Fashola drops two cabinet members •Orders probe of Lekki toll protest

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Written by Kunle Awosiyan, Lagos Tuesday, 24 August 2010
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THE Lagos State governor, Mr Babatunde Fashola, on Monday evening, dropped two of his cabinet members.

The state Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr Opeyemi Bamidele, disclosed this to newsmen, adding that the decision was taken by Fashola at the state executive council meeting.

According to Bamidele, the affected members are the Commissioner for Agriculture and Cooperative, Chief Enoch Ajiboso and the Special Adviser to the Governor on Environment, Mr Sesan Olanrewaju.

He said that the reshuffle was not connected with the performance of the affected people, but the need for the administration to maintain its run at high speed till May 29, 2011, when it would complete its first term in office.

Bamidele, who was accompanied by the Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Media, Mr Akeem Bello, said the removal of the two cabinet members took effect immediately, adding that the administration would also encourage any other member, who had the intention of quitting, to do so.[/b]

“The election is coming soon and every member of the cabinet who need to move on is encouraged to do so. To this extent, the administration will welcome resignation of any cabinet member,” he said.

Ajiboso was a former chairman of Agege Local Government Area of the state for two terms, before he was appointed the commissioner, while Olanre-waju was a two-time chairman of Somolu Local Government Area of the state.

Meanwhile, Fashola, on Monday, instituted a probe into the protest by stakeholders over the Lekki-Epe Expressway expansion project.

Fashola, while inaugurating an 18-member committee in Ikeja, who are to look into the “agitations” of the host communities, warned residents against using protests to demand for change.

The Managing Director, Private-Public Partnership (PPP) in the Governor’s Office, Mr Ayo Gbeleyi, was the chairman of the committee.

The governor said “just as the citizens have the right to protest, such protests should, however, not be used to breach the rights and the peace of others.”

“The kind of incident I saw last week, while going to Lekki for the inauguration of the Lekki Free Trade Zone Administrative Block should not repeat itself in the future.

“It amounted to punishing other road users by the protesters and this should not be.”

Fashola, while inaugurating an 18-member committee in Ikeja, who are to look into the “agitations” of the host communities, warned residents against using protests to demand for change.

yes they should have used Facebook _{like Rosa parks} but alas there's no electricity for the villagers in that part of Eti-Osa