Edward Israel-Ayide: Why Jimi Agbaje should be the next governor of Lagos

by Edward Israel-Ayide

There is no way one can say that both Agbaje and Ambode do not have their strong sides and great arguments in their favour, but the prospect of Tinubu foisting his underlings on us without any opposition and the absence of choice is not only undemocratic, but presents us the opportunity of being tied to Asiwaju’s apron strings for years.

“One day everything will be well, that is our hope. Everything’s fine today, that is our illusion”

― Voltaire

When the polls closed on March 28th 2015 and it became increasingly clear that General Mohammed Buhari of the All Progressives Congress (APC) would be our next president, I quietly made up my mind on a dilemma that I have been facing for a long time – who should be the next governor of Lagos? Jimi Agbaje of the PDP, or Akinwunmi Ambode of the APC.

You see, it was not an easy decision to make, as I have over time come to like different things about both candidates. In Ambode I saw a hard-core technocrat who could hold his own at grassroots politics as was evidenced by the early start of his campaign across various areas and sectors of Lagos. I felt the APC had finally found the balance between Fashola and Tinubu; a man who having served in government meritoriously could deliver governance, and was also a man that the people could easily align with. As for Agbaje, I felt he was a consummate professional, and remembered his eloquence and firm grasp of issues in the 2007 Lagos gubernatorial debate. He came across then as someone who had taken his time to identify the problems of the average Lagosian, and would sincerely find a solution to these problems. Till this day, he still comes across the same way, but now being under the bigger umbrella of the PDP, his campaign has been able to reach more Lagosians with the promise of a Lagos for all.

Not an easy choice to make between these two men, but what has helped me make up my mind was a number of factors which I will outline. Firstly, Ambode’s campaign team latched itself to a wrong narrative from the very onset. The focus of an APC preaching change at the federal levels while after sixteen years of being in power, advancing the cause of continuity in Lagos seemed insincere to me, and I am sure to many other Lagosians. This is in no way to make light of the giant strides of the AD/ACN/APC government in Lagos, and the way they have managed to create a self-sufficient working cosmopolitan state, but the message of “Leave us to continue our master plan” seemed a tad convenient and even threatening to me.  It was as if we the tax payers were supposed to keep the APC government in power, or risk doom and chaos in the hands of any other governor not weaned at the breasts of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu. It was a sword of Damocles hanging over our heads, asking that we either allow the APC complete its vision, or rock the boat and go back to square one. But if Lagos can be good, who says it can’t be better? Who says only disciples of Tinubu hold the vision of a working Lagos? And is it possible that if the opportunity was given to someone else who has had a history of building success stories, this person would not consolidate on the gains we have made, and even surpass them?

Apart from this, while Jimi Agbaje canvassed for votes around Lagos, preaching the message of an all-inclusive Lagos to the masses who have long felt neglected by the “elitist” policies of successive APC governments, Ambode’s campaign built itself on campaigning to those who have long been loyal to the APC reign. While this is not in any way the most mundane campaign strategy, Ambode missed an important advantage of not feeling the pulse of Lagosians, and knowing that inasmuch as Fashola is loved all around the state, there are those who feel most of the policies enacted and implemented by APC in Lagos are largely seen by the masses as anti-poor, and meant to force the lower class out of Lagos to make room for an elitist class of newcomers and foreigners. When I asked my long-time cab man Godwin of his view on this, he said “Bros, I started riding Okada (Commercial Motorcycle) in this Lagos, and when they banned Okadas I had to save money and buy a Keke (tricycle) to continue my transport trade. I could not survive on this for long however, as multiple levies and payments to government backed agberos (touts) made it not so lucrative. It was then I made up my mind to close up my Video rental business, and buy a car to use as a taxi. But even now the story hasn’t gotten better, payments, policies and laws are so many that it is only God and customers such as yourself who help me make ends meet”. Lagos is filled with so many like Godwin, and it is this pool of voters who are not averse to trying out another political party, and ideology for a greater Lagos. These are the people that one candidate has taken his time to appeal to, while the other has focused on a hip, youthful, middle-class campaign driven by hiphop artistes and pop jingles.

Also, the handlers of the APC governorship candidate have spent their time trying to scare the electorate with visions of Agbaje stealing all of Lagos’ money to enrich the pockets of Chief Bode George and Musiliu Obanikoro, conveniently forgetting that the same argument could be raised by anyone against Ambode as going for the office of governor to maintain Asiwaju Tinubu’s hold on the purse strings of Lagos state. Not satisfied with this scare-tactic, proponents of this logic especially on social media platforms argue that Agbaje is nothing other than an airhead stooge of Bode George and Obanikoro, and given the mantle of leadership in Lagos would make policies and lead with the advice and blessing of these two “rogues”. Those advancing this logic would like you to forget that every resident of Lagos, and indeed most south-western Nigerian states, would tell you that the ‘Lion Of Bourdillon” rules his vast empire with a firm hand, and that his underlings, however highly placed they are in government, must do his bidding or risk exclusion and ostracism.  They forget that this is not an empire built out of altruism, but of one man’s ambition to build an empire of magnificent proportions, and soldiers loyal to him to the point of death.

