CENTRE FOR HUMAN RIGHTS EDUCATION & REPORTING CALLS ON LOCAL GOVERNMENTS AND COUNCIL DEVELOPMENT AREAS’ CHAIRMEN TO COMPLEMENT EFFORTS OF FASHOLA, EXECUTIVE GOVERNOR OF LAGOS STATE.

By the actions of Babatunde Raji Fashola, Executive Governor of Lagos State, observers are made to know that he truly means to transform the state. Having spent about two and half years in office, and with a wide range of projects taking shape across the state in brilliance colour, his efforts deserve objective assessment in order to enable the public draw proper and, indeed, realistic conclusions about his stewardship. It is no doubt, Fashola is fast becoming a reference point when it comes to good governance in Nigeria because of his attitude towards making dividends of democracy value for tax payers’ money in the state.

Just as officials of local governments and council development areas are planning to celebrate their one year in office, our assessment of their activities in the area of good governance is directly opposite to the activities of the governor at the state level.

In as much as most of the chairmen and other officials were allegedly imposed on the electorates a year ago in their respective local governments, the issue of non performance is a pointer to the fact that most of them are not responsible to the electorates.

We notice, aside from the projects being executed by state government in these local governments and council development areas, there is virtually no feasible developmental projects taking place except their usual merry making attitudes among their supporters. A visit to any of these places confirms this statement.

While some of these local governments and council development areas fail to deliver dividends of democracy, they are busy buying new cars for themselves. The huge amount of money spent in buying cars for chairmen, vice chairmen, secretaries, treasurers, councillors, supervisory councillors, special assistants are enough to deliver dividends of democracy in these areas. The idea would not have been too bad if they are actually living up to expectations. In as much as Fashola is a force to reckon with, when it comes to delivering dividends of democracy to the electorates in Nigeria, if his good intentions and hard work are not complemented at local government and council development areas, his efforts in transforming the state will be a futile one.

While calling on the state government to monitor activities of these local governments and making sure dividends of democracy are truly delivered to the electorates in fulfilment of their promises during their electioneering campaign by carrying out on-the-spot assessment of their achievements, we also suggest they do not waste tax payers’ money to celebrate their one year of non performance in office as we are aware some of them are putting things in place in preparation for their elaborate celebration. Peter Ajayi, Executive Director

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