Hi Niaralanders . .

Today marks Gov. Fashola's 600 days in Lagos state.

i personally think he's done well in this state so far in even it requires him stepping on some people's toe to achieve a aim we all know is the best for us all.

he implemented tax
create new road
repairs and maintain bad roads
schools and library
health sector improved and "NEPA" as well.

drop your comments here. . . CHEERS

600 days in office. Let me see. . . .  Compared to his predecessors ( those who have come before him in the last 17 years in the same state) I will say he has done a good job, but I expect him to improve on his record. Tackle basic issues more aggressively than he has done so far.

the kids in kosofe highschool alapere ketu sit on the floor so wat has he done with education. _{i can provide picshures if you need proof} ok he has done some stuff but its not everything he has done i'll give him 2 cents for.

@ Must a far,

c'mon its just 600 days. . . he had accomplished many things within 600days unlike the 8yrs Tinubu spent.

i believe that before the end of the first term,he would have turned Lagos into something else.

What has Fashola done with regards to 'NEPA'?

I remember Tinubu made efforts to get the Enron now AES barges running. With improved relations with the FG and partial deregulation of the power sector, I would have expected BRF to fast-track the Chevron power project in Ikorodu and even invite other parties in to build. Lagos is hungry for power and a great deal can be achieved by focusing on that.

That said, I think he has performed well - he appears to have a vision and will not be easily thrown off course. A lot still needs to be done - improve medical services, begin to develop satellite towns to ease pressure on Lagos itself.

@Debo,

Well,everyone has the right to drop it comments here,for me,i think he tried with NEPA or its called PHCN now in my area,we got a new transformer and power supply is constant.

maybe some areas had not got the impact yet,but c'mon its just 600 days,about 700days to go for 1st term in a city like Lagos,he tried i must confess.

He has planted flowers all over Lagos and still hasn't improved the health conditions of the people. I guess people have to smell the flowers to breathe in fresh air, pullution is still a nuisance.

Overall I'll rate him 2/10 because he's not tackling the basics. He just wants big projects so he'll get a big applause; not good enough.

BOSS. . . Fashola isn't relenting either.

he's about the best Gov.Lagos ever had

allboyz:

BOSS. . . Fashola isn't relenting either.

he's about the best Gov.Lagos ever had

abeg make we hear word o jare!. . .  May I ask how old you are? 

im just 7.

any qualms?

got issues with that

allboyz:

@ Must a far,

c'mon its just 600 days. . . he had accomplished many things within 600days unlike the 8yrs Tinubu spent.

i believe that before the end of the first term,he would have turned Lagos into something else.

its just 600 days, agreed. so how long would it take for those kids to stop sitting on the floor in their classroom to learn anything.

As long as I keep gettin the news that it takes 3hours to drive from Ogudu GRA to Ikoyi (instead of 45minutes or thereabout),
As long as my fellow Nigerians cannot afford to even take their relatives to the General Hospital in Lagos,
As long as there's never light in my neighbourhood for more than 10hours a week,
As long as there are still many boreholes capable of swallowing a car the size of VW Golf,
As long as the kids in Ketu Alapere, and the kids in kosofe highschool alapere ketu keep sitting on the floor,
As long as there're still a minimum of 10,000 beggars on the streets of Lagos,
As long as people are still suffering the pollution of Lagos,
As long as my friend told me they have to put the bin in the boot of their car and transport it from their house in Gbagada to Lagos Island (in oder to empty),
As long as there's still no water and people have to turn to smelly pure water sachets,
As long as people still have to trek miles in order to fetch water,
As long as people (ladies especially) are still scared to walk outside after 7pm, etc, etc, Fashola has done jack sh*t,

Mind you, these are the basics (or aren't they)?

Kobojunkie:

abeg make we hear word o jare!. . . May I ask how old you are?

