For us in Lagos State, the last 15 years of civil administration had been an epic. Lagos has been able to live up to its alias as the ‘Centre of Excellence’, as the successive administration continues to build upon the foundation laid by Bola Tinubu, who became governor when the democratic ship berthed on our shores way back in 1999.
With a professional background steeped in highly efficient private sector audit, Tinubu was quick to realise the need to depend less on federal allocation by shoring up the revenue profile of the state. This feat was achieved through a systematic re-engineering of the internally-generated revenue (IGR) regimes by plugging loopholes, keeping within existing financial guidelines in a way that does not impose an additional burden on the people.
In addition, he initiated far-reaching policies in all sectors of the socio-economic spectrum such as transportation, education, judiciary, health, environment, commerce and industry as symbolised by the Lekki Free Trade Zone (FTZ) and other initiatives. The Enron initiative still remained unbeaten in the power sector in terms of constancy and quantity. Many a time during the history of our power supply, it has remained the only source of supply.
His reform in the judicial sector was quite legendary, as governments, state and federal and some other African nations were falling on themselves to adopt the Lagos model in a bid to enhance their justice system.
To ensure that these policies endure beyond the lifetime of his administration, he created institutions that will not only sustain the initial gains, but to ensure that the policies and programmes continue to evolve to meet up with time dynamics.
An astute statesman and strategist, Tinubu played safe with his choice of Babatunde Fashola as his successor, a capable hand he styled as the “The Best Man for The Job” to steer the ship of the state after him. Ever since, Lagos and its people have been the better for it, as the state continues to move from one level of advancement to the next. Tinubu has become the powerhouse of grooming successful leaders in Nigeria. A feat, yet unequalled in the history of the country.
The Fashola (SAN) administration has redefined the art of governance in the country through its numerous innovative and creative programmes and projects. He strongly demonstrated that, with a focused, visionary leadership and hard work, the Nigerian of our dream is not unattainable.
From the outset, Fashola set out to do government business in an unusual fashion; completely different from what we are used to. That is why he always affirms an Albert Einstein’s maxim that: “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.”
Hence, Fashola set out to place Lagos among the prime investment hubs, not only in Africa, but in the whole world. His vision is to build a Lagos that is similar to reputable international cities like London, Mumbai, Istanbul, Sao Paulo, Jakarta, Delhi, Dubai, Bangkok, and Cairo among others. With the relative success of the State Security Trust Fund in taming crimes in the state, Lagos has become the preferred point for investors as the business atmosphere has become predictable and stabilised.
Lagos is safer today by any standard throughout the world. The state government’s intervention in the work environment in the areas of training, equipment, logistics and motivation and other crime management measures continue to yield results.
Many have been trying to analyse the Fashola phenomenon in Lagos. Some analysts are of the view that the governor succeeded because he has a passionate commitment to connecting with the people, particularly the ordinary man on the street, and building their trust in the sincerity and noble intentions of his government. Others, however, ascribe Fashola’s success to his rugged determination to leave an indelible footprint in the sands of time. This, according to pundits, has really made him to focus totally on governance. Quite a few also attribute the success of the administration to the assemblage of a crack team of committed individuals, an intricate blend of professionals, administrators, scholars and politicians.
It’s only a few months before the end of the Fashola administration, yet there are indications that the progressive train of governance in Lagos is not, in any way, ready to berth. The emergence of Akinwunmi Ambode as the gubernatorial candidate of the ruling party in the state, the All Progressives Congress (APC), is another indication that the party is not in short supply of capable hands to keep the state on the path of growth and progress.
The lesson to be learnt in the current development in Lagos is that continuity in governance, especially from one visionary leadership to the other is quite critical, for the social, economic and political stability of the polity.
• Raji is the Special Adviser to the Lagos State Governor on Information and Strategy.