A chieftain of the
Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Doyin Okupe, has predicted that the immediate
past Governor of Lagos State, Akinwunmi Ambode, will rule the State again.
Okupe, a former
Aide to ex-President Goodluck Jonathan, said even though the former Governor
was not his friend and refused to pick his calls, he (Ambode) was an unsung
hero.
Okupe said the
ex-Governor must have learnt his lessons and will come back stronger.
Okupe tweeted,
“Former Governor Ambode is not my friend.
“I called him but
he never once picked my call.
“Yet I sincerely
believe he is an unsung Hero. An extraordinary, dutiful and diligent performer.
“He may be a bad
politician, I believe he has learnt his lesson. Ambode will still rule Lagos
again, if the Lord tarries.”
Lagos State SSG, Tunji Bello rates Ambode’s administration low, says it
is the worse since Lateef Jakande
The outgoing
Secretary to the State Government in Lagos, Barr. Tunji Bello has stated that
the Ambode administration lacked emotional intelligence and achieved less
accomplishment when compared to previous administrations in the state.
The acclaimed
journalist and lawyer who has previously served on the administrations of
former Lagos Governors, Bola Tinubu and Babatunde Fashola in his outgoing
remarks as the SSG said Ambode’s ondoing is
“the belief that
our way is the best without considering other options in a democratic setting,
absence of wider consultations, distance from the governed, lack of effective
communication skill or amateurish display of government acts and political
immaturity.
Read Tunji Bello’s
full statement below…
TIME
TO SAY GOOD BYE TO COLLEAGUES ON THIS PLATFORM .
The
exit bell has sounded and it is time to say good bye to colleagues. We must
seriously thank our Governor, Mr Akinwunmi Ambode for bringing all of us
together in the last four years.
We
must praise him for the successful strides in bringing Lagos to the present
level. All the accomplishments and success stories of this administration
should go to him.
We
should be happy too because we are directly or indirectly part of that success
stories being his lieutenants. We should be happy for the
opportunity provided and experience gained. It is not what you can buy on the
shelf even if you have all the money. We should also be happy and thankful to
God for seeing us to the end.
Yet
as we depart on our individual sojourn, we must never forget to learn from our
glaring weaknesses and failures. Since we are all part of the success stories
we must also share in the weaknesses and failures.
Our
main drawback is our Government’s inability to apply enough emotional
intelligence in the administration of the state. Emotional intelligence
includes interpersonal skills, interpersonal relationship, humility, respect
for the well established mores of governance, disregard for the accomplishments
of others. The belief that our way is the best without considering other
options in a democratic setting, absence of wider consultations, distance from
the governed, lack of effective communication skill or amateurish display of
government acts and political immaturity. Deliberate and open alienation of
others. We undertook gigantic projects without the soul. We were too self
opinionated and narrow in our approach to governance.
It
is a big drawback which prevented the administration from returning because it
was punished for its lack of inclusiveness in a democratic setting.
In
leadership, emotional intelligence is 70 per cent of application while
individual brilliance is only 30 percent. Successful leaderships across the
world in history have thrived on this fact.
Besides,
and apart from lack of enough camaraderie compare to previous administrations,
our cabinet has been less rigorous, less fulfilled, less engaged and less accomplished.
And for the first time since the time of Governor Lateef Jakande, this cabinet
departs unappreciated and disenchanted.
But
dear colleagues, irrespective of all the set backs and disappointments, let us
thank God Almighty for his mercies and benevolence and we leave with strongest
belief that tomorrow belongs to HIM.
I
wish all success in our future endeavors as we continue to remember one
another!
South West Govs. Ends Quarterly Meeting As Amosun's Deputy, Ambode Disagree
The Western
Nigeria Governors’ Forum ended a two-day quarterly meeting in Lagos State on
Wednesday.
The forum
expressed readiness to bid for the concession of Murtala Muhammed International
Airport, Ikeja.
In attendance
were Governors of Oyo, Ondo, Lagos, Ekiti, Osun and Ogun.
They agreed that
Lagos, which in the past refused to join the forum, has formally become a
member of the O’dua Investment Group.
The forum also
confirmed Mr. Oluseye Oyeleye as the substantive director general of
Development Agenda for Western Nigeria (DAWN) Commission.
A communique read
by Oyeleye, disclosed that a regional agriculture summit to be sponsored by the
Lagos State government would hold in May, in Ibadan, the Oyo state capital.
“To further
consolidate on food security and job creation in the South West, it was agreed
that the region would embark on a rice-accelerated programme”, it said.
The governors
charged the DAWN commission to conduct a study on the success in education in
Ekiti State, for peer learning adoption among the states
They also urged
the focal representatives to structure a programme on the Omoluabi ethos of the
Yoruba race.
The forum tasked
the commission to work on reviving regional inter-school football competition
while its focal representatives and agriculture commissioners should hold a
technical session before the agriculture summit in Ibadan.
However, there
was a mild drama when Ogun State Deputy Governor, Mrs. Yetunde Onanuga, who
represented Governor Ibikunle Amosun, refused to sign the memorandum of
understanding on Lagos state’s efforts to acquire more land from member states
for agriculture.
Onanuga said the
state government was not happy with the way Lagos handled an agreement with
Ogun over a parcel of land allotted to it in the state, few years back, for a
rice project.
Reacting,
Governor Akinwunmi Ambode, said the issue will be resolved.
He explained that
the state wanted to expand the agricultural output and had decided to sign more
agreements with some state governments in the region.
Ambode Orders Pupils To Sing National Anthem In Yoruba Daily
Lagos governor Akinwunmi Ambode on Tuesday ordered public and private school principals in the state that students should sing the National Anthem in Yoruba Language daily.
Deputy Governor, Dr Idiat Adebule, relayed the directive at a meeting with Principals and Head Teachers of public schools in Lagos.
She said that Yoruba Language would also be made a compulsory subject for students.
Adebule said that Wednesdays had been declared ‘Yoruba Speaking Day’ in schools, with all teaching and learning activities from assembly period to closing being done in Yoruba.
”Governor Ambode wants me to pass this message to you, that henceforth, Yoruba language be made compulsory in both private and public schools.
”The National Anthem must be sung in Yoruba on a daily basis too.
“The Egbe Akomolede has done the translation and we will send the copies of the Yoruba version to your schools by Monday so you can begin to teach the students.
”I have also met with the owners of private schools and we have relayed this directive to them.
”We are also considering translating the textbooks of other subjects into Yoruba Language because I believe that when students are taught in their mother language, learning will be easy and their level of performance will improve.
”The state government is passionate about this Law, so we do not lose our language, culture and heritage,” she said.
Adebule said the Ministry of Education was doing an assessment to ascertain the number of Yoruba teachers that would be required to effectively teach the language in public schools.
She appealed to the school managers to cooperate with the government to drive and ensure the effective implementation of the Yoruba Language Preservation and Promotion Law.
Lanre Ogunyemi, Chairman, Lagos State House of Assembly Committee on Education, said the development would be beneficial to the younger generation and generations unborn.
”In Finland, you must pass the Finnish Language before you are offered admission into high institutions. Same is done in Germany, China and other developed countries.
”We need to adopt such to drive development and foster national unity. I beg you all to key into this law and make it work, ” Ogunyemi said.
The Western
Nigeria Governors’ Forum ended a two-day quarterly meeting in Lagos State on
Wednesday.