Hahahha, you know I'm very hard to please, lol

No be you @B.O.S.S . I been dey ask the person wey dey try yarn say im master Fashola be the best governor lagos don get so far. I wan know how long im don live for lagos wey im come dey yarn that kin okpata for here! roflmao!!

he is doing an amazing job, I was impressed with da looks of Lagos this past xmas, Kudos to him

If more governors can emulate 4rom him, Naija will be fine instead of dem stealing or keep on planning without executing, lol

Does anyone remember Jakande's record? we are hearing good things about Fashola's so I give him KUDOS

Never was my candidate but has tackled issues aggressively and straight-on-point.

I remember him cancelling a commissioning ceremony 'cos the contractor only did a "Work-in-progress" job.


AM still disappointed that even if he still makes "noise" about the mega-city brou-haa-ha, he has failed to tackle the commercial buses' unofficial "tax-collectors" popularly called agbero. I bet these undesirable elements aren't part of any megacity in this world.

This has continued to fuel speculations that these agberos are civil servants!

Fash did very well abeg.

the story of student sitting on the floor to study is really hard to believe.

GOVT. can't really do all for ya.

FASH admin is practically the best so far my dear

Mr Sammy aka allboyz

We know Fash cannot do all for the state but he's not even done half the basics, has he?

Goodnight

goodnight

allboyz:

Fash did very well abeg.

the story of student sitting on the floor to study is really hard to believe.

GOVT. can't really do all for ya.

FASH admin is practically the best so far my dear

allboyz, some of us critique based on what we know first hand(facts). while it is hard to believe my statement with all the noise being made about lagos and its gov. if i didnt see proof myself i wouldnt have brought it up but since you are so sure of your, "the story of student sitting on the floor to study is really hard to believe" statement i'll give pictures and a link to the facebook group the individual started, in her quest to try to raise money on her own to help get the students in her class desks and chairs.

the name of the facebook group is "HELP STUDENTS OF KOSOFE JUNIOR SECONDARY SCHOOL GETS CHAIRS AND DESKS!!!!" if you cant find it i'll gladly put a link up. read for yourself thus next time some of us make statements be sure we can back it up. not like my fellow lagos governor has done a lot, he has fixed roads, education and go ahead to help spill some more verbal HIV.

YES, they sure do get taught under those conditions as well. im not against the BRF but when people sing praises nonstop and never see otherwise, call whoever questions anything pessimists/naysayers/fill-in-the-blank, etc etc etc. i cannot help but get wired up.

i don see o0o . . . but the GOV. himself commissioned some schools recently.
maybe it hasn't got mile 2 area yet.

im sure he's working on it,bcoz he's a thinking GOV.

Abeg, tell me Kosofe Local Government has no chairman.

Must Fashola do e'thing including repairing my shoe

Mustay:

Abeg, tell me Kosofe Local Government has no chairman.

Must Fashola do e'thing including repairing my shoe

Blind talk. Only if one of your siblings is in that condition in order to get an education.

@B.O.S.S the simple truth is that your view on lagos' priorities is different from that of others and you'll just have to see it that way. If i were in the governor's shoes i would also make infrastructure the main priority. Not saying nothing else is important but you speak as if lagos has an endless supply of money and hence everything can be addressed by the government all at once with government money. This seems absurd. Creating good infrastructure (roads, good transport and transport network, good environment for busineses to flourish via security and a cleaner and more aesthetic environment) isn't as pointless as you make it seem especially when you adress it as "planting flowers". The under of bridges have been cleared and dark places have been lit in order to reduce crime by making former hiding places of hoodlums open. I just wish when people debated these things they presented a more wholesome picture so that we can have a more substantial debate. Attracting private investment and creating an environment for small and more economically viable businesses than just street trading to flourish is vital for the development of lagos. This again is priority the way i see it. Take for instance the BRT scheme, the buses where provided by banks and not by the government, all the government did was build the infrastructure and facilities. We underestimate how much the private sector actually adds to a society's economy until you have a case like america and one more pronounced in england whereby businesses and shops start going bust left and right.

