Sarumi Commends Jega, Carpets Fashola

Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, chieftain, Chief Dapo Sarumi, has commended the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, boss, Professor Attahiru Jega, for a job well done.

Chief Sarumi while speaking with Political Platform, criticised the Lagos State government for running an elitist government.

He said the INEC boss performed fairly alright in the conduct of the elections.

“The elections were fairly alright and the wish of the people should hold supreme because that is what the electoral process says. To a large extent, Jega has done excellently well. We are not fully there but we are very close to it.

“On proper scrutiny, there is still a couple of minor things that still needs to be attended to. Minor infraction of the electoral process. When people shout party slogans at polling booths, it is a punishable offence,” he said.

The former minister of information during Chief Olusegun Obasanjo’s first term in office critised Fashola’s government, describing it as an elitist one.

He said: ”This particular constituency has 129 streets and it is only three roads that are motorable. This place has market women who have nothing at all to eke out a living yet they were displaced. These guys that you find around here are restless youths who are currently jobless because jobs have been moved out of Lagos.

“Manufacturing facilities have been moved to Lome (Togo) and Ghana. When manufacturing companies were here, there were jobs. But now they are jobless and it is not by giving them N1,000 or N2,000 during election. It is not all about taxation and planting of flowers. When you go out and wet flowers to keep them alive, you must be able to sustain lives,” he said.

He said Lagosians are tired of being anti-Federal Government, adding that it is as a result of this that the residents were being over-taxed by the state government.

“Lagosians are tired of being anti-Federal Government, the resources of the state are not enough but they are taxing the people to have more resources. What will Lagos be without an Eko Bridge, Third Mainland Bridge, Apapa port and the international airport?

“No matter how much they spin, we are in a mess if we ignore our rightful place and share with the Federal Government. We are in a mess if we allow what is happening to continue,” he laments.