For the first time in years, Lagos government commissioned projects without offering the usual praise offering to the state’s strongman Bola Tinubu.
At the Wednesday commission of a number of projects in the state, President Muhammadu Buhari commended Governor Akinwunmi Ambode for a satisfactory job performance.
He said the governor deserved to be praised for his contributions to the development of the state.
And rather than deflect the commendation to the fabled visionary leadership of Tinubu’s, Ambode enjoyed the credit of his effort.
Buhari gave the commendation in his speech after inaugurating the new Oshodi Transport Interchange, the Mass Transit Medium and High capacity public buses; and the reconstructed Murtala Mohammed International Airport Road by the Lagos State Government.
”Your Governor, Akinwunmi Ambode, has performed satisfactorily and we should all commend him for his contributions to the growth and development of Lagos State.
In spite of the commendable performance of his, Ambode lost his second-term bid—because he was not a good party man, according to the party leaders in Lagos.
The governor is at liberty to take whatever commendation comes now. After all, he has nothing to lose again.
Moreover, the rift between him and his godfather Tinubu has kept widening. The APC national leader was not amongst the dignitaries that accompanied Buhari while commissioning the projects.
The projects, Buhari noted, have clearly demonstrated the need to continue to provide high impactful projects for the development of infrastructure and opportunities for job creation at all levels.
”Just as this transport interchange with three different terminals is going to change the face of public transportation, the mass transit buses, totaling 820, will move the people of Lagos in a more comfortable and more efficient manner,” said Buhari.
”These projects by Lagos State are perfectly aligned with the efforts of the Federal Government to improve the country’s infrastructure, especially in the transport sector.
”To complement the Oshodi transport Interchange, the federal government has recently approved the reconstruction of the Apapa-Oshodi Expressway, up to Oworonshoki and Old Tollgate, which was last attended to over 40 years ago,” he said.