Babajide Sanwo-Olu, governor of Lagos, says politicians in Abuja are unwilling to support the state’s demand for special status despite its historical significance and contribution to Nigeria’s economy.
Speaking at the Financial Times Africa Summit in London at
the weekend, Sanwo-Olu said the federal government is supporting Lagos through
infrastructure projects and reforms but could do more to address the state’s
peculiar needs.
Asked whether President Bola Tinubu, a former governor of
Lagos, is doing enough for the state, Sanwo-Olu said discussions with the
federal government are ongoing.
The governor, however, said Lagos deserves special
consideration because it previously served as Nigeria’s capital and remains the
country’s commercial hub.
“It’s an ongoing conversation. I cannot pretend that the
current federal government is not helping out,” he said.
“So, the federal government is helping us. Lagos used to be
the capital of the country and the administrative head until when Abuja came
up. So, they are helping but it could be a bit more.”
Sanwo-Olu added that the state has repeatedly raised the
issue of special status but faced resistance from politicians in Abuja.
He argued that Lagos is distinct from other states because
it accommodates people from different ethnic groups across the country.
“We have talked about Lagos being given a special status but
constitutionally, the politicians in Abuja will never let that happen. So, we
are having conversations,” he said.
“We are one of 36 states but they just need to look at us
very differently because indeed, every single ethnic national have a place in
Lagos.”
Sanwo-Olu noted that securing special status would require
political negotiations but said the federal government is listening to the
state’s concerns.
The governor also called for greater consideration for Lagos
in the distribution of value-added tax (VAT) revenue, saying a significant
share of the national pool is harvested from the state.
“You know it is a political environment but they are
listening to us. It takes a while for some of those changes to happen,” he
said.
“Also, a lot of the VAT that is distributed nationally gets
collected from Lagos. We are having some discussions about ensuring that Lagos
still continues to earn more on value added taxation.”
On infrastructure, Sanwo-Olu cited the Lagos section of the
coastal road and the proposed Sokoto-Badagry superhighway as examples of
federal government support.
He said the 70-kilometre Lagos section of the coastal road
is largely completed, adding that the project will improve connectivity between
Lagos and other parts of the country.
“The coastal road which is one place where we thought it was
impossible which is now 700km, the 70km coming out of Lagos is largely
completed,” he said.
Sanwo-Olu also highlighted the potential benefits of the
Sokoto-Badagry superhighway, saying its proposed network of 250 dams would
support irrigation and agricultural production, increasing food supplies to
Lagos.
He identified electricity sector reforms under Tinubu’s
administration as another area of progress, saying they have enabled states to
participate more actively in power generation and distribution.
The governor said Lagos has established its electricity
regulatory commission and signed about 22 public-private partnership agreements
to increase power generation capacity by 2,000 megawatts within three years.
Sanwo-Olu also said discussions on state policing are
ongoing, expressing hopes that a constitution amendment would allow states to
take a more active role in security.
He said the proposed reform would improve public security
and create a better economic environment.
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