While the hypocrisy of the logic above astounds me, the other narrative pushed forward is that since Agbaje has had no experience in government, he is not fit to contest for office, much less become the governor of a state like Lagos. But a quick history research will show you the weakness of this narrative. Abraham Lincoln a young Illinois orator started off as general store partner, then a self-taught lawyer before assuming various political positions that paved the way to a United States presidency, and a legend as the emancipator of black slaves in America. Many doubted his credentials along the way, but given the opportunity to lead, history has shown that a New Salem raconteur can have his name etched on the sands of time if given the opportunity to deliver his ideas. Closer to home, Alhaji Lateef Jakande who I believe is the founder of an all-inclusive Lagos, started off as a journalist and rose to become the Executive Governor of Lagos, and the one who would lay the groundwork for low-cost housing, open new areas of Lagos with good roads and build health facilities for all and sundry in a new Lagos that was on the verge of being a model African metropolis before his plans were toppled by a military coup. These men showed that being resourceful, competent, focused and a visionary is not a privilege exclusive to those who have risen through political ranks, but is a quality inherent in any man who has set his mind on following through on a dream, and building a legacy worthy of emulation.

There is no way one can say that both Agbaje and Ambode do not have their strong sides and great arguments in their favour, but the prospect of Tinubu foisting his underlings on us without any opposition and the absence of choice is not only undemocratic, but presents us the opportunity of being tied to Asiwaju’s apron strings for years. This is why apart from the reasons I have highlighted above, I feel that we should look beyond the rhetoric of “Agbaje will make Lagos the ATM of the PDP” and ask ourselves if the time is not right to try another approach that consolidates on the gains achieved over the past sixteen years, and births development and economic growth that all Lagosians can feel and call their own. A Lagos for me and you.

On Saturday, go out and vote for any candidate you choose, I suspect that your mind has been long made up. But if perhaps you are still undecided as I was some weeks back, or you would like an argument put forward to help you make an informed decision between the two candidates; read over my words again and ask yourself, is there an all-inclusive way to achieve the goals of a sustainable transport system, a functional educational sector, affordable and effective healthcare services, and a secure Lagos? Can we build a Lagos that supports the dream of the plumber, the trader as well as that of the insurance company worker and the high end fashion designer?

These are questions you need to answer on your own as you walk to the polling booth on Saturday. But if you will allow me make one final pitch, please see the video below

For me, it is Jimi Kolawole Agbaje for Governor of Lagos State, and contrary to what you might have heard, he is not joking about ensuring a Lagos for you.

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Edward Israel-Ayide tweets from @wildeyeq.

Comments (5)

  1. People should put sentiments apart and ask how well do you know these men. Most of what you know are based on stories, rumours and hear says. Vote for the man, not the party. Vote your conscience. Dont be in time dates. Your vote is your power to bring about the change you want.

  2. I still trust and believe Agbaje has more to offer than the puppet of Ambode. So as for me its Agbaje all the way no matter what critics say about pdp. It’s a personal choice and not party based. #ivotejimiAgbaje

  3. Well written.. but too many quick sands buried within. “before assuming various political positions” that paved the way to a United States presidency… above sentence (among others) makes your argument fall flat on its face. How many political positions has agbaje held?

  4. The failure of your well scripted lamentation for Agbaje lies in the fact that while you seek to convince me that he will work, you have failed to make a list of his achievements that show him as being of the Lincoln spirit. Apart from his certificate of 1979 or so, Agbaje has not other record of achievement save for JayKay Pharmacy which is now on the verge of oblivion. He has not added anything to Lagos neither has he done anything to improve the cause of Lagosians since he lost the last elections, not even scholarship for a kindergarten student. This shows that his only interest lies in ruling Lagos at all costs, irrespective of how he gets there. You seek to convince me that Ambode, who has a track record of success, even from his secondary school days should be sidelined in favour of a political gold digger with a naked cap that bears no academic, economic or philanthropic feather. You are pathetic indeed. For your information, we fought for change at the national level for one reason: PDP failed yet you are telling me to bring the failure closer to my home by planting another outgrowth of the failed system in Alausa? You must be from Mars!

  5. I think you should change the caption of your article: Rants/Nags Directed at APC! Was expecting you’d capitalize on projects Jimi Agbaje had worked on (past and present), but no it’s typical of PDP supporters to malign rather than canvass arguments on performance (a trait of its stakeholders and politicians). Even JK acknowledges the work done so far in Lagos and intends to consolidate his plans and sustain continuity with the pending plans of Lagos state. It’s quite unfortunate we hardly applaud AATinubu for the political decisions he’s made so far. But as you vote tomorrow, like you have admitted, bear in mind that others had to face the tough decision on whom to vote for, we can’t vote for both but either of the options.

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