Kunle Adelabu
-Canvasses support for President Tinubu
Dr. Obafemi Kadri Hamzat, the Deputy Governor of Lagos State and gubernatorial candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state has dismissed candidates of the opposition parties as lacking the required knowledge about the state and the capacity to administer Lagos.
The gubernatorial hopeful, who also is canvassing for the re -election of President Bola Tinubu, also stated that the state which is the economic hub of Africa, contributing 33% of non -oil GDP to the nation is too special to be experimented with. He called on Lagosjans to vote APC again which he said is the only party presenting capable hands with needed competence and experience.
Obafemi Hamzat spoke during a meeting with the traditional rulers in Ikorodu Division with his campaign team, the party structure with the Governor, Mr Babajide Sanwo -Olu in attendance, at the Ayangbure Palace in Ikorodu on Thursday.
“Lagos is developing; therefore, this election is very consequential because we have a President that understands economics and he’s trying to repair damages that have been longstanding. It’s not going to be easy.”
“Human beings have not devised a means of suffering problems without pain, that is why our elders always state that “agbo to koro lo n fi wo iba” (Malaria fever can only be cured with bitter herbs)and I have never seen a sweet drug for malaria. Likewise, an injured person will also have to endure pain when undergoing treatment despite being injected with anesthesia. This could be likened to the surgery being performed by President Tinubu and hopefully, he will succeed with it.”
Dr Obafemi Kadri Hamzat furthered, “It is therefore important for us to come out to support him with our votes, so the pledged 250, 000 votes by Ikorodu are achievable because Ikorodu today, based on what we see has registered 435, 418 and 250, 000 is 57%. We saw what happened in Osun where a party won with 54%. So, it is achievable.”
While further pleading with stakeholders in Ikorodu Division to mobilise residents to vote in the forthcoming elections, Dr. Hamzat stressed the need for effective communication and propagation of achievements of President Tinubu to the masses and the need for them to vote him again.
“We are usually afraid because our people don’t usually come out to vote. In the last election, only 28% of the registered voters voted which is poor. Generally in Lagos, we must support our President because of what is coming.
Sen. Abiru mentioned the Carter Bridge but I have seen the design of the new bridge that will be built. I am an engineer and what is coming is unbelievable and that is dependent on him coming back. People can see what is happening at the airport but they may not see the design which I have seen and it’s incredible. It will bring in 28, 000 jobs”
“The problem is that we are not telling the populace enough of what the President is doing and how far he has gone and we have to start doing that. The airport when completed will create 28, 000 high paying jobs when it is completed and 70% contract sum has been paid to the contractor to finish the project and there is also plan to expand it.”
He explained further: “The President is puling all the levers that a President of a country can pull. The economy is stable and the tax law we are using before the President’s reform was done in 1956. It was designed by the colonial government and we stuck to it since then despite our level of education. In fact, the withholding tax law was promulgated in 1938. What Europe and other countries are doing today is because of taxation and the rule of law. Once you get those right, the nation will make progress.”
The APC candidate also stated Nigeria is winning the war against terrorism and emphasised the need to sustain Tinubu’s presidency for the gains not to be reversed.
“For the first time, we are now arresting terrorists and prosecuting them. We all saw what happened at Oriire (Oyo State). This is not the situation before now and with all these, how can we say that we are not going to support him? But we understand that in doing what he is doing some influential persons will be affected and they are the ones fighting his government. One of them even said that he is going to reverse the fuel subsidy but modified his position because of the public outcry that trailed his position.
For the future of our grandchildren, we must make sure that we tell everybody that our election is consequential because there is nothing that cannot be reversed but it is we the people that must not accept such.”
While commending Ikorodu for its grassroots mobilisation and stressing its strategic importance to Lagos, Deputy Governor Hamzat also emphasised that the state is safe in the hands of his party which started its modern redevelopment.
“The 250, 000 votes pledged by Ikorodu is achievable. Ikorodu has started a model that every one of us must copy across IBILE and LCDAs. We must include our religious houses in everything that we are doing.”
“We all know that we cannot experiment with Lagos because of its importance. That is how God created Lagos. If we are doing 33% of non -oil GDP, that makes us very important and as such our party is the only one that can manage the state which we have been doing over time from the administration of Asiwaju (President Tinubu) as governor of Lagos State.
Ikorodu Division is mentioned in 34 places in the Lagos Development Plan up to 1935 and part of our model template is that we must power Odogunyan because companies are coming back and there is no other place for them to go except Odogunyan and Fatai Atere and they must have embedded power. So, by nature of our development, it is only Ikorodu, Epe and Badagry that can still accommodate coming developments.
How to now make sure that each and every one of them relies on their specific advantage is what we must do.”
He added: “Lagos Stste by God’s grace will keep progressing, unfortunately, those contesting against us do not have any understanding of how the state works. They haven’t seen the house and they do not know how to describe it and knowledge is correlated with experience. You cannot rely on what you don’t know. It is only what you know that you can remember.”
Reacting to Ikorodu’s request presented by the royal fathers, Dr Obafemi assured that the state won’t forget Ikorodu after the election.
“Kabiyesi has given me a love letter (list of items) that Ikorodu wants from our government after the election. Although, it’s not comprehensive, but quite detailed. It includes roads and others. Ikorodu is very special.”
“We are not going to forget because if “I” is removed from IBILE (Ikeja, Badagry, Ikorodu, Lagos and Epe – the divisions that constitute the state), it will no longer be Lagos again. Therefore, we cannot and it is not just practicable and as we have said, how do we continue to you expand Lagos horizon? If we decide to build a manufacturing company on an ICT hub, where else do we take them to if not Ikorodu and other places?
“So, we must just get ready.”
