- Governor advocates stronger unity, lists gains of Renewed Hope Agenda
The Governor of Lagos State, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has said that Nigeria will defeat the challenge of insecurity and others currently facing the country. The Governor also advocated for stronger unity, saying Nigerians should be united to surmount other developmental issues.
He said Nigerians must adopt a homegrown, local and bottom-up approach in the actualisation of state policing, local government autonomy, presidential legacy infrastructure projects connecting cities and opening up of rural areas, and other demanding issues for the development of the country.
Governor Sanwo-Olu spoke on Tuesday at the one-day lecture marking the 65th Independence Anniversary of Nigeria, organised by the Arewa Think Tank, themed “65th Year of Nigeria Independence: The Journey So Far with the Renewed Hope Agenda in View” at Arewa House Auditorium, Kaduna State.
The event, chaired by former President of the Senate and Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator Pius Anyim Pius, was attended by the former Governors of Osun, Ogun and Kaduna States, Chief Bisi Akande, Aremo Olusegun Osoba and Mukhtar Ramalan-Yero. Others are the former Governor of Jigawa State and current Minister of Defence, Mohammed Badaru Abubakar, top officials of Kaduna State Government, former and current public office holders, religious and traditional leaders and captains of industries, among others.
Sanwo-Olu, who was the Guest Speaker, challenged current public office holders to build on the legacies of the founding fathers like the late Sir Ahmadu Bello, Chief Obafemi Awolowo and other leaders, patriots and founding fathers of Nigeria, by studying their lives, their examples and learning from their successes and their shortcomings.
He said: “No one is perfect, and politics and public service are not about perfection. Instead, they are about constantly improving, finetuning, reforming—planting trees we might not be around to enjoy, building to leave behind a better country and a better planet than the one we inherited.
While echoing his call for stronger unity as a nation, Governor Sanwo-Olu said: “I will close with a strong message of hope and unity for these times that we are in, against the backdrop of the challenges that we are confronting as a nation, including very controversial claims from the United States government about religious persecution and intolerance.
“We will continue to affirm that Nigeria is a proudly multiethnic, multi-religious and multicultural country, where the things that bind us together are far weightier than whatever seeks to separate or divide us.
“We stand together as citizens and compatriots, firm in our conviction about our common destiny. God has put us together for a purpose, and we shall achieve that purpose without distraction or division.
“We shall defeat every challenge: poverty, hunger, and, as the President himself has assured us, terrorism. As His Excellency President Bola Ahmed Tinubu reminded us earlier this week, ‘The task ahead is immense, but it is our resolve to move forward with unity and purpose, guided by the Renewed Hope Agenda to build a prosperous, inclusive and resilient Nigeria.”
Speaking about President Tinubu’s administration, Governor Sanwo-Olu said the President, in his politics and vision, taps heavily into the audacious foresight that defined Sir Ahmadu Bello’s generation, noting that “The President’s Renewed Hope Agenda is a clear testament to this foresight—and he has faithfully implemented its pledges and commitments since he assumed office on May 29, 2023.”
He said the Renewed Hope Agenda, anchored on progressive thinking and solutions, is in full alignment with the founding ideals and long-term direction of the All-Progressives Congress (APC), adding that the comprehensive agenda focuses on economic growth and diversification, security in all its ramifications (national security, energy security, food security), national infrastructure, human capital development, and governance reform.
“At the state level, APC governors are encouraged to draw from and align with these pillars in our various governing agendas. In Lagos State, for example, our THEMES+ agenda is fully aligned, emphasising infrastructure, human capital development, diversification through entertainment and tourism, security, governance reform, and social inclusion. This unity of purpose, across tiers of government, is an essential foundation for fast-tracking development in Nigeria,” he said.
Governor Sanwo-Olu said the removal of the petrol subsidy, unification of exchange rates and the introduction, passage and presidential assent to four tax acts by President Tinubu are commendable, noting that “These fiscal reforms represent a hard reset of the Nigerian system. A reset away from dysfunction, to efficiency, away from wasteful consumption, to productivity. The country now possesses a new engine that enables it to operate at its maximum capacity.
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