Speeches

1,100 Days In Office

Jun 2, 2010 - Your Excellencies, invited guests, distinguished ladies and gentlemen, I welcome you all enthusiastically to this event and thank you all for accepting our invitation and honoring us with your presence.

This 1,100th day gathering, the 11th in the series that we have held, is unique to us in Lagos. It is our own public accounting process to stakeholders in our democratic experience; to share progress and challenges with our people and those who our actions affect, in order to promote participation in governance which is a critical ingredient of democracy.

It is not a celebration. It is a serious business arising from a commitment we made after the frenzy of the first 100 (One Hundred) days, that we will be different and use every 100 days as an accounting day to all sectors of our society.

We have since then, dedicated a series of the 100 (One Hundred) days to the youth, the public service, artisans, political class, private sector and others and today's event is dedicated to the diplomatic community.

Of course the question may be asked why the diplomatic community?

This question is probably thrown up by the fact that all those familiar with diplomatic practices and processes are too well aware that they are representatives of National Governments with sovereign authority; whereas, Lagos State is a Sub-National Government without sovereign authority.

Many are also aware that on the arrival of a diplomat in any country, he is expected to present his letters of credence to the head of the national Government and the repository of the sovereign authority; in the case of Nigeria, the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces.

However, after that, these Heads of Missions inevitably must resort to the State Governments who are the municipal authorities, if they are to get things done for their nationals, corporations and staff in diverse areas such as land acquisition, water supply, education, health care, security, waste collection, building permits and so on and so forth.

In effect therefore, members of the diplomatic corps are all part of our local community. We are responsible for your well being. Our actions and inactions will affect you one way or the other.

I am happy to say that our interactions have been largely mutually beneficial. For example, I hold periodic meetings with quite a number of Heads of Missions where we review progress on business between our State and their home corporations and business delegations.

These meetings also offer suggestions on how we can work together to deepen our democracy and ensure political stability as an essential ingredient of economic growth.

Our road show to the United Kingdom in 2008 resulted in the successful marketing and sourcing of Concessionaire interests for the Lagos rail project and the reinforcement of our commitment to the Ikeja Mall development which has now broken ground and is under construction.

Agencies like DFID are also partnering with our Government in different sectors.

Our interaction with the Consul General of Singapore led to my visit in 2007, which has improved collaboration between our Government and Singaporean agencies resulting in business exchanges that led to the visit of the largest Singaporean trade delegation ever to come to Africa and there are a lot of possibilities that we are exploring.

Most recently, I met with the United States' Consul General to explore ways and means of improving the quality of governance in our country.

Our Heads of Mission in Argentina and Brazil have also been extremely engaging in deepening our business contacts with South American corporations; and two Brazilian trade missions have visited Lagos to meet with our Government. The French and German Heads of Mission and those of other African countries have been no less active.

In effect therefore, even if you cannot vote in our elections, we acknowledge that we are joined at the hip and in many other places that make it imperative for us to share what we are doing with you because the impact of globalization has reinforced how closely and communally connected we are.

A look at the world map will show that it is the same Atlantic Ocean in the south and north that connects us to Brazil and the United States. To the east of Africa lies the Indian Ocean that connects us to India and many parts of Asia and these two oceans meet at the majestic Cape L'Agulhas, two and a half hours drive from Cape Town, South Africa.

In the last 1,100 (One thousand, one hundred days), we have been busy making democracy meaningful to our people. Raising the standard and quality of life and increasing the participatory process in governance.

We have kept our part of the social contract by delivering on every electorate promise that we made, and the citizens have embraced and empowered their Government by voluntary tax compliance, in a way that is somewhat novel in these parts.

In a manner of speaking, the citizens of Lagos have put their money where their mouth and heart lies; in their Government.

We have deployed these resources in a most methodical and transparent manner using the annual budgets of the State since year 2007 to date as our instrument of policy formulation and implementation, to deliver on the expectations of our people in the areas that we consider the most compelling such as the environment, security, infrastructure renewal, transportation, healthcare delivery, education, water supply, and food security to mention a few.

The result has been the creation of access for our people to services that they yearned for but could only dream of.

Bigger, safer, and more reliable road networks to ease the stress and cost of transportation; cleaner and safer environment that has exploded the myth that Lagos could never be clean, improved security that has seen violent crimes rapidly decline, the addition of about 70 million gallons of water to the supply network in the State in the last few months of this year, with more still to come, the provision of 300 new bed spaces of 100 bed each in 3 (three) different Local Governments, for mothers and children, to address issues of infant and maternal mortality, reconstruction and renovation of schools and class room blocks and the provision of teaching aids coupled with the training of teachers to develop a resourceful human capacity for the future; and the creation of thousands of jobs across sectors in the process.

