7th March, 2011
Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN, Lagos East Senatorial District candidate, Alhaji Gbenga Ashafa says he will win the forthcoming election to represent Lagos State in the upper chambers of the National Assembly by a landslide.
Ashafa, at an interactive session with journalists said out of the 1,264,490 people registered in the five local governments making up Lagos East Senatorial District, he was sure of getting up to one million votes, if the people voted during the election.
He said he had done his homework and prepared well for the 2 April, 2011 election into the Senate, saying that the people were solidly behind him and would cast their votes for the ACN.
Ashafa, former Permanent Secretary, Lagos State Ministry of Lands Bureau stated that having excelled in the civil service, it was another opportunity for him to serve at a higher capacity.
“My antecedent speaks volume. The degree of lopsidedness that characterized land administration in Lagos State before I came in was enormous but I have changed that. Mamora, my predecessor, has done much. I will draw inspiration from him.
“I want to replicate what I have achieved in the Lands Ministry in the Senate. Lagos East presently has five local governments; Kosofe, Ikorodu, Epe, Shomolu and Ikeja. About 1,264,490 people registered in all these councils,†he said.
Ashafa said his agenda for the people of Lagos East was to effectively represent them in the Senate; empower the youths and bring about qualitative education to the people of the area.
“I have been going round my constituency to ask the people what their problems were,†he said, adding that he would soon embark on another door-to-door initiative in the five councils to know the problems of the people and how to tackle them.
Ashafa stated that he would use his position in the Senate to influence the federal government to release ecological fund to Lagos to tackle the perennial flooding in Kosofe Local Government.
He said the problem of the area was caused by the federal government which refused to release the fund to tackle the ecological problem, adding that even the road leading to Epe, which belongs to the federal government, was in a terrible condition.
On his position on the Land Use Charge, LUC, when he gets to the Senate, Ashafa said he would support the state government’s move that the LUC should be retained and not abolished.
“The Land Use Charge remains the law of the land. When the opportunity comes to review it, my position will be in line with what will benefit Lagos State. Lots of Nigerians embrace the Land Use Charge and don’t want any review,†he said.
—Kazeem Ugbodaga
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