By KELVIN OLAMIDE
History was made in Lagos by Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu on Monday and Tuesday as President Muhammadu Buhari officially inaugurated the Lekki Deep Sea Port located in Itoke village, Ibeju-Lekki, Lagos, observing the offloading from CMA CGM Mozart at the Quay.
This project with an investment in excess of $1.5 billion is a Joint Venture between the Federal Government of Nigeria through the Nigerian Ports Authority, Lagos State Government, the Tolarams Group (the owner of the Lagos Free Zone), and China Harbour Engineering Company.
In Lagos, the President also inaugurated the Imota Rice Mill, conceptualized and completed by Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State as well as the Bestaf Lubricant at MRS Holdings Company Limited.
The 200m litre lubricant plant, which covers the whole value chain of lubricants, is the first of its kind in West Africa.
On Tuesday, the President also inaugurated the historic first Phase of the Blue Line of the Lagos Rail Mass Transit in Marina and the John Randle Centre for Yoruba Culture and History at Onikan roundabout.
Commending the Lagos State governor for his foresight, a socio-cultural leader, Otunba Sola Olatunji says Lagos will become one of the top 10 economy in the world in the next four years stressing that Lagosians do not need to change a winning team as they have to vote en masse to return Sanwo-Olu and his team for a second term in office.
“These projects will engage thousands of Lagosians in employment and very soon the state will be number one economy in Africa,” Olatunji said.
Olatunji also said that the governor deserves a garland for all these historic projects as he praised the him for his yeoman effort in saving lives during the Corona virus pandemic .
According to the All Progressive Congress stalwart, at a time when the western world was mocking Africa that the streets, especially in Lagos, Cairo and other major cities in Africa, would be filled with heaps of human carcasses and flood of tears from wailing bereaved persons, Governor Sanwo-Olu took the bull by the horns as the incident commander and fought corona virus like a World War Trojan. When cities like New York, Milan in Italy and the whole of Spain were recording deaths in hundreds of thousands, Lagos had lower than 50 casualties. Thanks to Sanwo-Olu’s proactive strategy.
During the eight months lockdown, there was the strong belief that hunger might killed more people than COVID-19. But Sanwo-Olu flooded Lagos with palliatives on a regular basis until the hydra-headed monster was largely defeated.
This is the mark of a leader who encapsulates the yearning and aspirations of his people; a leader who has touched the lives of over 20-something million residents of the state.
“Sanwo-Olu’s handling of COVID-19 pandemic is enough for voters in Lagos to give him the ticket for a second term in the March 9, gubernatorial election,” th Chairman of Ikale Heritage Development Association, said. “The governor is a born leader and he is on his way to achieving greatness in the South-west and even Nigeria.
“Till date, the English people still regard Sir Winston Churchill as the greatest British leader just for leading them to victory in World War II. But here is a governor who saved millions of lives during COVID-19 and even exposed his own life to danger on several occasions since Lagos was the epicentre of the epidemic in Nigeria. How else can we say thank you to such a gallant warrior than to vote for him overwhelmingly during the election for him to continue the total transformation of Lagos to a mmega city of our dream.”
According to Olatunji, Sanwo-Olu has added other achievements to COVID-19 bringing critical development to the state by harnessed human and capital resources to serve the people.
He said: “In spite of the COVID-19 setback, the governor is outstanding among his peers in terms of infrastructure. It is a known fact that he has constructed over 308 roads so far. He has also repositioned the health sectors through the building of more health centres at the grassroots, and a free health policy for children below 18 years and adults above 65 years of age.
“The historic red line rail project can only be completed by a genus after the conception by the late Alhaji Lateef Jakande several years ago. The trains have been delivered from Milwaukee, United States, and soon Lagosian will not have to pack themselves inside omnibus, popularly called molue, like sardine.
“In the area of infrastructure, Some of the projects Governor Sanwo-Olu carried out are; the Lagos-Ogun boundary roads, Lekki-Oniru Traffic circulation projects, Pen Cinema Flyover and road networks in Somolu, Ikoyi, Victoria Island and many other places.”
While the state is known by its slogan as the center of excellence, it has also in deed shown itself as a state worthy to be emulated as it has established itself as a leading state in terms of its growth and development.
Olatunji added: “In the Agricultural sector, through the Agricultural Value Chains Enterprise Activation Programme, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has trained many youths in various agricultural practices which has gone a long way to giving them a means of livelihood and sustenance.
“He has seen to the training of over 12,000 women, thousands of youths in the State have been empowered across the several value chains.
“Then the Imota rice mill that occupies 8.5 hectares. It will be the largest mill in Africa and the third largest mill in the world. The rice mill has a capacity to produce 2.8 million bags of 50kg bags of rice yearly, while generating 1,500 direct jobs and 254,000 indirect jobs. It is an integrated mill with two warehouses and 16 silos (each with a capacity of 2,500 tonnes, 25 metres high, 40-year life).
“Environment? Sanwo-Olu is a master strategist. He has also made positive activities in the Environmental sector. In order to secure a clean Lagos, Governor Sanwo-Olu donated 30 units of 12-cubic meter trucks, 60 units of 24-cubic meter trucks and 12 hook loaders which is expected to compliment over 850 PSP compactor trucks to enhance service delivery in under-served communities across the State.
“What else can we say than to urge Lagosians to use their PVC wisely and vote Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu for a second term.”