Lagos State Governor, Mr Akinwunmi Ambode, has assured the people of the state that his administration will complete all ongoing projects and implement new ones.

He also allayed the fears in some quarters that the electioneering activities in 2018 might slow down the tempo of infrastructural development being witnessed across the state.

The governor said this on Thursday in Epe at the opening session of a three-day retreat for members of the State Executive Council, Body of Permanent Secretaries and heads of government agencies and parastatals.

“I hear people saying that this is an election year and that governance will slow down but let me assure you that in this state, we will stay focused on our plans and programmes and ensure steady progress is achieved,” he said.

Ambode noted further that rather than allow campaign activities to relegate governance, the state government would stay focused on plans and programmes for the people and ensure that steady progress was achieved.

He said although a lot had been achieved with the active support and collaboration of the participants at the retreat since his assumption of office, a lot more would be done to ensure the continuous prosperity of the state and residents.

“Clearly, we have recorded some modest successes and consolidated on the status of our state as one of the foremost commercial and social hubs in sub-Saharan Africa. We are gradually changing the face of Lagos through our aggressive infrastructural development, urban regeneration, and sectoral reforms,” the governor said.

“All the development indices – both local and international – reflect the fact that we are making steady progress with a very bright outlook for the foreseeable future. This progress is not the result of only one person’s efforts; it was not achieved by only Akinwunmi Ambode.

“It was achieved by all of us in this room with the cooperation of many others outside and for this, I commend each and every one of you for your diligence and contribution to the progress made thus far. However, there is still a lot more to be done,” he added.

Governor Ambode asked participants at the retreat to look beyond the borders of the state for ideas and consider all local situations.

He also asked them to do things differently and get ready to be called names, saying they must remain steadfast and let posterity judge their actions and intentions.

“We are all well-aware that the last two and a half years have been borne with a lot of sectoral reforms and majorly successful. However, reforms are not static, and they require continuous review as the society we live in is also not static. Some of our reforms remain challenging because of institutional difficulties and corruption. We presently experience this in some of our on-going reforms.

“My message remains the same. Our conviction is resolute. We are totally for inclusive governance. This is a people-government and what would be of benefit to the majority of the citizenry should be our primary goal.

“Building effective and efficient institutions should be our goal henceforth. The institutional framework that will drive a successful MDA is what should be of concern to all of us. Institutions that are enduring should outlive me or anyone of us, likewise our reforms in the various sectors,” the Governor said.