By olasunkanmi akoni & monsur olowoopejo
LAGOS — Governor Babatunde Fashola of Lagos State has challenged Peoples Democratic Party, PDP-led Federal Government to a public debate on issues of national importance and developmental achievements in Nigeria.

The Governor, who spoke , yesterday, at the official commissioning of a home and clinic for the physically-challenged children at Ikorodu, said: “If they want to lead us, they must show us what they can do. From now, I will engage them in debate minute after minute, hour after hour on the issues that matters to Nigerians.

“We have had enough of this 12 years of waste of PDP in power. We had demonstrated that in three years, change is possible. Let them bring their results and meet us.

“Lagos is always in the forefront of implementing various national progra-mmes such as the polio programme. Let them ask the common people on the streets and then give their own result of achievements.

“PDP took us from the eyes of the world. We are now going to share meetings with the nine poorest countries of the world. They should take Nigeria to be among the leadership of the first 20 countries of the world if they have the vision, ability and knowledge to do so. PDP is deficient in ideas, implementation and honesty.”

On Jonathan’s ‘rascals in S-West’

Fashola had, in an earlier remark in response to President Goodluck Jonathan’s statement on taking over the control of South-West from some rascal Governors, said: “If my achievements give them sleepless nights and make them uncomfortable, I have no apologies for that. That is why I am in government to succeed and to improve the quality of life of the people as best as I can.

“Look, this is a party that had spent 12 years trying to provide electricity. We have provided three major electricity plants. The next major one will be finished in the next few weeks.

“Clearly, therefore, they are deficient in planning and in implementation. They spent 10 years in building a 400-metre bridge in Ota. On the day of commissioning, instead of apologising to Lagosians, they were fighting themselves over who would cut the tape, meanwhile, the road that leads to the bridge is not finished,” he added.

“The office of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria is a very high office and I don’t think the kind of language coming from a Peoples’ Democratic Party Presidential candidate is Presidential”.

“I have asked myself if the President is more concerned about who is the Governor of Lagos State or becoming the President. I think if the PDP is ready to swap candidates for the Governorship of Lagos, I will be ready to face him because his candidate is not talking about what he wants to do in Lagos”.

“These are issues that concerns Lagosians and for which their votes would be deployed. The Lagos voters will not vote on the basis of luck. I did not win this office on the basis of luck. It was on the basis of a clear manifesto of the ACN with clear ideas about how to prosper the economy and the hardwork which we have done since 1999 as a people”.