The member-elect of the House of Representatives for Apapa federal constituency, Hon Mufutau Egberongbe, has described Lagos as a state urgently in need of the experiences of Babajide Sanwo-olu, the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress in the forthcoming election.
Egberongbe, a former member of the Lagos state House of Assembly, argued that being the economic centre of Nigeria and boasting of over 22 million people, Lagos is a sensitive state that should not be left in the hands of anyone who does not mean well for its growth and future development.
According to the lawmaker-elect, the combination of Sanwo-olu and his running mate, Femi Hamzat, is what the state and its residents need to further lift the state up the ladder as a business-friendly and favourable place to live in.
In a statement personally signed by the lawmaker-elect on Thursday, March 7, he noted that Sanwo-olu is not a novice in the plan to make Lagos compete with other cities across the world in its category.
“Sanwo-olu has been in the system since 2003. He understands that there is a direction. He has been a part of that direction. He knows that every direction has a goal. He has played major roles both at the background and in the open over the years to bring Lagos up to this state in terms of economic and social growth and development.
“It is not out of place to recognise that a state like Lagos with this huge population would put the government constantly on its toes. The APC, which I am part of, recognises the need to constantly bring in those who have been tutored in the art of governance to carry on the task.
“For emphasis, Sanwo-olu and Hamzat have been in the oven for years putting the right bolts and nuts where they fit in the wheel of progress in the state.
“Don’t forget that he worked under former deputy governor, Femi Pedro, as special adviser on corporate matters in 2003 because of his banking experience. Because he was so good at the job, he was elevated to the position of commissioner for establishment as the government of Asiwaju Bola Tinubu was winding down.
“He also served in the government of Babatunde Fashola as commissioner in charge of establishments, training and pensions.
Under Governor Akinwunmi Ambode, Sanwo-Olu is the managing director of the Lagos State Development and Property Corporation (LSDPC) thus making him the most qualified of all the candidates.
“Let’s not also forget the his unassuming and humble running mate was a commissioner in the government of Fashola and we can tell till this day that the administration he served commissioned projects up till its last day in 2015,” Egberongbe argued.
He appealed to residents of the state to give the duo the benefit of the doubt by coming out in their numbers to vote for the APC in the coming governorship and House of Assembly elections in the state.
“We all have one passion in Lagos – the need for continuous growth. To make this materialise, we must all play our roles,” he added.