Obafemi Hamzat, governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Lagos, has criticised his opponents in the governorship race, saying some of them only have manifestos of grievances, but he remains the only contender with a blueprint for the state.
The deputy governor of Lagos spoke on Friday at a debate
organised by BusinessDay in conjunction with the organised private sector.
The programme brought together some of the governorship
candidates in the state, including Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour of the African
Democratic Congress (ADC), Funso Doherty of the Nigeria Democratic Congress
(NDC), Adedeji Doherty of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Oluwapamilerin
Odunaike of the Labour Party and Laja Adeoye of the Allied Peoples Movement
(APM).
Hamzat said his opponents had failed to acknowledge the
progress made by successive administrations in Lagos, describing the state’s
development over the years as a foundation for further growth.
“My opponents have a manifesto of grievances. I have a
blueprint. They say all these years are problems, but I see them as
foundations,” he said.
He said, unlike his opponents who keep switching political
parties, his long-standing membership of the APC had given him an understanding
of party administration and governance.
“I’ve stayed in one political party all my life. He has
moved three times. He has moved four times,” he said.
“In our country, if you cannot manage your political party,
you cannot govern a state because you don’t know what it takes to manage a
system.”
The APC candidate also faulted criticisms of Lagos’
education and healthcare systems, arguing that the continued employment of
Nigerian-trained professionals abroad showed that the state was producing
competent graduates.
“They also tell us that our education is bad, our health is
bad. But America is recruiting our doctors. England is taking our nurses. They
are deceiving you, and you believe that our system is bad,” he said.
“People who are educated in Lagos are going to America. They
are working well. Bankers are leaving, engineers are leaving, all educated here
in Lagos.”
Hamzat, who described himself as a product of the state’s
public education system, added that his personal experience had shaped his
confidence in Lagos and its development.
In May, Hamzat emerged as the Lagos APC governorship
candidate after polling 657,917 votes at the party’s primary.
The deputy governor unveiled a development agenda tagged “My
Lagos dream” in his acceptance speech, saying his vision is centred on job
creation, improved infrastructure, education, healthcare and security for
residents of the state.
He said Lagos must sustain its position as Africa’s leading
commercial hub through strategic investments and people-focused governance.
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