by Samuel Okike

When a governor sacks and evicts people from their homes at will, demolishes houses and business places because it doesn’t ‘conform with the metropolitan vision of the state,’ and consciously disobeys court orders over and over again – and goes scot free – then people need to sit down and rethink what governance really means.

All the above-listed traits can easily be attributed to the governor of Lagos, Akinwunmi Ambode.

Ambode started out as that progressive governor every other governor aspired to be like. He was working and we were loving it. But for reasons which still remain a mystery to many, his good records took a negative turn.

Since evicting several thousands of Lagosians from their homes at Otodo Gbame in the last two months, the governor’s name has been in the news for all the wrong reasons.

Ambode claimed the destruction of the riverine community was a ‘security measure,’ stating that “militants” were using the community as a base – an accusation residents and rights groups deny; this, however, did not dispel speculations that the community was destroyed because it does not conform with Ambode’s grand metropolitan vision for the state.

But what’s really shocking is that these demolitions were done without any notice being served to the members of the community. Also, despite receiving court orders to stop the forceful eviction of residents, Ambode’s government ignored them and went ahead with the demolitions.

Why has nothing been done to the state government and Governor Ambode for breaking a law? This is a clear display of impunity, something which has now become very common among Nigerian leaders. Politicians have the habit of breaking the law, disobeying court orders, and they go scot-free in the end.

Several other governors, senators and politicians have also adopted Ambode’s disregard for the law. Oyo Governor, Abiola Ajimobi once threatened to deal with protesting students of the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH).

It’s time we put a stop to impunity from any government official. The culture of letting people in power off the hook when they flout the rules just because ‘they’re in power’ must end. If we allow this bad behaviour persist, then future of Nigeria might even be bleaker that we thought.