Looking at the annual Internal
Generated Revenue in Lagos State, can you really say that the state government
has matched the money with the level of development across the state?
The answer is no. Although I am not
saying the state has not done anything at all. The IGR has moved from N10bn in
1999 to N400bn today. So you have an increase in capital. But then what has
been the other side of it? The question is one, our borrowing has also
increased. As recent as 2007, I think our borrowing was about 51 per cent of
the total revenue but today as at the end of 2014, our borrowing is now about
113 percent of the total revenue. In other words, today, Lagos owes about N435
billion and our income is about N389 billion. So, our debt has increased
tremendously. Here people talk about the rating and rankings, but everyone
knows that rating or not, when you are borrowing at that rate, especially now
that oil has crashed, and we have debts in dollars which we have to pay, we are
in for a tough time ahead....continue after the cut
Again, the IGR has been at great
cost to those that are caught in the tax payment and that is why a lot of
people are complaining about the burden of tax and the multiplicity of the tax.
If there is anybody that is caught in that tax, you don’t even have a right of
reply. So, if they say your income is N1million, you have to pay the tax of
N1million. You cannot even say it is not so. When you say your income is
N1million and the Lagos State Government say your income is N1.5m, you are
going to pay the tax of N1.5m. There is no right of appeal because nobody is
going to listen to you. So, it is a very oppressive kind of tax payment. While
it is good on one hand, at what cost are we really doing this? When people talk
about continuity in governance, Lagosians are saying that mustn’t continue and
that is why we have come to address the situation.
Looking at the social condition of
Lagosians , can you really say the Fashola-led administration has fulfilled its
promises of giving a brighter, rewarding future to Lagosians in this regard?
On the issue of social condition,
how much has government really done for the people? It is very important that
we look at the social conditions as it affects Lagosians. Take for instance the
BRT buses. The BRT was meant to provide an alternative to the rickety molue buses.
It was meant to ease transport, make it faster and comfortable, not just for
the poor, but even for the middle class. Again, while the concept was good, can
we say that the implementation has been okay? I am not sure there is a day that
you will drive from Ikeja to Lagos and you won’t find one BRT breaking down on
the road. So, you can’t say that the people have really benefited from that
project in terms of social conditions.
What can you say about the security
situation in Lagos especially in the last eight years?
There has been improvement. The
issue of the Security Trust Fund is something one cannot question. It is a good
move but we still have a situation where crime still needs to be tackled more.
Crime in our inner cities can now be said to have increased tremendously, even
in our metropolis. We still feel very uncomfortable when we are in traffic even
at 6:00 pm in the evening. These are things that we need to begin to look at
seriously. We want a 24 hour economy, so that people can feel safe to work at
night. That is the way you create jobs
How will you say Lagos has fared in
terms of qualitative leadership?
With all sense of responsibility,
Lagos has suffered from governance. Lagos has been affected by vested
interests. Everything that has been done in Lagos has to take into
considerations vested interests of few people. It means that if you want to
bring industry to Lagos, if those who have vested interests are not given
adequately, then your business cannot come, even if it comes, it is seriously
frustrated. If you want to build any high rise in any special area, vested
interests are all there. It affects political life and those who are put into
office. Instead of continuity, we want change. This is because change is going
to bring about bold ideas and new opportunities. Change is going to bring
about greater developments to Lagos. We will maximize resources at our
disposal. I think that is even more important now when we look at the current
economic situation of our oil sector.
The APC has been the party in power
for sixteen years in Lagos. Do you think that the PDP has the machinery to
dislodge that formidable structure at the polls?
The machinery of the APC, a party
that has been in power for the past 16 years, so it is formidable machinery?
But the beauty of it is that when it is time for change, everything will work
for you. There are people who have issues with the government of the day. These
are market women, professional traders, youths, even civil servants. What
matters now is that if Lagosians really want a change, how do we use our
structures and what we have to bring about that change? That is the difference
between a Jimi Agbaje on a DPA platform and the one on a PDP platform. We are
not asking anybody to rig the elections. All we are saying is ‘Let the peoples
vote count.’ Put in place mechanism where people can have their say on who
governs them.
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