By Leke Adeseri, South West Regional Editor, Olasunkanmi Akoni & Monsur Olowoopejo

Lagos—governor  Akinwunmi Ambode of Lagos State was in his elements yesterday as he reeled out the performance of his 11-month-old governance of the state of excellence.

Coincidentally, he was at his own Senatorial District of Lagos East and obviously won the admiration of his audience as he granted virtually all the requests of the people which centred mainly on roads rehabilitation, power supply and empowerment.

It got to a peak when a welder notified him of his inability to send his children to school because his Igbo-Olomu community of more than a million residents had never enjoyed public power supply.

Ambode, apart from directing the relevant government agencies to give the people electricity, promised to personally buy a generator for  the welder.

To sign MoU on 4th Mainland Bridge before May 29

Meantime,  Ambode also at the Town Hall Meeting said the State Government will formally sign a Memorandum of Understanding, MoU, with investors for the construction of the proposed 4th Mainland Bridge before the end of May 2016.

Yesterday’s event was the First Quarter 2016 Town Hall Meeting, the third in the series, held at the Ikorodu Town Hall, Ikorodu.

According to the governor,  once the MoU is signed, work would begin on the 4th Mainland Bridge, which according to him, would go a long way to boost the economy of Lagos East Senatorial District.

He said, “Many investors have shown interest in the actualization of our dream for the 4th Mainland Bridge which will run from Ajah to Ikorodu to Isawo and berth at Ojodu, Ikeja back to the Ibadan expressway. By the grace of God, we will sign an MoU and start action before May 29.”

Governor Ambode said the intention of his administration is to ensure that no part of the state is left undeveloped, expressing optimism that the Lagos East Senatorial District which used to be the economic hub of the state in the then Western Region will regain its position.

Orders enforcement of  Okada restriction on Mile 12-Ikorodu road

Responding to complaints on the menace of motorcycles, otherwise known as Okada in the State, Governor Ambode asked the people whether they would support a total ban on such mode of transportation in this age and time and in a city like Lagos, a question which was answered in the affirmative by majority of the stakeholders in the hall who raised their hands in support.

The Governor said: “I’m encouraged by this very transparent, credible, free and fair affirmation which I just got from the people. From the response, many of the people in this hall are in support of a total ban on Okada and since this is a government of the people, all the security agencies in Lagos including the Police, Task Force, LASTMA and others, to start with, are hereby directed to fully enforce the ban on Okada between Mile 12 and Ikorodu.

Speaking on the need for the youths in the state to key into the programmes lined up for them by his administration, Governor Ambode urged street urchins and youths involved in social vices such as cultism to lay down their arms assuring that they would be empowered to be gainfully and productively engaged.

Highlights of the administration’s recent achievements

Highlighting some of his administration’s strides in the last quarter, Governor Ambode said the State achieved major breakthrough in security, saying that since the launch of the N4.78 billion equipment, the state had won several battles against crime.

He said the quick response in the rescue of the kidnapped girls in Ikorodu and the quelling of the Mile 12 riot were testimonies of the effectiveness of the security system in Lagos.

The Governor added that many criminals had so far been arrested since the launch of the security equipment, saying that he was ready to pay for information given that would lead to the arrest of hardened criminals.