Dr. Abdul-Azeez Adediran, popularly known as “Jandor,” the PDP gubernatorial candidate for Lagos State, released a seven-point plan of action for the state on Wednesday.
The programme, tagged “WEALTHY”, comprises Works, Housing & Road Infrastructure; Education; Aquaculture & Ease of Doing Business; Law, Order & Security; Tourism, Transport & Traffic Management; Health & Environment; and Youth, Women and Social Development.
Adediran laid out his plans in a statement titled “My Vision for Lagos,” which was published on Wednesday as campaigns for governor and the House of Assembly began ahead of the 2023 general elections.
“Today marks a special point in our journey to the ballot and our resolve to offer ourselves for public service in the quest to create a Lagos state of our shared desire.
“We were not beckoned on to serve or railroaded into a project of which we have little knowledge.
“This journey started exactly seven years ago, after a detailed appraisal of the performance of successive governments in Lagos State from 1999.
“We are convinced that our state will fare better when well-meaning stakeholders graduate from armchair criticism of the systemic decadence to becoming active players by throwing their hats into the ring to salvage the state.
“We are signing a social contract with you to serve you with the skillfulness of our hands and the integrity of our hearts.
“I am not here to make promises that are not achievable but with your mandate, our vision is to transform Lagos into a functional, prosperous and secure state that will deliver the promise of making Lagos work for all,” he said.
Together with his campaign mate, Ms. Olufunke Akindele, Adediran promised to make Lagos State work for its citizens.
He claims that by providing a breath of new air in the seven areas that the word denotes as well as other important governance sectors, the team will make Lagos really affluent.
He said: “Our focus is to change the face of governance in Lagos state and make it a wealthy state in truth as against its current status of being a wealthy state only on paper. Our agenda for a wealthy Lagos is a treat everyone deserves.
“We can have it better; our lives can be much easier when altruism, transparency, honesty, accountability, and empathy govern the conduct of public officeholders.
“We are set to make Lagos state work better in the interest of all residents by decentralising development to all parts of the state and ensuring that the flow of the wealth of the state is redirected from the pockets of an individual to the benefit of all.
“We are very intentional about our vision of birthing a true Mega City led by a servant leader who is truly independent and will not need a second level of approval before taking decisions.
“The power will truly reside with the people and not an individual pretending to be a demi-god.”
Adediran stated that his team’s ideas to create a prosperous Lagos would be informed by: a technology-driven approach to government; the Rule of Law; equity and inclusivity; accountable representation; and transparency (TREAT).
The candidate pointed out that one of the main issues impeding the state’s progress was corruption.
He pledged to implement crucial reforms that would speed up operating procedures and close financial gaps in the public sector in order to ensure financial re-engineering.
Regarding construction and infrastructure, Adediran stated that the state’s financial resources would be used to build the bridges and road infrastructure that are required to relieve particular flashpoints’ enduring traffic jams and to promote road user discipline.
“We will ensure that the acclaimed huge Lagos state revenue will now reflect in our daily living by using it to aggressively repair all existing state roads, building iconic bridges that will give Lagos a facelift as a mega city of repute.
“We will involve private sectors in project financing via public-private partnerships such as build, operate and transfer (BOT) and other concessions, but with the interest of Lagos residents at the centre of it all,” he said.
Adediran said that a real government would care a lot about education and would promise to take street kids off the streets and put them in schools.
The candidate promised to proclaim a state of emergency in the educational field and to start the process of making primary and secondary education entirely free and mandatory.
Also, he said he would give free textbooks and other learning materials to both elementary and high schools.
Concerning healthcare, the candidate for governor complained that patients had to walk around the grounds of general hospitals because there weren’t enough beds. He said that his team would start automating healthcare facilities as soon as the right infrastructure was in place.
“In addition to this, health insurance will be made compulsory and available to the less privileged and vulnerable for free, to improve access and affordability,” he added.
Adediran promised that his administration would establish technological centres in each of the state’s five administrative regions, including Ikeja, Badagry, Ikorodu, Lekki, and Epe.
He stated that the centres would provide training for young people to learn digital skills while facilitating support for tech start-ups to take advantage of chances.
Adediran pledged to make significant technological investments in security, deal with persistent flooding, uphold citizens’ rights, and give market men and women new hope.
Providing an enabling environment to participants in our economy, both in the formal and informal sectors, he noted, he would be diligent about making doing business in Lagos State easy.
Adediran stated that all PDP candidates for legislative posts would contact every resident of Lagos State and visit each of the state’s 245 political wards and 13,325 voting locations in order to solicit votes and support. The state is divided into 20 local government districts.
The PDP candidate periodically sought comments on their shared initiative and stated that his team will keep communicating ideas in the days to come.
On September 28, INEC relaxed the restriction on campaigning for the presidential and national assembly elections. On October 12, the ban was lifted for the governorship and state house of assemblies.
