The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila has hailed Enugu State Governor, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi as a political player with no bitterness.
Speaker Gbajabiamila made the comment in a congratulatory statement on Saturday on the occasion of thje 57th birthday of the Enugu Governor.
He said Ugwuanyi, who was a member of the House of Representatives until 2015, has been a friend worthy of being celebrated.
The Speaker said despite Ugwuanyi’s membership of a different political party, the Enugu State governor plays politics without bitterness, which is a virtue of a good politician.
The Speaker recalled with nostalgia Ugwuanyi’s contributions to the development of the Legislature when he served as a member. He congratulated the Enugu State Governor for marking his 57th birthday in good health and wished him more years under God’s protection and guidance.
Following the unrest, looting and destruction of private and public properties that peaked the #EndSARS protest in Lagos State, Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu says it will need not less than N1 trillion to rebuild Lagos State.
This was revealed by the Speaker, House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiaila, when he visited Governor Sanwo-Olu in Marina on Sunday to sympathise with the state, which quickly became the epicenter of last week’s pandemonium that brought down shops, court, business and transport assets, and the palace of the Lagos Monarch, Oba Ridwan Akiolu.
Gbajabiamila, who visited along with members of the House of Representatives from Lagos, said: “The governor was telling me just now that it was going to cost about a trillion naira to rebuild Lagos. That makes my heart heavy. And I asked the governor what’s the budget of Lagos State? What are you planning? And he told me that they’re planning a budget of about a trillion Naira.”
Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila visits Governor of Lagos State, Babajide Sanwo_Olu, Sunday October 25, 2020, at the State House Marina. The Speaker sympathizes with the residents of Lagos State over the unrest, arson and looting that followed the alleged shooting of unarmed peaceful protesters at the Lekki Toll Gate on Tuesday, October 20, 2020.
During the pandemonium, arsonists had burnt down public assets that include 89 new buses of the Bus Rapid Transport (BRT) that were parked in Oyingbo and Berger. The Commissioner for Information and Strategy Gbenga Omotoso, had put the cost of each of buses at about $200,000.
Other public assets destroyed are the multi-million naira forensic and DNA centre, the Igbosere High Court, local government secretariat buildings, and hundreds of other vehicles. These also include some other public buildings scattered across the state and street lights.
According to the Speaker of House, the destruction of properties is sad and should not occur again: “I came in from Abuja today, not just to stand in solidarity with him, but by extension the people of Lagos State. These have been very difficult few days. It has even been more difficult for me in the last hour. Driving in from the airport and sitting with the governor to watch the documentary here put together, that evidences of the carnage we all witnessed. It makes us all very sad.
“This, certainly, is not the Lagos of our dream that we all talk about. And I know deep down, and I believe no matter how brave a face one puts to it, that even the protesters have their regrets that things went this far, because from my understanding and from what I’ve seen, both those who are pro-protest and those who are anti-protest, were all affected.
“There’s very little I can say. But, I know that standing with me is a man of courage, a man of destiny. Because it’s very unusual for you to come into office, and within a year a few months, you witnessed two calamitous events: first, you were in the epicentre of COVID-19, which you dealt with to the admiration of all.
“Whilst we were still grappling with that, you now became the epicentre of the protests. I want to encourage you to lift your head high, because you discharged your duties as a governor of a state that was troubled in the last few months, or close to one year,” he said.
Furthermore, Gbajabiamila stated that he did not wish the incident to take an ethnic dimension, having heard a lot of conspiracy theories about it.
“Let us shut our ears to those things. Let us focus as one people, whether you’re Igbo, whether you’re from the North, whether you’re from the South. This is the mantra that we have in the House of Representatives because if you talk about nation-building, we say it is a joint task.
“I want to also use this opportunity, in a way, to be grateful and commend our brothers and sisters from the North. I said this because if the North had been a part of this, I don’t know if we’ll all be standing here today. That’s why I commend our brothers and sisters from the North.
“On Tuesday, we talked in the House about compensation. I want to reiterate that the House will do all it can to make sure that everybody that has suffered from police violence – whether you’re from the North, from the East, from the West, because everybody in Nigeria has suffered from police violence, not just those of us from the Southwest. That will be applicable to all, including policemen that lost their lives in these unfortunate incidents.
“So, Your Excellency, we bring you good tidings and good wishes from Abuja. We stand with you. Whatever the House can do to help in rebuilding, not just Lagos State, but other states that have been affected as well from whatever part in Nigeria, the House will definitely join hands. Because we’re now in the situation of reconstruction.
“I want to encourage our young men and women out there that you fought a good fight, and I’m sure deep down, you’re not happy with what you’ve seen. The government listened, the president listened, the House listened, the Senate listened, the governors listened, it is now time to take stock and make sure this never happens again”.
“Your Excellency, the ground zero of what happened here is Lekki…that was what precipitated the violence and the carnage the following day. It is important to me, as I know it is important to you and to everybody, to know what exactly happened.
“A judicial panel has been set up, and I hope those who say this is what happened will have the courage to go before the judicial panel and say this is what happened and give credible evidence. And if that was indeed what happened, then, the law must take its course. But, if that was not what happened, the law must also take its course. Either way, the law must take its course”, the Speaker said.
The Ogun State Goverrnor, Prince Dapo Abiodun has solicited the support of the National Assembly for the takeover and reconstruction of the Lagos-Sango-Abeokuta and the Sagamu-Ikorodu roads, by Ogun and Lagos State Governments.
Prince Abiodun made the call in his office at Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta, when he received the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila who paid him a courtesy visit.
The Governor, who informed the Speaker of the current deplorable condition of the roads, added that the takeover of the roads would enable the two State Governments put them in proper shape, thus taking the load off the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway and bring succour to users.
He described Agbara and its environs as the industrial hub of the State, but decried the poor condition of the Agbara-Atan-Lusada road, noting that some industries may be forced to exit the area, if the road was not fix on time.
“The Agbara-Atan-Lusada road is in a very deplorable condition. Not only that, the Lagos-Sango-Abeokuta Expressway and the Sagamu-Ikorodu roads are also very bad. I want to call for the support of the National Assembly in taking over or construction by the Federal Government. Our people are really suffering on these roads,” he said.
Governor Abiodun informed the Speaker of the House that his Administration was currently constructing the Ijebu Ode-Epe Road, which would serve as an alternative route to the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, for those going to the Northern and Eastern parts of the Country, as well as open up the axis for economic activities.
The Governor said government was trying to tap from the State’s advantaged location, by providing security, infrastructure and making health accessible, saying the State was able to manage and curtail COVID-19 by providing well-equipped Isolation centres and a molecular laboratory.
He described the Speaker as one of the longest serving members of the House and a grassroots politician who has distinguished himself by being a worthy representative, not only of his Constituency, but the whole of the Southwest.
Speaking earlier, the Speaker, Rt. Hon. Gbajabiamila, said he was in the State to see things for himself, listing road infrastructure as one of the areas where the House would collaborate with the State Government.
“I am here to see things for myself. I have heard of the development that is going on in this State, despite scarce resources. I want to commended the Governor for what he has done, especially in tackling the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I know the Governor very well. He moves at a very quick pace. With him as the Governor, Ogun State will receive a facelift. So I am here to extend a hand of fellowship as there will be the need for partnership and collaboration particularly on road projects,” the Speaker noted.
He opined that for the Government to make more development strides in the coming years, the Governor may need to rejig his plans, as the Coronavirus has negatively affected every facet of life, calling on the people to rally round him to deliver the dividends of democracy to them.
Photos:
We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it.
