APC presidential candidacy open – Fashola

Lagos State Governor Babatunde Fashola has said the aspirants on the platform of the All Progressives Congress will be given a fair chance to become the presidential flag-bearer of the party.


Fashola said this on Monday during the visit of students of Royal College of Defence Studies, United Kingdom, led by Rear Admiral Jonas Haggren, to his office at the Lagos House, Ikeja.

Fashola said, “There is nothing unusual in the emergence of the presidential candidate for APC.

“It will be an open activity and high level of accountability. I believe everyone who has aspiration will be given a fair chance to express that aspiration.

“Nothing unusual will happen. There will not be anything behind the closet.”

Fashola also noted that the present insecurity in the country was a threat to national life, adding that Nigeria would soon overcome it.

He said, “Insecurity affects even human existence and I believe that something will be done soon; specifically in a way that will not impede the ability and desire of Nigerians to make a choice at the next election.”

While reiterating the need for human capital development in the country, the governor said the important resource any nation could have is its people.

He said, “Our oil and gas as resources today are only seasonal resources. Until the late 1950s, no one was talking about the oil. We were all concerned about agriculture and agro-products.

“I think that we should pay attention to the people in the way that they utilise the resources and that will be the bases for real diversification. Educate and strengthen them in terms of healthcare and life expectancy.”

He added that the government was investing in people and thus encouraging them to pay taxes so that a lot of progress could be made.

“I believe every state in the country can survive if it focuses on generating revenue from its own economy. The connection in it is that there are always some values to add. There are always possibilities for some businesses to create income and whenever there is money for people who earn these incomes, they will be obliged to pay taxes,” he said.

Fashola noted that the government was not where it ought to be in terms of revenue generation from taxes because a large number of people were yet to be in the state’s tax net.

Earlier, Haggren had said the team was in Lagos as part of its course duty to Africa.

He explained that the team would review security and other strategic topics on the continent.