Fashola: I Will Disgrace PDP In Lagos

Governor Babatunde Fashola of Lagos State has vowed to disgrace the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP at  the forthcoming polls in Lagos , saying that he would roundly defeat the party.

Fashola spoke at the commissioning of Home and Clinics for the physically challenged children on  Thursday in Agboyi-Ketu Local Council Development Area, Lagos State , South West Nigeria.

The governor, still bitter about the statement of President Goodluck Jonathan that the Action Congress  of Nigeria, ACN governors in the South West were rascals, challenged the PDP to a debate on issues  rather than mud-slinging politics.

“From now on, I will debate with them on issues that matter to Nigerians. The PDP government is a 12  years of waste; let them come and challenge us,” he said, adding that the PDP in its 12 years of  ruling the nation had reduced it to the level of being among the nine poorest countries in the world.

The governor said he did not want to be associated with Nigeria, being the ninth poorest nation in the  world but wanted Nigeria to be among the 20th richest nations in the world.

“We are going to win the election with the superiority of our ideas,” he stated, while calling on  Lagosians not to associate themselves with a leaking umbrella, the symbol of the PDP.

Fashola lamented that the PDP-led Federal Government still had about 7,500 abandoned projects across  the nation, describing it as shameful.

He commended Lagosians for turning out massively to register at the just concluded voter registration  exercise, while urging them to also turn out massive on 14 February when the Independent National  Electoral Commission, INEC, would display the register for people to check if their names were in the  register.

Fashola said that by turning out to crosscheck their names in the register would ensure that their  names were not replaced with fictitious names to rig the elections, adding that the forthcoming polls  must be free and fair at all costs.

“There is no alternative to ACN in Nigeria; we have become the party to beat. The PDP cannot defeat  us,” he added.

The governor stated that his government had the interest of persons with physical disability in mind,  saying that they ensure that buildings built recently had ramp to allow for physically challenged  people pass through.

According to him, in the last three years, the state government had been in the vanguard of the  campaign to eradicate discrimination against physically challenged people as well as championed the  fight against eradication of polio in the state, adding that Lagos State is now free from the polio  virus.

“People with disability must not be limited because of their disability. Many of them can reach their  potential if a party like ACN is in power to provide what they need,” he added.

Commissioner for Women Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, WAPA, Mrs. Victoria Orelope-Adefulire said the  establishment of the Home demonstrated the commitment of the government to the welfare of physically  challenged people.

“Lots of poverty has gripped so many homes today, resulting in poor condition of living, with women  mostly bearing the brunt,’ she said, adding that some women were driven out of the home because they  have children with physical disability.

She stated that some of the factors that led to disability among children include lack of ante-natal  care during pregnancy, delivering children at home, among others, adding that some communities still  see disability as a taboo.

“Most often, the lives of such children were cut short. In order to save lives, this Home has been  established to provide for disabled children and give them opportunity to develop their potentials.

“The Home will also cater for the needs of mothers of disabled children who are working class. This  centre aims to give children equal opportunity to develop and this is the first phase of the project.

“This first phase will cater for the needs of 150 children with physical deformity. It will cater for  abandoned children and serve as recreational centre for children,” she stated, saying that the  potential of disabled children would be maximally developed at the centre.

—Kazeem Ugbodaga