The Lagos State Governor, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has promised Lagosians that the issue of traffic will be a thing of the past soon.
Governor Sanwo-Olu stated this on Tuesday while speaking at The Platform, a programme by the Covenant Christian Centre to mark Nigeria’s 59th Independence Day anniversary.
While decrying the increased traffic situation plaguing the state, Sanwo-Olu lamented that he was even affected while coming to the event.
To the governor, part of the traffic situation is caused by bad roads, portholes and Okada riders.
He, however, suggested the use of data in managing traffic that may be caused by Okada riders, he also stated that BRT buses are working, “we have gotten about 800 buses we are still trying to clear from the ports”.
He said that the aim of his administration in terms of transportation is to get the yellow buses out of the roads.
He appealed to Lagosians to be patient until after the raining season, noting that continuous work
Governance
New and fresh ideas are important. They are the only way we can reinvent the future. Governance is a marathon, not a sprint and as a proud Lagosian, I took this job because I believe in our vision of building a greater and more developed Lagos.
You will never know the true finances of a state until you become its Chief Executive. And as governor, my first task has been finding ways to allocate the available resources to the short, medium and long term plan we have for Lagos.
Our state budget hovers around $2 billion and we have a local debt ratio of about 20-25%. Comparing Lagos to major global city-states shows we are not close to where we need to be but as a beacon in Nigeria and indeed Africa, we must build what is required.
As a government, we can do a lot more, most times citizens do not care about the ingredients for the meal but only the finished product. The reality is that there are a lot of things happening in the backroom and Lagosians will definitely see results.
Between the last time I was at an event by the same organisers, we have made strides in a lot of our promises from traffic to health to waste management and other sectors. Our decision to first focus on leadership and structure across the state is already paying dividends.
Our strategy is sector-specific. In education, we are restructuring teacher hiring, training and other requirements. We need about 3,000 to 4,000 teachers before the end of the year but first we are focusing on how to improve the learning outcomes in schools.
We have a metropolitan fibre initiative that we have launched that is taking fibre to our schools, hospitals and public buildings. It is a tech and education enabling platform for us as we continue to position Lagos.
On health, we are making progress. We are attracting funding to our health sector like never before in Lagos. Within these first 100 plus days, we have completed and opened primary and secondary health facilities in Eti Osa and Alimosho LGAs.
Our focus on improving health for women and children remains deliberate. Our plan for health insurance remains on course and we have been deliberate about the healthcare members of the cabinet in our state.
In healthcare, we need more specialised workers, we need more biomedical technicians. We recognise the issues with getting qualified personnel and we are working with our educational institutions to solve this.
