BY AYODELE AJANI
The Governorship Candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Lagos State, Mr. Jimi Agbaje has listed three critical programmes that would form the plank of his government when elected into office in March.
This is coming just as Agbaje has stated that his government would ensure that an affirmative policy was put in place to ensure that the dichotomy on the issue of indigeneship and non-indigeneship got bridged in a manner that would ensure equity in the distribution of wealth and opportunities in the state.
A statement issued by the Jimi Agbaje Campaign Organisation in Lagos on Monday quoted the governorship hopeful as making the disclosure during a debate organised by the Lagos West Diocese of the Anglican Communion at the Archbishop Vining Memorial Anglican Church in Ikeja.
Addressing his audience, which included candidates from other parties, clergymen and members of the public, Agbaje listed three main components of his manifesto.
“We have decided that we will put our manifesto on three legs, a tripod, which will include: Livability, the Economy and the Future. When I talk about livability, I mean, what is the quality of life being lived by the average Lagosian? These are some of the questions that we need to address. What I will be striving for is that the quality of the life of the average Lagosian is enhanced,” Agbaje said.
Appraising the quality of lives of the people of the state, Agbaje stated that all the needed support that would ensure quality living were not being provided by successive regimes in the state, saying, residents had to grapple with issues that ought to have been tackled by government.
He stated that the contributions of both indigenes and non-indigenes to the socio-economic development of Lagos could not be discountenanced.
According to him, efforts would be made by the state government under his watch to ensure that the two segments making up the demographics of the state cohabited in a manner that would ensure growth and development.
His words: “Our people who are indigenes of the state must appreciate that it is the contributions of other people who come to Lagos that makes it tick. Lagos is a cosmopolitan city where everyone should have a space but that does not detract from the fact that indigenes of the state would not be relegated. As a matter of fact, when voted into office, I would ensure that an affirmative plan of action or policy would be put in place to ensure that at least, 25 per cent of opportunities coming from the state are reserved for the indigenes.”
While lamenting the gross deficit in the available infrastructure in the state due to huge immigration numbers, Agbaje stated that the focus of his government would revolve round the issue of human capital development.
He listed the components of the livability plank as accessibility to quality social welfare schemes such as education, healthcare and infrastructure.
Furthermore, he said, “In terms of livability, we are talking about the quality of life of the individual. We talk about education. All of us here have family members who cannot secure a job. The problem is that they cannot get a job. We shall solve that problem.”
To address the problem, he promised priority to quality education at the primary school level, saying that, the foundational aspects of education had been neglected in a sustainable manner that would put the state in the league of knowledge-based economic hub.
On the economy, Agbaje stated that, with the prevailing performance indications, Lagos had underperformed, but that his government would ensure that the state lived up to its full potential as an economic hub not only in the country but in Africa.
He listed some of the issues that would be of primary concern to him in office to include: An effective, fair and streamlined tax system that would cover all residents of the state.
Agbaje also stated that he would focus on ensuring that prosperity and opportunities were shared by all the segments of the state, with all residents regarded as valuable stakeholders in the task of making the state great.
He said the third leg had to do with assisting residents see a positive future in the state in a manner that would enhance their dignity and actualise their potentials.
