The last few months have seen the media inundated with protest and comments alike about the President’s slow coaching to form his cabinet and set the new government rolling. The Senate screening I hope brings to an end, some of this wailing and closure for those seeking to bury the issue. I may be one of those who believe there was “much ado about nothing” as the list initially looked recycled, but I must say that despite the fact that there were many old names and even those who had been ministers just before I was born over 3 decades and a half ago.
I have no
affiliation nor relationship with him, but having lived my entire life in Lagos
and having the privilege of holding a dual citizenship of Lagos and Ogun State,
the onus thus beckons on me to give honor to whom it is due. Ex-Governor
Fashola’s performance at the screening this week was exceptional I must say ,
and shows a man who is methodical and meticulous in his approach. He has
certainly done us in Lagos proud and I would like to draw parallels between him
and the former Mayor of New York RUDOLPH
GUILIANI best known for his handling of the post 9/11 recovery of the city.
New York
and Lagos have a few things in common such as a high population density, both
are commercial nerve centers, and by virtue of demography similar problems
which are peculiar to highly populated cities. One of the issues ex-Governor
Fashola spoke on is the issue of State policing which should come in place to
tackle some of the social ills bedeviling the Nigerian society. This is an area
which needs to be dealt with immediately. For instance, we talk often of
foreign direct investments in a climate where security of lives cannot be
guaranteed with the increased pace of robberies on Lagos roads in recent times.
Fashola on the floor of the Senate spoke about his collaboration with the
private sector (Banking community) and the challenges of securing the lives of
citizens. His strategy was to see criminals and robbers as his competitor
fighting for the control of his city, ensuring he never succumbed to their
caprices. This brings us to the crux of the matter “Regional Policing”, a major
issue which has been well politicized, with many arguing that governors will
abuse this power if given. I agree with the argument for with Fashola
explaining “There is a process for curing abuse of institution, but
there is no process known to me today for recovering lives already lost”. His formula
for the creation of six zonal commands from the existing police force matches
this tempo. He went on to speak about his appeal to bankers for support and
adequate equipment, which may have resulted in the Lagos Security Trust Fund.
According to the
information available, if there are 500,000 policemen to police a population of
180 million people, then it means we are grossly under policed with 1 policeman
to 360 citizens ( Nigeria has 205 policemen for every 100,000 according to Wikipedia)
and considering the fact that it is a status symbol to have a police escort
even for those who have no business with police protection while taking from this scarce resource to service supposed privileged personalities. Regional
policing goes further to free the Federal government of the sole funding
responsibility of the force (A major issue) but still makes it the central
command. This will ensure efficiency and effectiveness across board. After all
California in the US has its own Airforce being the world’s 6th
largest economy and no Governor has been known to openly intimidate opposition
with the use of this force from Gray Davies a Democrat whose election rerun
brought in popular Hollywood actor,Arnold Swarrzernegger a Republican, rather
it has been used for the public good. Dependence on enthic militia as shadow
security agencies will reduce and the rule of law will be taken more seriously.
Fashola and Guiliani share some common character traits , for Guiliani who during the
period of the 9/11 disaster saw his approval rating at it’s peak that he was considered a Churchillain kind of
leader who jumps up when the ashes are still falling and takes over. He was
widely praised for his close involvements with the rescue and recovery effort in
New York City. The Mayor was present at practically all the funerals and interacted
with the bereaved families making New Yorkers feel really close to him.
Fashola’s role in pushing away the Ebola virus was commendable from making
resources available early to enforcement of the contact tracing procedures
adopted. He worked very hard with the Federal government and linked up with
international partners led by the World Health Organisation to launch a
successful emergency response, in all this he displayed very strong leadership
traits and responsibility uncommon on this side of the hemisphere. Governor
Fashola was particularly swift in his response, creating an isolation centre in
Yaba, instantly deploying funds into contact tracing and employment of more health
workers. His government ran a vigorous campaign which helped to create public
awareness and became a reference point for stamping Ebola out of Rivers State
once the dreaded disease arrived at its borders. They also share a similar
scandal escaped by only a few powerful men born of a woman, Rudy Guiliani for
his relationship with a staffer which saw him divorce his wife , and leaving
his family at the “Gracie mansion” while living in an apartment with his
mistress. Fashola on the other hand in the run up to him being nominated a
minister had some dirt thrown up in his name about fathering a child out of
wedlock with Biodun Macgregor, which he has come out to deny. Another
similarity is the fact that they both share a strong personality which showed
up during their crisis periods and over shadowed the Presidents at the time.
Guiliani was projected as a brave Churchillian leader who was in charge against
George W. Bush Jnr who looked frozen to his sit upon hearing the news of the
Collision that brought down the Twin Towers at The World Trade Centre. Fashola,
to the rescue while then President Jonathan postured in Abuja.
Lagos State has joined the league of progressive cities with
improved infrastructure and daring projects such as the Eko Atlantic, improved
healthcare and increased internal generated revenue making it the only self-sufficient
state in Nigeria, especially during this period of sustained oil price decline.
An appraisal of the former governor’s stewardship may yet throw up more
understated achievements with the benefit of hindsight. One thing is clear in
Lagos, Fashola ‘s shoes are not going to be easy to fill being a tall man
himself, and he has helped trigger
increased expectations from the public which ultimately will force the
government to be more accountable to the people, and more people especially the
middle class becoming involved in the
governance process. President Buhari may have taken his time in nominating
ministers, but with the calibre of the trio of Fashola, Adeosun and Kaichukwu
on his team he has already imprinted his foot prints in the sands of times for
posterity.
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