If bigger businesses are attracted by the environement created then won't that mean more tax and hence more revenue at the disposal of Lagos government to tackle other more pressing issues more aggressively than perhaps at present? When all road works are completed it will mean faster transit times to work due to less traffic caused by bad roads, flaunting of traffic laws and things like oshodi market, hence businesses and employers will be getting more more man hours from there employees. Such environemnts will also make businesses which were not feasible in lagos before more of a possibility. All these things and more which i won't go into now, can help to create more jobs and more businesses and are factors that add value to the economy that selling banana on the street can't add. See how the term environment then becomes more than just "planting flowers"?

picture{s} dont lie

@Skyblue, Lagos does not have an endless supply of money is reason why Lagos OUGHT To focus on prority projects. And regardless of how we each choose to order our priorities, there are those amenities that remain top on every priority list, which ought to get more attention in that state.

Now, I know you are very impressed by the man, so I am not trying to argue with you on this. Just saying that if I had a house that is falling to pieces;no electricity and no water and I have no food, but about 50 bucks to my name. I would focus less on mowing the lawn, repainting the house, and installing a security camera. There are priorities like getting a job, getting some groceries, going to the hardware store to buy tools and supplies for fixing the house up, re-connecting electricity, getting heat to the house etc.

Kobojunkie:

@Skyblue, Lagos does not have an endless supply of money is reason why Lagos OUGHT To focus on prority projects. And regardless of how we each choose to order our priorities, there are those amenities that remain top on every priority list, which ought to get more attention in that state.

Now, I know you are very impressed by the man, so I am not trying to argue with you on this. Just saying that if I had a house that is falling to pieces;no electricity and no water and I have no food, but about 50 bucks to my name. I would focus less on mowing the lawn, repainting the house, and installing a security camera. There are priorities like getting a job, getting some groceries, going to the hardware store to buy tools and supplies for fixing the house up, re-connecting electricity, getting heat to the house etc.

I completely understand and to a high extent agree with people when they list things like education, health, etc as their preferred top priorities. I also will argue that though those things are very important, due to the fact that lagos hasn't got an infinite supply of money, a more dynamic and innovative approach is needed to solve these problems. Poverty is an important issue, right? How many graduates in Nigeria can secure a job that actually utilises whatever skills they got from institutions in Nigeria of very questionable pedigree and dispositions? A good way to tackle poverty is job creation, simple as. The sad thing is that this issue of priority will always in my view split people simply because almost if not all sectors in Nigeria are run down. Hence it is a matter of picking one that can eliminate or reduce as many of this ills in any one time as possible. To me that is infrastructure and attracting businesses because then graduates can now at least work to uplift themselves from poverty and change their own outlook; because then more value added industries can begin to flourish, industries which will create what could be argued to be more meaningful jobs for people, provide tax for government and industries and businesses that will in the means of providing services for lagosians also make profit and hence will make them viable. Government has in the past shown its inefficieny with running insitutions. Education and health should be focused on too but infrastructure and the "environment" situation should be tackled more aggressively than ever. Apparently, one of the driving factors of busineeses leaving lagos island (the traditional CBD of lagos) to settle in victoria island was because of the more conducive environment in VI compared with the island's area boy situation and degrading infrastructure. If most effort is poured into education what will the graduates leaving these institutions benefit when there is no work available in the first place? Again, just my take on things.

Also please let us focus on the issue instead of what you think i think of Fashola  . Fashola gets my attention simply because out of all the news i hear or read about from Nigeria he gives a good impression. Performance wise, he has in my view come out on top compared with other governors and i have looked into things achieved in lagos and actualised since he came on. He seems to be vision driven. So its only natural, does not mean i will give him 10 out of 10 or that he is perfect to me. So please, I know you probably don't mean to (or perhaps you do) but you are beginning to sound a bit patronising.

Sky Blue:

I completely understand and to a high extent agree with people when they list things like education, health, etc as their preferred top priorities. I also will argue that though those things are very important, due to the fact that lagos hasn't got an infinite supply of money, a more dynamic and innovative approach is needed to solve these problems.

