This is
Lagos' riposte to Maku's comments about Governor Fashola benefiting from
Federal Government infrastructure. Keep an eye on this one folks.
MAKU – WHY
THIS IGNOBLE VENTURE
We read with
a sense of pity the story credited to the Hon. Minister of Information, Mr.
Labaran Maku, denying the verifiable achievements of His Excellency, Mr.
Babatunde Raji Fashola SAN, the Governor of Lagos State.
On one hand we feel great pity that Mr. Maku
has within a short time lost touch with the ethics of Journalism which
emphasizes accuracy, objectivity and facts. On the other hand, we pity the
country if the man with the status of Hon. Minister of Information can descend
so low as to misinform the world with such impunity.
Although his
reason for such inflammatory remarks is still hard to discern, he would have
done himself and the nation much good by limiting himself to his brief rather
than dabbling into issues he knows next to nothing about.
In an
assignment such as Ministerial briefing, as Lagos State had just done while
marking the 6th anniversary of His Excellency, all Mr. Maku would have done in
his remarks was to concentrate more on the achievements of the Federal
government if there is any and if there was nothing to report ( as is clear
from his vituperation) he could still have done himself a world of good by
keeping quiet (as journalism dictates) than exposing himself to such ridicule
through the unguarded statement credited to him.
One is,
however not perturbed by his behaviour since it has become his stock in trade
going by the way of his earlier outburst on the National Assembly for which he
later had to apologize when the House cautioned him.
We believe
that if Mr. Maku had taken time to research into some of Fashola’s performance
in the areas of Power, Agriculture, Transportation, Housing, Health care delivery, Education, Sport, etc
for which the government has received many accolades even from PDP leaders, his
submission would have been better moderated as a communicator.
The issue of
Environmental Sanitation raised by him betrays his understanding of the
pedestal for good governance in any society.
It becomes apparent that the Hon. Minister was befuddled by the state of
development in Lagos, the nation’s former capital that had been left to “rot
away” but which the BRF administration is taking to higher heights.
That the BRT
buses run on federal government roads is quite laughable. One may wish to ask
that since the capital moved to Abuja, who has been maintaining most of the
infrastructure left behind by the Federal Government. The questions are why has
the Lagos – Ibadan road become daunting to the federal government and why has
the federal government failed to replicate the BRT system in Abuja or all over
the country.
Perhaps Mr.
Maku should have taken a trip to Lagos to see the on-going transformation in
the landscape of the State through the expansion of the Lagos –Badagry
expressway into a 10-Lane highway with Light rail and BRT lanes, the 39km Eti-Osa
-Lekki - Epe Express road, the recently commissioned cable -stayed bridge
linking Lekki and Ikoyi communities, the on-going expansion of Mile 12-Ikorodu
road, the greater attention to water transportation, the infrastructural
facilities being provided all over Lagos and several other people-oriented
programmes, before concluding erroneously that Fashola has not done anything in
Lagos.
Recently His
Excellency, President Goodluck Ebele
Jonathan was hosted alongside the former US President, Mr. Bill Clinton at the
commissioning of the Eko Atlantic City where President Jonathan pledged that the Federal Government will
replicate the project in other parts of the country and yet Fashola has done
nothing.
The Hon.
Minister should know that democracy is not about playing politics with facts.
Also journalism does not approve of people giving judgment based on personal
interests. The fact that we did not allow Maku to take credit for our project
in Lagos in the name of “Good Governance Tour” does give him the latitude to
attempt to discredit a performing governor who continues to receive accolades
from across the nation and internationally.
Fashola is
working, Lagos is working.
SIGNED
LATEEF
ADEREMI IBIROGBA
HON.
COMMSSIONER FOR INFORMATION AND STRATEGY
LAGOS STATE.
JUNE 4,
2013.
