State-of-the-Nation @ 61: Retreat, Sanwo-Olu tells secessionists
…calls for courage, concerted efforts to surmount prevailing challenges
By Moses Adeniyi
Governor of Lagos State, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu has called on campaigners of secessionist movements in the Country to retreat, stating that though there were many challenges the country is grappling with, yet they are surmountable by concerted efforts.
As the prevailing drumbeat of secessionist calls continue to reverberate in the Country, Governor Sanwo-Olu said Nigeria’s political leadership tussle and trajectory are by no means unique and therefore a ground for secessionists to retreat.
Governor Sanwo-Olu in a paper titled “Present, Past and Future”, presented at the 83rd anniversary of Ikoyi Club 1938, in Lagos, said it was paramount for critical stakeholders in the Country to learn from the experience of other nations to guide the present and create a future that is even better than what Nigerians envisaged.
Reflecting on the socio-economic and political trajectories of the Country, the Governor concluded that religious and ethnic jingoism should be completely removed from “our lexicons” in the country.
To him, it was important to reflect on the “complex and complicated past, like many other countries; a challenging present, again like many others and a future that we all look forward to with hope and optimism.”
Mentioning that questions about ethnic, racial and religious diversity were not peculiar to Nigeria, he averred that what was important was to constantly summon the courage, energy and political will to face the problems head-on and address them squarely.
“Most countries of the world face deep-seated questions about ethnic, racial and religious diversity, and that Nigeria’s seemingly intractable past and present challenges are not unique to us. What is important is that we must constantly summon the energy and political will to face our problems head-on and address them squarely.
“We cannot continue to throw our hands up in despair or retreat into the tempting ghettoes of sectionalism and ethnic and religious bigotry.
“We must learn from the past of others to guide our present and create a future that is even better than what we envisaged. That is yet another important link between past, present and future; the ability to assess deeply, learn, and adapt in light of that learning,” he said.
Governor Sanwo-Olu moreover, assured that for Lagos, his administration is committed to continuity of good governance.
According to him, the administration will leverage on the past and adhere to a robust vision passed down over the years that will serve the people of Lagos and change their lives for the better.
He added that building on the legacies of the past for the present and future is very vital, noting that formidable legacies of the past have helped set standards that continue to inspire the present which according to him will no doubt inspire the future.
“For governance to be transformational, it must start by acknowledging and respecting what has gone before, otherwise it will be doomed to keep going round in circles, wasting effort and achieving little. Therefore, we have stayed consistent to a vision that we inherited from previous administrations.
“For us in Lagos State, continuity is key; building on the past, adhering to a robust vision passed down over the years that will serve the people and change their lives for the better. We will forever be committed to making a link between past, present and future, for the betterment of the people of Lagos.
“For example, the first two lines of a city-wide metro-rail network, first envisioned decades ago, are now being completed.
“Our THEMES governing agenda recognises what has been accomplished before us and highlights how we can build on that as quickly as possible to show visible and verifiable results to the people of Lagos, in the shortest possible time.
“To frame it another way, we are pouring the concrete of today onto the foundations of yesterday to create the future that we deserve,” he said.
“Without the past, there would be nothing to build on. When we are done with our own service, we will hand over the baton to the next set of leaders, to continue from where we stopped.
“And that is how the software of human civilization advances, one ‘update’ at a time. Standing on the shoulders of giants in the hope that someday future generations will stand atop our own shoulders, extending the productive value chain of time, the cycle of past, present and future, into perpetuity,” he averred.
