28th September, 2012
The Lagos State chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Capt Tunji Shelle, has said that his party would offer a better alternative to the present government in the state if voted into power in 2015.
The Lagos PDP boss, who said this during an interview with Political Platform at the party’s secretariat, Ikeja, Lagos, southwest Nigeria, added that the Governor Fashola administration has completely lost focus.
“For Lagos PDP, 2015 is bright and beautiful as far as I am concern. Though it is neither far nor near but my conviction is that if we work very hard, we are going to get the desired result. The Lagos State government of today has completely lost focus. What we are witnessing now are distractions.
“They started by making people believe that they are doing the right thing. I can only give them 100 per cent in beautification of the environment but go to other sectors, they have done nothing. All the roads are bad except the concessioned ones. Even in the area of transportation, their BRT buses are dying day in day out.
“What their government is known for is embarking on white elephant projects. The Yatcht they bought with tax payers money is wasting away at Marina. They built road network which is commendable but none of the roads has drainages. The Lekki-Epe Expressway they are tolling has no drainage system and that is why water is threatening the residents of those areas. There is water everywhere whenever it rains.
“They said they are building light rail on Lagos-Badagry Express Road. How are they going to operate it? We learnt they are bringing a 35-year old light rail experts from Canada to run it.This is unacceptable and these are some of the things that will make PDP win Lagos in 2015,” he said.
He described the Lagos State Traffic Law which bans motorcycle operators popularly known as Okada from some major highways and which will probably send over 40,000 of its members out of job when it commences fully, as inhuman.
“If the government throws 40,000 people who have families out of job, it is definitely looking for a negative influence which the state may not be able to cope with. They should have provided an alternative before planning to send them out of job. The PDP is ready to do better things for Lagosians.
“What really concerns the Lagos State government is the business aspect of governance and not how to better the life of its people and these are the alternatives that we are bringing into governance. We are going to give them issue-based campaigns.
“If we take over government in 2015, the traffic law will be modified to suit Lagosians. We will give it human face. Okada riders are the ones that make transportation possible. The law is an opportunity for LASTMA and KAI to extort money from Lagosians. The law has been described as draconian by a lawyer.
“You don’t subject people to such laws. You give them a law with human face. They were not driving Okada riders away from the highway before election, they did not toll Lekki-Epe Expressway before election but after achieving their aim, they came out with all sort of laws to inconvenient Lagosians. All these PDP will rectify if voted into power in 2015,” he assured.
—Jamiu Yisa