This is now emerging a renewed pride and belief by Lagosians about their State and in its abilities to come through for them. The projects and renaissance have some direct and indirect impact on you here and on your countries.

For example, many Nigerians are already relocating back home to join this initiative to help build the future of the commercial capital of Africa's most populous nation.

The success of this initiative holds tremendous promise for African's renaissance and its ability to engage with your countries in the quest to keep our planet safe and prosperous.

The truth is that if the west, Asia, and other parts of the world could live without Africa and Nigeria, it would have been pointless establishing missions here or posting Your Excellencies here.

Indeed as I have often said, the future of our entire planet depends on what happens on the African continent in the next few years, because a sizeable proportion of the resources required by other countries of the world to keep their economies going are sourced from Africa.

If Africa dies, our planet will certainly follow.

This is why I think that it is imperative that after the first World Cup in North America in 1994, the first in Asia in 2002, every hand from all parts of the world must be on the plough to ensure the success of the first African World Cup.

In my humble view, I think that if there are genuine safety concerns that may affect the first African World Cup, it behoves every country in the world that has the capacity to assist, to offer that assistance to ensure the success of the tournament rather than heighten fears that may affect its success.

It cannot be a World Cup if the African edition is not successful.

Your Excellencies, so many things apart from the World Cup and the oceans connect us in more ways than we have cared to propagate. The success of democracy as the best form of Government known to man is only one of them.

The other is the threat to the environment, our planet and everything that makes it worthy of existence for us.

A few events that some of you are all too aware of, mud slides, rising water levels, volcanic ash, global warming and their trans-boundary effects show that it is no longer important whose fault it is; what is more important is who is better able to find and implement solutions to these imminent dangers.

The reality is that there may be no strong or weak nation when the full impact of these threats are unleashed, but there can be the preservation of the human race and our civilization if our sense of community is rekindled and we work for each other in an atmosphere of mutual respect and partnership, when Africans are seen for their right of equal membership of this planet, rather than as hungry poverty stricken people who need grants and aid.

This brings me to the need to once again renew my advocacy for a revisit of the international legal order created since the establishment of the United Nations in 1948 for the interactions of nations among themselves and to ask whether those rules made in the interest of the human race can still be wholly applicable 62 (sixty two) years after, when new challenges that were not contemplated at that time have arisen.

Should there not be a revision that gives more roles to Sub-national governments, because of their municipal responsibilities and closeness to the people for whom the rules were made?

Such increased participation can only help deepen the extent of interactions at meetings such as these, where more far reaching decisions can be taken by representatives of national governments without reference to the sovereign, where issues which endanger human life for example are involved, as they affect sub-national governance.

I like to conclude by stating that our commitment to a brighter and rewarding future for Lagos and Lagosians including all of you, remain inviolate and unshaken.

In the last 100 days, we have been busy handing over completed projects such as:

• Opeloyeru Street, Savage Lane & Savage Street in Orile, Surulere Local Government approximately 1km

• Okota Itire Link Bridge

• Lagos Toll Gate Accident & Emergency Centre

• Aerodrome Road, Warehouse Road, Calcutta Crescent, Dualla Road, Kofo Abayomi Road and Itapeje Road all in Apapa Central Business District

• 250 sitting capacity Agelasoh Community Hall under the Integrated Rural Development Project

• Mini Water Works at Apa, Badagry – 27,000 Gallons per day

• Rural Jetty for water transportation at Igbogbele, Badagry

• Network of roads comprising of Joseph Disu Road, Market Street and Cemetery Road in Badagry by Ministry of Works approximately 2.7km

• Drivers' Institute at Badagry

• Network of roads comprising Iyana-Ira linking Shibiri , Etegbin, Imude and Ajangbadi-Ilogbo by Ministry of Works approximately 14.3km

• Mini Water Works at Ajangbadi - 2M Gallons per day

• Mancity – Olaniyi Road in Ifako Ijaiye, approximately 4km

• Abule – Egba – Ekoro – Agbe lekale Road in Alimosho approximately 4.3km

I also use the opportunity of this meeting to reiterate our desire for expertise and partnership in the area of water transportation especially concessionaires who can and wish to operate high capacity ferries between Badore and Ikorodu at the new jetties now being completed.

We also seek partnership in the development of our emergency and disaster management response capacities as we extend our warm hands of welcome to you to participate in our local ceremonies and festivals such as the Lagos Carnival.

We have stopped living with wishes that Lagos will be better and we have began to work tenaciously to make it better.

We have moved away from lamenting unrealized potentials to a realization of benefits of our vast opportunities.

You have all been a part of that progress for which our Government and our people remain truly appreciative for your support.

Thank you for listening.

Eko o ni baje o!

Babatunde Raji Fashola, SAN
Governor of Lagos State