Lawan to Sanwo-Olu: You have done well, says ‘One good term deserves another’

Segun James

President of the Senate, Senator Ahmed Lawan yesterday praised Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu for what he called, “the good work” he is doing towards delivering dividends of good governance to the people of Lagos State and to validate the state’s position as the economic and commercial nerve centre of the country.

Lawan spoke at the fifth Town Hall Meeting and Empowerment Programme organised by the lawmaker representing Lagos West in the Senate, Senator Solomon Adeola Olamilekan, at the Police College, Ikeja.

Lawan, who opened his speech on a note of admiration for the Governor, said the party leadership across the country had watched with satisfaction the giant strides being made by Sanwo-Olu, stating that without any equivocation, the governor deserved a re-election.

He said: “We have been watching you over the last two and half years. You have been very wonderful. You have been consistent in terms of service delivery to the people of Lagos and indeed this country. You are focused…”
The Senate helmsman endorsed Sanwo-Olu’s to return after the completion of his current tenure, saying the tremendous achievements the state recorded within a short period under the governor’s watch needed to progress.

“One good term you’re doing deserves another term,” Lawan told Sanwo-Olu.
The Senate President praised Adeola for his contribution to the robustness of the Senate and his efforts to uplift his constituents through regular empowerment.

Lawan called for more support for the All Progressives Congress (APC), stressing that the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) had damaged the country beyond measures in its 16 years of governance. He, however, assured that the ruling party was up to the task to defeat the opposition again.

He therefore urged Nigerians to continue to entrust the affairs of the country to the party as they have been doing with their votes since 2015.

He described Lagos as home for APC and expressed the confidence that, “APC, by the Grace of God, will continue to rule Lagos and rule Nigeria.”
According to him: “All that we need to do is to continue what we are doing now. Support our leaders. Tolerate us. Unite ourselves and of course remain focused.

“PDP may tell you something funny about the administration of APC at the national level but PDP ruled Nigeria for 16 years and all that they did was to leave or bequeathe so many challenges to us in 2015.
“We are dealing with those challenges one after the other and if on the way, we encounter new challenges, we are equal to the task.

“By the Grace of God we are going to turn around the fortunes of this country for the better. We have done so much but we are also challenged especially in the area of security.
“When someone tells you that the APC administration only takes loans or borrow money, PDP had 16 years of so much resources and they did very little infrastructure in the country if any. The money disappeared and our options are limited.

“But one option that is not on the table at all is not to do anything. Because you don’t have money, so we shouldn’t develop your country? Nigeria’s administration at the national level is responsible and responsive.
“We wouldn’t like to take loans or borrow money but when the options are limited and the imperative of development of infrastructure in the country are there, what do we do?

“If we have to borrow, we have to borrow responsibly, targeted at capital development and today I want to say without any fear of contradiction that in every part of this country, there is infrastructural development either in terms of roads, bridges, dams and so on and so forth.

“This is to tell you that we desire to develop our country and that for APC at all levels deserves the trust of Nigerians because we will always tell Nigerians what it is. We won’t hide anything because you gave us your trust.
“What you witness in Lagos is to tell you one of the best the APC can do and we have many APC states that are working so hard to develop those states,” Lawan said.

In his comment, Sanwo-Olu lauded Adeola’s empowerment programme, noting that some of the items, such as the ambulances and hospital equipment would go beyond party affiliations, when they become operational.

He described Adeola’s efforts as complementing those of President Muhammadu Buhari and of the state government.
He reiterated his administration’s commitment to further develop Lagos state in all ramifications and pledged that he would continue to carry out human-friendly projects that would have positive impacts on Lagosians and by extension, Nigeria.
The Governor insisted that Adeola is an “Omo Eko Pataki” and the state did not regret sending him to the Senate to represent the people.