Èkó Àkéte, the City of the three wise men, Nigeria’s hub of modernity, has never been less lucky with her choice of leaders from the day it became a State. I am convinced that the gods of the Lagoon are firmly behind the evolution of the former Federal Capital Territory into the most developed state in Nigeria. From the days of military administrators like Mobolaji Johnson and Buba Marwa to the third republic years of “Pa Lateef Jakande”, Lagos set the pace in development, welcoming all and sundry, to drink from the oceanic dividends of democracy she offers her dwellers.
The dawn of democracy in 1999 gave Lagos state yet another unique opportunity to choose a leader. As always the wisdom of the gods prevailed, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu became governor of the centre of Excellence. The financial engineering and revenue growth of Lagos State Tinubu pioneered remain the envy of all states in Nigeria and Africa. Many policies were put in place to rid Lagos state of civil service corruption, free WAEC and NECO were introduced to encourage education of the poor masses.
Lagosians thought they had seen it all in terms of leadership excellence and progressive politics founded by Asiwaju Tinubu until Babatunde Raji Fashola emerged with his “Èkó ò ní bàjẹ́” mantra. Babatunde Raji Fashola, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria built on the progressive’ Lagos agenda and took it to an incredible height. No one knew Lagos could experience such sanity in transportation, and the western-like development experienced under the administration of Fashola. Former governor Ambode did not leave Lagos state stagnant too.
Year 2019 was dramatic politically for Lagos and Lagosians. The year came with high emotions for the southwesterners that were afraid of the adverse effects of a minor political disagreement that happened in Lagos. However, grateful are Lagosians to the APC leaders that handled, wisely, the seemingly political brouhaha. which brought power to the people through direct primaries adopted by Lagos APC.
It is the direct primaries that birthed the goal of greater Lagos in Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu, the current Governor of Lagos state. With his tooth-gapped smile, tall and dark handsome-looking Babajide Sanwo-Olu governs Lagos with the wisdom inherited from the past excellent leaders of the Centre of Excellence. Using his ample knowledge in private and public administration, Sanwo-Olu made Lagos the pacesetter of development with the Imota Rice Mill which shall bring quality rice cheaply to the table of all Nigerians. The Blue rail line is another breakthrough for the Babájídé Sańwo-Olú administration, though conceived by the former governor of the state, Sanwo-Olu ensured the full construction of the blue rail project, which will make commuting easier for Lagosians.
Lagos like every other cosmopolitan city in the world needs progress and lowering the standard of progressive governance is not something the Centre of Excellence cannot. As the Guber elections approached, I embarked on a comparative study of all Guber candidates from respective political parties in Lagos state. Political research brought me closer to the infantile political games played by Abdul Azeez Olajide (Jandor) of the PDP.
Studying the Guber candidate of the PDP, who is allegedly a serial abuser of women, makes me cringe and pray for Lagos, the pride of the Yorubas never to experience a disaster of leadership. I never knew his immorality was only the tip of the iceberg compared to the scruffy-looking junkie candidate of the Labour party, Patrick Rhodes Vivour, whose political journey is built on the destruction of Lagos that he led during the October 2020 insurrection.
Psychology is clear in letting us know that, you do not need to get close to a drug addict before knowing their addiction habits. Thankfully, the insatiable appetite Patrick Rhodes Vivour has for hard drugs has prevented him from concealing his addiction as we could all see in the pictures where he openly displayed “rizzlar”. We can forgive sexagenarians and septuagenarians for slurred speeches because of their aged minds.
Medically, slurred speech in young minds is one of the symptoms of drug addiction except such has a birth defect. To know a typical junkie, you should observe the hardship they experience in controlling their tongue-rolling ability during speeches, and the excessive production of saliva which could cause drooling and erratic movement of the mouth. Patrick Rhodes Vivour exhibited typical characteristics of a junkie even on live television appearances. Though spending only four minutes to pronounce “Unequivocally” on live TV is not uncommon, how about the active role he allegedly played in the razing of all landmark projects in Lagos state, including the BRT buses? I can only reason only that drug junkie can oversee such a heinous act by the arsonists. Hypocritical supporters of Rhodes Vivour have succeeded in painting a messiah picture of their IPOB Guber candidate just as they packaged the Anambra political scammer, Peter Obi for Nigerians in the last presidential elections. Nigeria was lucky never to have voted the “Okrika economist”.
Lagosians have the destiny of Lagos in their hands through the leader they vote for, in the forthcoming Guber election. All pieces of evidence have shown Patrick Rhodes Vivour has an unknown manifesto as he is also going to turn Lagos into the land of IPOB terrorists. Lagosians should wake up from their slumber to protect Lagos with their votes, from a junkie who greedily seeks to use Lagos as an experimental hub of junkies. Similarly, the dull Jandor of PDP cannot handle the complexity of a city-state like Lagos. Past leaders of Lagos have remarkable track records Lagos is on the path of greatness with Sanwo-olu, we must not kick this greatness into the mud of retrogression.
Ọlọ́gbọ́n ló ni Èkó, let us use our wisdom rightly by voting for a Governor that brought greater Lagos to us, Lagos is not ready for the catastrophe of a junkie governor nor an alleged serial rapist.
Sanwo-olu is the best man to govern Lagos for another four years.
Àdánwò IPOB ò ní ṣubú lu Ìpínlè Èkó o.
BY OLALEKAN BASHIRU