Last week, Governor Akinwunmi Ambode expressed his interest in contesting for a second tenure as governor of Lagos State. The man has every right to contest, but to say that, ‘In the last three and a half years, I have fulfilled my promises to you to make Lagos work for all. With your support, we have made Lagos a better place and changed the face of our state. I did not do it alone; we did it together, because you believed…’ is just plain delusional. Make Lagos work for all? Presumably, Apapa is not part of Lagos or the citizens that make up what is Apapa fall into some other category apart from ‘all.’ What part of Lagos is a better place? Are we only concerned about Victoria Island, Ikoyi, and every other area of the Atlantic Ocean that the rich want to reclaim to create more exclusive islands? Because the Lagos that I see is a big dumpster, with parts of Lagos looking like landfills. Does the governor not leave his office to get a full appreciation of the state of Lagos? You cannot assess the progress of the state by cosmetic changes which only promote political and special interests. During the campaigns for the 2015 general elections, one of the lines of the outgoing governor, Babatunde Fashola, was that voting his party to lead Nigeria would be beneficial to Apapa. According to Fashola, he had made every effort to bring the plight of Apapa to the attention of the Federal Government but they neglected to take any action. Apapa was the proverbial grass suffering in the fight between the Peoples Democratic Party’s Federal Government and the All Progressives Congress. And what do you know? The APC took control of the Federal Government and the man who had courted us was appointed the Minister of Power, Works and Housing. It seemed the gods were smiling on us. Surely, Fashola would quickly put into play what he had expected the Federal Government to be when he was a governor. Sadly, nothing has changed. If anything, the situation is worse. What was to be a six-week reconstruction of Apapa Wharf Road that started in June 2017 has turned out to be an on-going nightmare. The goalpost for completion of work keeps shifting, and the inhabitants of Apapa are in hell. There is no better way to describe the situation in Apapa. The prayer warriors in Apapa must be working overtime. That is the only way that I can explain the fact that there has not been a major disaster involving the loss of hundreds of lives in Apapa. Falling containers, stationary weight of articulated vehicles on the bridge, bad roads and reckless drivers are all part of a recipe for disaster. What can I say, we are under governance that relies on miracles, and not proper planning or consideration for the lives of citizens of the country. How else can one explain the uncoordinated, uncommitted actions of government (state and federal) to address the Apapa problem? And nobody can convince me that the government is trying to address the problem because if they were, they would have chosen a more holistic approach that took into consideration the impact of disrupting the one access into Apapa before dealing with Apapa-Oshodi end. The Vice President, Prof Osinbajo has flown into Apapa twice to bark with no bite. Instead of conveniently jetting into Apapa, the next time he makes a visit should be during rush hour traffic, without the advantage of security details clearing the way for him, and experience what it is to live in Apapa. He cannot be oblivious of the day-to-day difficulties – his in-laws own property in Apapa. It is one thing to hear about the mayhem in Apapa, it is quite another to experience it. Inhabitants of Apapa have to resort to self-help at every turn, fixing roads and taking measures to secure their lives and property through contributions and the generosity of some residents who have financial might to bear a huge percentage of the financial burden. But citizens can only do so much within the bounds of laws and regulations. The GRA roads are a danger to road users, property values have dropped drastically, schools have seen a reduction in enrolment, businesses have shut down and quality of life in Apapa is close to zero. One is tempted to think that this is all a grand design by some interests to run current inhabitants out of Apapa and scoop up prime property on the cheap, before any real attention is given to the area. It is a buyer’s market right now in Apapa. With such neglect from government, it is incredible that the state government still has the audacity to send out rates and taxes to inhabitants of Apapa. So, Governor Ambode, forgive me if I do not share your claim that you have made Lagos a better place. All it feels like for me, and I hope I speak the mind of other inhabitants of Apapa, is that a big elephant is sitting on my head, yet commanding me to sing its praises. I am suffocating to death, how then do I get the air to sing praises?]]>

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