Lagos does not have to have an infinite supply of money for the government to choose to focus on tackling the basic issues that directly affect the people, does it? The example I give in my previous post is to help you understand what some of us see happening in that state. Focusing on mowing the lawn just cause you have $50 dollars does not help in anyway deal with the main issues.

Sky Blue:

Poverty is an important issue, right? How many graduates in Nigeria can secure a job that actually utilises whatever skills they got from institutions in Nigeria of very questionable pedigree and dispositions? A good way to tackle poverty is job creation, simple as. The sad thing is that this issue of priority will always in my view split people simply because almost if not all sectors in Nigeria are run down.

Is it the government’s responsibility to create jobs? Or is it Government’s responsibility to provide the people with the necessary tools needed to create jobs and get jobs? Which is it? The Education system is the way it is because Government does not seem to consider training the people and equipping them with necessary skills with which they can better compete for jobs, and create businesses that create jobs in the community, a priority. Instead Government is trying to create jobs for the people but these jobs end up going to expatriates, leaving those in the community still jobless even with the few jobs created by government.
This is what I see happening in Lagos, and all over that country.

Sky Blue:

Hence it is a matter of picking one that can eliminate or reduce as many of this ills in any one time as possible. To me that is infrastructure and attracting businesses because then graduates can now at least work to uplift themselves from poverty and change their own outlook; because then more value added industries can begin to flourish, industries which will create jobs for people, provide tax for government and industries and businesses that will in the means of providing services for lagosians also make profit and hence will make them viable.
Government has in the past shown its inefficieny with running insitutions. Education and health should be focused on too but infrastructure and the "environment" situation should be tackled more aggressively than ever. Apparently, one of the driving factors of busineeses leaving lagos island (the traditional CBD of lagos) to settle in victoria island was because of the more conducive environment in VI compared with the islands area boy situatuin and degrading infrastructure. If most effort is poured into education what will the graduates leaving these institutions benefit when there is no work available in the first place? Again, just my take on things.

Have you ever been to Johannesburg, SA? You should visit the place, really nice this time of year. The government there worked hard to beautify Johannesburg; pushed to make it almost the same level with Cape Town. Businesses came into the scene, but unemployment rate did not go down by much for those who lived there. Why? More likely because there was not a lot of focus made to Educate and train the people; to get them ready to manage infrastructure, as well as equip them with skills to work the jobs to be created by the businesses that came in. What happened? Majority of the blacks in the community remained poor, however, the middle class seemed to consist in the high majority, of educated Caucasians and foreigners. Then crime followed and more shacks for the poor. Then the government came up with a scheme to “Solve” the problem. Take jobs from Caucasians and foreigners and give them to un-skilled black people. What happened? Interesting stuff!

You speak of infrastructural development in Lagos and I agree but you cannot afford to put the cart before the horse even in that. Rebuilding the roads is just as important as rebuilding the schools, rebuilding the water plants and working on egbin( even with limited power the government has). Egbin is an example of what could happen to jobs when the skills to handle the job are not locally available. Egbin used to be run by locals; highly skilled individuals in the community. The deterioration experienced in education led to the jobs going mostly to foreigners and to more neglect on all levels.

VI has always been a big business hub. From way back before VIC came into the scene, VI has always been the place where you find most of the international businesses in Lagos. What does VI have that most other areas do not and why? VI has almost always had some of the best school system, the best roads and even power than most other places in Lagos have been able to boast of. I am not sure about your claim that many of those moved their cause of the environment ( the greenery and all that) but more the perceive safety the VI area offers.

Cleaning up the state is important, do not get me wrong but it is not to be higher on the list than that which directly affects the people. No matter what society you go to, anywhere in the world today, you will get people tell you that they are more concerned about such things as Education, security, access to water, good roads and health. Beautifying the environment is ok but it ought to come in the order that it should, not before the essentials are in place for the people. I don’t think Lagosians would mind much if their government told them all the money would be spent on educating them and providing them necessary skills to help them create businesses and get jobs to better their future as a state. I don’t think they would mind putting off beautification, and CCTV projects so the government can tackle main issues first. I don’t think people are right now as bothered by the huge dump right next door than they are by the fact that their future seems gloomy.

