Politics
Lagos Govt. to deepen relationship with Norwegian Govt. – Sanwo-Olu
GOV. Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State says the state government will further develop and build partnership with the Norwegian Government on energy, infrastructure and technology.
Speaking during a courtesy call by the Norwegian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Anniken Huitfeldt and her entourage, at the Lagos House, Marina, Sanwo-Olu said that such relationship would help to create a thriving economy.
He said that the government was committed to ensuring clean energy; providing infrastructure; investments in technology; health; and educational sectors, so that the state could continue to remain resilient.
The governor said that the state had been pushing itself to tackling all its challenges, especially the ones that had affected its Gross Domestic Product (GDP) over the years and appreciated residents of the state for believing in his administration.
”We have created an economy where investment is real, where there is the ease of doing business, both local and foreign, and they can believe in the stability of the state.
“Yes, we are sub-national but we want to continue to remain the destination of choice for investors.
“So, we are open to investments in new areas, especially in technology, which is one area, in which we know that all the unicorns have a career in Lagos. We want to become the destination, where people can come and sort resources in terms of the skills that are required.
”We know that Norway, Finland and few others were the powerhouse for technology at a time but Nigeria also, especially Lagos, wants to develop that capability that we must be big, large and technology companies require young people who can actually come here and take charge.
”These are some of the economic drivers that we will see and we will continue to push in the next couple of years for our government, so that the city can continue to remain resilience, forward-looking, and a safe home for all of the residents, citizens, and international markets and audience,” he said.
Sanwo-Olu, who appreciated Huitfeldt for congratulating him on his re-election victory, thanked residents of Lagos for believing in his administration and giving him the democratic power to run for another four years.
”We are happy that at the end of the (gubernatorial) elections, the voice of the people, especially Lagosians was very loud and clear, and they gave us an overwhelming majority.
”It wasn’t an election in which anybody was in doubt. It was, indeed, a landslide victory; thanks to every Lagosian for believing in us again and giving us the constitutional and democratic power to run for another four years. We feel very humble,” he said.
Speaking earlier, the Norwegian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Huitfeldt, also restated her country’s support and cooperation toward energy transition plan in Nigeria, particularly in Lagos.
”We are trying to do our best to support and improve the cooperation between the two countries in the area of Green Transaction. We will like to contribute to your action plan.
”We are looking forward to more business opportunities and areas we can collaborate with you,” she said.
Huitfeldt congratulated Gov. Sanwo-Olu for being re-elected by Lagos residents during the March 18 gubernatorial election.
The committee to supervise the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship primary in Ondo state, on Friday, said a total of 171,922 accredited members would vote on Saturday.
The primary is scheduled to hold in 203 wards in 18 local government areas with 16 aspirants including the governor, Mr Lucky Aiyedatiwa, contesting.
Sen. Ovie Omo-Agege, the Secretary of the seven-man committee, stated this after its meeting with stakeholders and aspirants on Friday night in Akure .
He said that none of the aspirants had before the eve of the exercise withdrawn or stepped down for another candidate.
The secretary said that the committee was ready to conduct the primary using the direct mode in all the 203 wards across the state.
He appealed to the aspirants to caution their supporters to allow the peaceful conduct of the primary for the progress of the party.
Omo-Agege assured of the committee’s resolve to strictly follow the guidelines and constitution of the party and conduct a transparent, fair and credible election.
He said that the committee would collaborate with the security agencies in the state to forestall breakdown of law and order before, during and after the primary.
The committee is headed by Gov. Usman Adodo of Kogi.
The founder of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), Dr Boniface Aniebonam, says the move by Sen. Rabiu Kwankwaso and the Kwankwasaya Movement to hijack the party structure is a betrayal of trust.
Speaking at a news conference in Lagos on Friday, Aniebonam said he gave Kwankwaso the platform of the party to achieve his political ambition of becoming Nigeria’s president on a platter of gold.
Aniebonam said he singlehandedly registered and nurtured the NNPP from 2002 until 2022 when Kwankwaso and his team approached him to fly the flag of the party in the 2023 presidential election.
He said: “Buba Galadima led the delegation, including Sen. Suleiman Hunkuyi and Prof. Sam Angai to my country home in Anambra, to plead for us to accept Kwankwaso in NNPP.
“After the talks, I placed a call to Kwankwaso and after asking him questions about his intentions for Nigeria, I offered him the platform of NNPP as its sole candidate.
“I believed that Kwankwaso was not aware of the internal crisis in the party until he came out openly on live television, displaying a new logo and flag for the NNPP and mutilating its constitution.
“It is disturbing and if I continue to keep quiet, it will not be in the interest of the soul of the party as the founder and at some point, its board chairman.
“The party’s constitution says the founder is a life member of the board and even when I’m alive, my brother and good friend, Kwankwaso, for whatever reasons, is destroying the party I built from 2002 to 2022 when he joined us to contest the 2023 presidency.”
According to him, “I funded the party for 22 years and Kwankwaso wants to hijack it even when he is not a member of the board of the trustees or the leader of the party.
Aniebonam said he founded NNPP after he founded the National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF) and NAGAFF, therefore, is the parent body of the NNPP.
He recalled that Kwankwaso and others were expelled from the party for anti-party activities but as a life member of the board with inherent powers, he would grant him pardon if he purged himself of what he is doing.
“The kangaroo convention even when there was a court order stopping it, is null and void because a Federal High Court in Abuja on Thursday, ruled that NNPP issue is an internal crisis.
“This means that the issues can only be settled using the constitution. However, we are ready to pursue the interpretation of the constitution up to the Supreme Court.”
The NNPP founder said with this singular action, Kwankwaso would no longer enjoy the sole candidacy of the NNPP should he even be pardoned.
By Akintunde Jacobs, Akure
Ahead of tomorrow’s governorship primary election of the All Progressives Congress (APC), in Ondo state, Wale Akinterinwa, has charged his teeming supporters to remain calm during the primary election of the party tomorrow Saturday, 20 2024.
Segun Ajiboye, the spokesperson for Wale Akinterinwa Campaign Organisation, in a statement made available to journalists on Friday in Akure, charged the supporters of the organization to remain calm despite the heated rhetoric and beating of war drums by the supporters of Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa who have sworn to truncate the peaceful conduct of the primary election.
The statement said further; “You will recall that Akinterinwa and his supporters have peacefully conducted themselves during their tour of the 18 local government areas of Ondo State to solicit for votes of party members.
This reputation of ours should be maintained during the primary election tomorrow. We are confident of victory because we are the best among the rest.
The party members across the length and breadth of Ondo State have listened to us and have decided to vote for good governance. Wale Akinterinwa is the man for the job.
Again, we appeal to all our supporters to conduct themselves peacefully before, during, and after the primary election.
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