Musiliu Obanikoro joins Lagos gov race

Outgoing Minister for State for Defence, Musiliu Obanikoro declared yesterday that his interest in taking a shot at the governorship of Lagos State, was to rescue the state from unnamed individuals that have put the state in bondage and to stop the commercialization of its governance.

The minister who spoke when he inspected the ministry’s Quarter Guard set by the Defence headquarters in his honour as part of activities marking his sendforth yesterday also expressed hope in the success of the ceasefire deal struck between the Federal Government and the Boko Haram sect, saying it will bring about the much needed peace in the North East.



Obaniokoro expressed gratitude to President Goodluck Jonathan, the Minister of Defence, General Aliyu Gusau and the staff of the ministry for the support given him while in office.

His words: “We came in at a very difficult time for the country and I thank God we have been able to strongly put in hard work to ensure that value is added to what we met on the ground, and some of the successes that we have seen in terms of stability in the country is part of the contribution that we have also made as part of the ministry of defence family.

“Funding will always be a challenge, the commitment and the effort we have put in so far with Mr. President at the helm of affairs; we are making progress. From a nation of anything goes to a nation where we are bringing about stability. We have conquered the issue of militancy in the Niger/Delta; the Boko Haram issue will also be a thing of the past.

“I’m excited; things like this don’t come easy, a lot of sleepless nights have gone into it. We must salute Mr. President for the courage and the conviction that we must have peace than to have war,” he stated.

On his ambition to govern Lagos state, he said, “Lagos is under bondage and for the liberation of Lagos; I want to liken it to General Gowon’s phrase that it is a task that must be done.

“As a native Lagosian, I am committed to the liberation of Lagos. Commercialisation of Lagos as a way of governance is something we must put an end to,” Obanikoro said.

The permanent Secretary, Aliyu Ismaila and staff of the ministry expressed happiness with the minister for his commitment while he served and wished him luck in his future endeavour.

“ObaniKoro is going and leaving us with mixed feelings. Firstly, he has created a gap, a vacuum that will be difficult to fill. As staff we see him as somebody who is result-oriented, one who at any given time, wants to add value to whatever he is doing.

“He is committed to his job, a patriotic Nigerian who believes in the leadership of this country. He has provided us a pact and we are following. We wish we will also be with him in Lagos so that he gets his ambition fulfilled. We are sad but we are also happy for him. We pray that God Almighty will answer his prayers.”