Sky Blue:

Also please let us focus on this instead of what you think i think of Fashola . Fashola gets my attention simply because out of all the news i hear or read about from Nigeria and performance wise, he has come out on top compared with other governors. So its only natural, does not mean i will give him 10 out of 10 or that he is perfect to me. So please, I know you probably don't mean to (or perhaps you do) but you are begining to sound a bit patronising.

Well, I was trying to do exactly what you seem to be doing above. Basically telling you I understand how you feel but please put sentiments to the side as we look at this.

Sky Blue:

I completely understand and to a high extent agree with people when they list things like education, health, etc as their preferred top priorities. I also will argue that though those things are very important, due to the fact that lagos hasn't got an infinite supply of money, a more dynamic and innovative approach is needed to solve these problems.

Lagos does not have to have an infinite supply of money for the government to choose to focus on tackling the basic issues that directly affect the people, does it? The example I give in my previous post is to help you understand what some of us see happening in that state. Focusing on mowing the lawn just cause you have $50 dollars does not help in anyway deal with the main issues.

Sky Blue:

Poverty is an important issue, right? How many graduates in Nigeria can secure a job that actually utilises whatever skills they got from institutions in Nigeria of very questionable pedigree and dispositions? A good way to tackle poverty is job creation, simple as. The sad thing is that this issue of priority will always in my view split people simply because almost if not all sectors in Nigeria are run down.

Is it the government’s responsibility to create jobs? Or is it Government’s responsibility to provide the people with the necessary tools needed to create jobs and get jobs? Which is it? The Education system is the way it is because Government does not seem to consider training the people and equipping them with necessary skills with which they can better compete for jobs, and create businesses that create jobs in the community, a priority. Instead Government is trying to create jobs for the people but these jobs end up going to expatriates, leaving those in the community still jobless even with the few jobs created by government.
This is what I see happening in Lagos, and all over that country.

Sky Blue:

Hence it is a matter of picking one that can eliminate or reduce as many of this ills in any one time as possible. To me that is infrastructure and attracting businesses because then graduates can now at least work to uplift themselves from poverty and change their own outlook; because then more value added industries can begin to flourish, industries which will create jobs for people, provide tax for government and industries and businesses that will in the means of providing services for lagosians also make profit and hence will make them viable.
Government has in the past shown its inefficieny with running insitutions. Education and health should be focused on too but infrastructure and the "environment" situation should be tackled more aggressively than ever. Apparently, one of the driving factors of busineeses leaving lagos island (the traditional CBD of lagos) to settle in victoria island was because of the more conducive environment in VI compared with the islands area boy situatuin and degrading infrastructure. If most effort is poured into education what will the graduates leaving these institutions benefit when there is no work available in the first place? Again, just my take on things.

Have you ever been to Johannesburg, SA? You should visit the place, really nice this time of year. The government there worked hard to beautify Johannesburg; pushed to make it almost the same level with Cape Town. Businesses came into the scene, but unemployment rate did not go down by much for those who lived there. Why? More likely because there was not a lot of focus made to Educate and train the people; to get them ready to manage infrastructure, as well as equip them with skills to work the jobs to be created by the businesses that came in. What happened? Majority of the blacks in the community remained poor, however, the middle class seemed to consist in the high majority, of educated Caucasians and foreigners. Then crime followed and more shacks for the poor. Then the government came up with a scheme to “Solve” the problem. Take jobs from Caucasians and foreigners and give them to un-skilled black people. What happened? Interesting stuff!

You speak of infrastructural development in Lagos and I agree but you cannot afford to put the cart before the horse even in that. Rebuilding the roads is just as important as rebuilding the schools, rebuilding the water plants and working on egbin( even with limited power the government has). Egbin is an example of what could happen to jobs when the skills to handle the job are not locally available. Egbin used to be run by locals; highly skilled individuals in the community. The deterioration experienced in education led to the jobs going mostly to foreigners and to more neglect on all levels.

