By Jide Johnson

When Akinwunmi Ambode took the mantle of leadership of the State of Excellence from Babatunde Raji Fashola,  many had thought that it was  going to be  a big  task for this gentleman to fit into the big  shoes  his  predecessor left behind.

It is safe to say that after two years in the saddle,this notion has  been met with great achievements  that beat the imagination of critics and supporters alike.

The giant strides of the last two years have made  the   eight  years of  the  previous administration a dessert  to the  main course  of actions and tangible  deliverables  of public governance by the Ambode  administration. Indeed, Lagos  has  been moving forward in line with the public pact of the administration to residents as enshrined in this slogan…itesiwaju  ipinle Eko  loje wa logun.

Ambode has made remarkable achievements  in spite  of the economic recession that is affecting the provision of infrastructure, revenue generation, public safety and security of life and property. Under his watch, Lagos has a new face. A visit to Berger, Abule-Egba, Ajah, Aboru, Alapere bye-  pass and Ojota will convince you.

Ambode,  fondly called “Double A”, is an accomplished accountant and public finance management expert who has proved to be a seasoned administrator.  During his 27-year-stint in the Lagos State Civil Service, he held several positions and rose to become the Accountant-General.

Asiwaju Bola Tinubu

The governor was  the brain behind the increase in   Lagos Internally Generated Revenue (IGR)  from N14 billion to more than N200 billion per annum, at a time the Federal Government, under President Olusegun Obasanjo, withheld allocations to local governments  in the state during the administration of Asiwaju Bola Tinubu. Hence, it was no surprise that  it is Ambode that would  be called to the driver’s seat when the need to move Lagos  to the next level  in the face of dwindling national revenue and harsh economic realities of recession arose.

From the first day in office, Ambode left no one in doubt about his commitment to improving the fortunes of   Lagos  .  He  has been true to most of the promises he made during his campaign two years ago. The 114 Roads’ project which has seen two  roads  in  each of the 57  local  government and development  council areas being constructed/rehabilitated  was promptly fulfilled as the project was completed before his  first 365days  in office.  Ambode’s philosophy that a well lit Lagos will reduce crime also saw him lighting up at least 365 streets across the state.  The Lagos Light-Up Initiative has eliminated safe havens for criminals in Lagos.

In terms of deliverables of democratic  governance, Ambode’s government disbursed N25 billion  Employment Trust Fund to  artisans while entrepreneurs and players in informal sectors will be empowered annually with N6.25 billion.

Under Ambode, Lagos State has  diversified  her  economy  in line with the Federal Government Economic Diversification Policy. Following its shortage of arable land, Lagos State Government bought  hectares of land outside the state for mechanized farming.

Like the popular saying , ‘Rome was not built  in a day’, there is always room  for improvement.There are  grey areas  that still need  to be addressed in Lagos.  It is said that you are not a success until you have a successor. Today, we have Asiwaju Tinubu to thank for his vision in ensuring that Lagos produces first class brains  .We have to thank him for giving us this ‘Itesiwaju’.You will agree with me that ‘itesiwaju eko loje wa logun’.