Press Releases

Fashola Should Be Left Alone To Continue His Good Works – Okoya Thomas
• As NBA Ikeja Chapter launches a book in honour of the Governor

Apr 27, 2010 - Foremost industrialist and the Asoju Oba of Lagos, Chief Molade Okoya Thomas, Tuesday pleaded that the Governor of Lagos State, Mr. Babatunde Fashola (SAN), be left alone to continue his good works to the people of the State saying any distraction to him is a disservice to the people.

His plea came just as the Governor described politics as a decent vocation pointing out that the only way to prevent evil from prevailing in the society is for men and women of goodwill to go into politics and use it as a platform for public service.

Chief Okoya-Thomas who spoke at De Renaissance Hotel, Ikeja venue of a public presentation of the Book – LAW, POLITICS AND DEVELOPMENT - The Challenges of An Emerging Mega-City –Essays in honour of Governor Fashola SAN, said considering the excellent people-oriented infrastructural development the Governor has continued to deliver since the inception of his administration, he must be left alone to complete those works.

The Elder Statesman who was the chairman at the occasion declared, “I have said this in private and I am saying it in public, he has done and is doing a good work and must be left alone to continue the good job. He is a man that has been made by the Almighty God and he cannot be destroyed by any man”.

Speaking on the honour done to the Governor by the Nigerian Bar Association Ikeja Branch which published the book, Chief Okoya-Thomas told the Governor, “I am happy that yet another honour is being bestowed on you today. You deserve it and a lot more will come to you for all the infrastructural development you are carrying out in the State. You will complete all the projects you have begun”.

In his response to the various remarks at the occasion by the eminent Guests, including the Chairman of the Ikeja NBA, Mr. Dave Ajetomobi, Governor Fashola recalled the saying of late Abraham Adesanya who, according to the Governor, used to say that if men of good will keep quiet, evil will prevail.

Describing Politics as “Public Service”, the Governor declared, “If we all believe that Nelson Mandela, Obafemi Awolowo, Mahatma Gandhi, Bill Clinton and Barak Obama are politicians, using public office to better the life of their people, then Politics is a decent vocation”.

“What we must do is to challenge the definition our politics is being given and reject that as a definition of politics. You may call it political jobbing, but that is not politics. I believe that Politics really means Public Service “, the Governor said.

Commending the title of the Book as a worthy contribution to the efforts of the Government in seeking how best to deliver on the hopes and expectations of the people, the Governor said the term mega-city was conferred on the State as a result of having a population of more than 10 million people.

According to him, “We have become a mega-city as far back as 1999. It was not the idea of this administration. But it is a very strong communication tool to make people understand the enormity of the problem that lay ahead, the possibilities for solution and what they needed to do”.

He said because of the importance of transportation and the need to move people more quickly in a mega-city, his administration has committed itself to building a Lagos Rail Project and completing it within its lifespan adding that the same reason motivated the administration of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu to conceive the idea of the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT).

“The more people you have, the more facilities you need to sustain life, the more babies you make and the more maternal and childcare centres you need to ensure that the babies are not only safely conceived but safely delivered and nurtured to at least five years because they are the future human resource of the State”, the Governor said.

On the honour done him by the Ikeja branch of the NBA, Governor Fashola, who attributed all the achievements credited to his administration to the support by the Public Service of the State said, “When I accepted to serve as Governor, I signed a contract to serve the people and make their life better; I did not contract for award because I tell my colleagues that we will not be measured by the number of awards we receive but we will be assessed by the number of life we have touched.

“We will be assessed by the number of people whose lives we have touched; we will be assessed by the number of people who have jobs, who did not have job yesterday, those who can feed two times a day who fed only on one meal yesterday”.

Expressing profound appreciation to the Association for the Book, the Governor said he is humbled by the honour which, according to him “really belongs to the men and women of the Lagos State Public Service, from the Cleaner to the Permanent Secretary to men and women of LASTMA and the Police Command, the Fire Service and all the men and women who sweep the streets and carry garbage. The award is theirs and I am standing here as their leader to accept it on their behalf”.

In his short remarks before launching the book on behalf of the State Executive Council, the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Olasupo Sasore (SAN) said the greatest honour any human being can receive is the honour from his peers.

Earlier in his welcome address, Chairman of the Ikeja NBA and Editor of the Book, Mr. Dave Ajetomobi listed the criteria for the honour saying it is for men and women who are not swayed by the spoils of office to render quality service to their people pointing out that Governor Fashola has met the criteria.

Also present at the well attended occasion were the Commissioner for the Environment Dr. Muiz Banire, the National Publicity Secretary of the Action Congress, Mr. Lai Mohammed, Executive Secretary of the Security Trust Fund, Mr. Arthur Worrey who also was the Reviewer of the 43 chapter Book, Mr. Dickson Dele Adeshina, Alhaja Aka Bashorun, Local Government Chairmen, members of the Ikeja NBA, and other top government functionaries.