VI has always been a big business hub. From way back before VIC came into the scene, VI has always been the place where you find most of the international businesses in Lagos. What does VI have that most other areas do not and why? VI has almost always had some of the best school system, the best roads and even power than most other places in Lagos have been able to boast of. I am not sure about your claim that many of those moved their cause of the environment ( the greenery and all that) but more the perceive safety the VI area offers.

Cleaning up the state is important, do not get me wrong but it is not to be higher on the list than that which directly affects the people’s livelihood. No matter what society you go to, anywhere in the world today, you will get people tell you that they are more concerned about such things as Education, security, access to water, good roads and health. Beautifying the environment is ok but it ought to come in the order that it should, not before the essentials are in place for the people. I don’t think Lagosians would mind much if their government told them all the money would be spent on educating them and providing them necessary skills to help them create businesses and get jobs to better their future as a state. I don’t think they would mind putting off beautification and CCTV projects so the government can tackle main issues first. I don’t think people are right now as bothered by the huge dump right next door than they are by the fact that their future seems gloomy. People want to at least be in some position that enables them the opportunity to build their own future, and in the new mega Lagos coming, they are more concerned about where they will fit in.

Nigerians, in fact Lagosians are a resourceful people. We just need government’s help so often to put us where we need to be in order to propel ourselves to where we want to be. Provide the basics, and before you know it, people and companies will come in to handle the beautification necessary.
Believe it or not, there was a time when Lagos never had problem with area boys, in fact, you were considered an idiot if you ever claimed to be one. But with education in shambles, and high unemployment rate, what is to be expected? How do you tackle the problem? By bringing in businesses? By cleaning up Lagos and beautifying it? By installing 10,000 CCTVs to watch out for the area boys? Or by providing the area boys with alternatives to help equip them with necessary skills with which they can pull themselves out?

Sky Blue:

Also please let us focus on this instead of what you think i think of Fashola . Fashola gets my attention simply because out of all the news i hear or read about from Nigeria and performance wise, he has come out on top compared with other governors. So its only natural, does not mean i will give him 10 out of 10 or that he is perfect to me. So please, I know you probably don't mean to (or perhaps you do) but you are begining to sound a bit patronising.

Well, I was trying to do exactly what you seem to be doing above. Basically telling you I understand how you feel but please put sentiments to the side as we look at this.

Kobojunkie:

Lagos does not have to have an infinite supply of money for the government to choose to focus on tackling the basic issues that directly affect the people, does it? The example I give in my previous post is to help you understand what some of us see happening in that state. Focusing on mowing the lawn just cause you have $50 dollars does not help in anyway deal with the main issues.
Is it the government’s responsibility to create jobs? Or is it Government’s responsibility to provide the people with the necessary tools needed to create jobs and get jobs? Which is it? The Education system is the way it is because Government does not seem to consider training the people and equipping them with necessary skills with which they can better compete for jobs, and create businesses that create jobs in the community, a priority. Instead Government is trying to create jobs for the people but these jobs end up going to expatriates, leaving those in the community still jobless even with the few jobs created by government.
This is what I see happening in Lagos, and all over that country. Have you ever been to Johannesburg, SA? You should visit the place, really nice this time of year. The government there worked hard to beautify Johannesburg; pushed to make it almost the same level with Cape Town. Businesses came into the scene, but unemployment rate did not go down by much for those who lived there. Why? More likely because there was not a lot of focus made to Educate and train the people; to get them ready to manage infrastructure, as well as equip them with skills to work the jobs to be created by the businesses that came in. What happened? Majority of the blacks in the community remained poor, however, the middle class seemed to consist in the high majority, of educated Caucasians and foreigners. Then crime followed and more shacks for the poor. Then the government came up with a scheme to “Solve” the problem. Take jobs from Caucasians and foreigners and give them to un-skilled black people. What happened? Interesting stuff!

