and at other times to the Organized Private Sector and to the media at one forum. The last was a combination of the public at large and also in the Town Hall format”.

The Governor was accompanied on the tour by members of the State Executive Council and the body of Permanent Secretaries.