You speak of infrastructural development in Lagos and I agree but you cannot afford to put the cart before the horse even in that. Rebuilding the roads is just as important as rebuilding the schools, rebuilding the water plants and working on egbin( even with limited power the government has). Egbin is an example of what could happen to jobs when the skills to handle the job are not locally available. Egbin used to be run by locals; highly skilled individuals in the community. The deterioration experienced in education led to the jobs going mostly to foreigners and to more neglect on all levels.

VI has always been a big business hub. From way back before VIC came into the scene, VI has always been the place where you find most of the international businesses in Lagos. What does VI have that most other areas do not and why? VI has almost always had some of the best school system, the best roads and even power than most other places in Lagos have been able to boast of. I am not sure about your claim that many of those moved their cause of the environment ( the greenery and all that) but more the perceive safety the VI area offers.

Cleaning up the state is important, do not get me wrong but it is not to be higher on the list than that which directly affects the people. No matter what society you go to, anywhere in the world today, you will get people tell you that they are more concerned about such things as Education, security, access to water, good roads and health. Beautifying the environment is ok but it ought to come in the order that it should, not before the essentials are in place for the people. I don’t think Lagosians would mind much if their government told them all the money would be spent on educating them and providing them necessary skills to help them create businesses and get jobs to better their future as a state. I don’t think they would mind putting off beautification, and CCTV projects so the government can tackle main issues first. I don’t think people are right now as bothered by the huge dump right next door than they are by the fact that their future seems gloomy.

Well, I was trying to do exactly what you seem to be doing above. Basically telling you I understand how you feel but please put sentiments to the side as we look at this.

I don't know why people continue to adress the issue of infrastructure as mere beautification or as you put it "mowing the lawn", well, i guess we are going to have to disagree on that because i simply see it as much more than that and as a very important factor to development. The difference in views seems to be the issue of priority. The thread is referring to Fashola's own term in office, right? The rot in the educational sector and all other sectors was not as a result of this administration's neglect. Government's responisbility might not be to create jobs for the masses, but i will argue that one of government's role is to create an environment whereby job creation is able to flourish as a result of businesses, industries and investments moving into an area. You would argue that government's responsibility is to provide people with necessary tools needed to create jobs and get jobs and while i will agree to that, I will say it falls along side with the issue of creating an environment which makes those jobs and application of skills possible and able to flourish in the first place. I on one hand will put the issue of environment on a slightly higher plane of importance at this point in time and given the situation whereby all other sectors are suffering; I will do this because there are already a lot of graduates whose skills are not being utilised in the first place, graduates who are selling and trading banana and all sorts; i will do this because i think it is a way of fast tracking needed development in other sectors. Providing an environment for these graduates to open more value added businesses and an environment which attracts investment is vital because then perhaps this backlog of people leaving institutions with degrees but without jobs can begin to get cleared up. I don't believe this is putting the horse before the cart as i am not saying education should be ignored, i just think certain things at current should take precedent, not because they are necessarily more important than education but because such can at least create economic relief and address the poverty situation while also serving as a panacea to fast tracking development and creating more revenue for government to more agressively tackle other sectors like eduction and health.

Strictly speaking i have not been to Jo Burg, but i have been to Durban and what i see there is a situation whereby a lot of big businesses like hotels, etc flourish however the issue of smaller businesses are not addressed. The micro finance initiative advocated by Fashola whereby smaller businesses are able to get loans and hence compete with bigger businesses, as well as the huge number of graduates in Nigeria without jobs are perhaps some off the reasons a comparison with JoBurg might not suffice. What such if successful will create is a situation whereby indigenes are also able to grow and develop their businesses and hence employ more indigenes. What such will also do is attract more diasporans to investment possibilities in Nigeria. You might argue that a lot of these graduates will require training but it does not take away from the fact the workforce is there and ready, all that is required is conditions suitable for better businesses both internationally driven and local to thrive.

With regards to the whole movement of businesses from lagos island to VI, again you assume that when i speak of "environment" i speak of greenery and planting flowers. I keep on saying it is much more than that, it is infrastructure, security, economic climate, etc and hence goes beyong beautification. Hence it might not be superficial as you might claim.