₦airaland Forum

Epaul:
What sort of law student are you? Are you bird-brained on fridays or that's how you were born.

Please, kindly tell Nigerians and the world how you came about this your previous claim -

So, they have not published the gazette and yet you know what the content is already, that it states that buhari is not the official minister of petroleum? You must be a god! And to think you attempted to bring the veritability of a media source to bread and were even directing me to go purchase your unpublished gazette at the federal secretariat in Abuja. I'm done arguing with you. Do have a sweet night.

ekseel:
Oga! I can see you are on the payroll of Ambode, but I will school you here.
I know the road and it was not grossly unfinished as you claimed and I maintain that Ambode did nothing on that road.... Was it construction that he did or the painting or the tarring of the road? Please answer Ambode "asslicker"

Epaul:
I brought it up because i saw a need. Since you have done evidence, where is the snap-shot of the page of the gazzete that evidenced that Buhari is not the official minister of petroleum? We are still waiting Oga. Until you do, i'm not going to reply you again. As an evidence student one should have expected you will be arguing with facts instead churning out mere claims.

Wanna hit my books. Got lectures tomorrow. Good night.

Epaul:
The fact in issue is a different one. Don't be too suave. You alleged that the media sources i pole-vaulted to underpin my claim that buhari actually appointed self as minister of petroleum were all skewed. So, the burden of proving they were skewed lies on you and not on me denying they are not skewed.

Epaul:
Well, I'm in anywhere but a court-room typing this. Newspaper and links will suffice on here. You don't expect me to reveal the ace up my sleeves. Wait till we hit the court-room. I just might have an audio-tape stashed somewhere. Lol.

Funny you. Though i've not done evidence yet, i have gleaned through a law of evidence textbook when i was in 100L. At least I know a thing or two about evidence. Are you already a practising lawyer because you clearly argue real good?

ekseel:
LOL! Enlightened adaweezy, u said tinubu started, I agree (eventhough it was just at a planning phase) and fashola did over 95% of those projects you listed which makes fashola the rightful person to claim the victory. Ambode did not add anything to the project being commissioned for your information, meanwhile fashola could have commission d said project if he wanted to play politics like GEJ did with his uncompleted projects (who knows maybe Fashola left this for Ambode to have something to commission so as to cover his incompetence) .
Let's face the fact Ambode is just starting with his administration in Lagos and so whether he commission this or not, Fashola deserves the accolade because he started and finish the project.
[s]People like you are those that make it difficult for people to hold leaders accountable, let's call a spade, a spade.... Ambode hasn't done anything yet and we need to sound that into his ears so he won't list this as part of his achievements.... We are watching.
Finally[/s], I won't insult you just the way you did because your words are a clear expression of your maturity level and exposure.

Epaul:
lol. Guess you have purchased your own copy of the gazzete from the Federal secretariat Abuja for you to have been in the swim that there is no official minister of petroleum. So, kindly take a snap-shot of the page and upload it for all and sundry to see. By the way, when i see a doctored gazzete i can tell.

Lol. Oga i never cited those sources as legal authorities. I sure know what legal authorities are. Don't school your grand-mum. I only cited those sources as veritable evidence to the fact that Buhari appointed himself as the minister of petroleum. What other ways can one gets to keep abreast with the happenings around the corridor of power except through the media? Maybe you should tell us since you are a P.A to Lai mohammed. I didn't put up one source but two. So are you telling the whole world to disregard two estates of news report simply because you think they are skewed without providing any evidence to prove it. In law "He that alleges must prove" - "Affirmati Non Neganti Incumbit Probatio". So, the onus of proving to us that those sources are flawed lies on you.

Epaul:
lol. Guess you have purchased your own copy of the gazzete from the Federal secretariat Abuja for you to have been in the swim that there is no official minister of petroleum. So, kindly take a snap-shot of the page and upload it for all and sundry to see. By the way, when i see a doctored gazzete i can tell.

Lol. Oga i never cited those sources as legal authorities. I sure know what legal authorities are. Don't school your grand-mum. I only cited those sources as veritable evidence to the fact that Buhari appointed himself as the minister of petroleum. What other ways can one gets to keep abreast with the happenings around the corridor of power except through the media? Maybe you should tell us since you are a P.A to Lai mohammed. I didn't put up one source but two.[s] So are you telling the whole world to disregard two estates of news report simply because you think they are skewed without providing any evidence to prove it.[/s] In law "He that alleges must prove" - "Affirmati Non Neganti Incumbit Probatio". So, the onus of proving to us that those sources are flawed lies on you.

Epaul:
clearly you are the one who don't get it and has been making claims without fact or evidence to underpin them.

If Buhari is not the official minister of petroleum as you purported what then is this [b]http://www.vanguardngr.com/2015/11/breaking-buhari-names-self-minister-of-petroleum/ and http://saharareporters.com/2015/09/29/president-buhari-appoints-self-petroleum-minister? [/b]What does naming self as minister of petroleum mean to you? Unofficial titular appointment?

Mind producing a copy of or a link to the Federal government gazette that states that no Petroleum minister exists for the time being?

jomoh:
Oga you're still very illogical even with your Wikipedia. Do you mean to say all the buses were purchased by Tinubu, all the bus stops along Iyana Ipaja, were done by Tinubu.

Epaul:
on the contrary there is something to put something on in the instant case. Buhari unconstitutionally announced himself as minister of petroleum as evidenced in the below source http://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/190809-buhari-appoints-petroleum-minister-to-name-other-ministers-wednesday.html. Then, he went on to boycot being screened by the senate as provided under section 147(2). And you are saying in the eyes of the law, Buhari will not be regarded as a minister but one using his discretionary powers to chair a ministry since his self-appointment wasn't approved by the senate? That's utter flimflam. What is the annexation of the petroleum ministry to the office of the presidency if not an eloquent attempt by Buhari to hold the office of the minister of petroleum which is a clear violation of our constitution? Who will be chairing the said ministry? You? Is it not buhari? What does that make him? A pastor? C'mon when one chairs a ministry one becomes the minister of that ministry. And that's plain enough. Let's not use technicalities of the law to obviate justice. That "technicalities of the law should not be allowed to operate in defeat of a course of justice." has been given clap and dance in the case of [s]Attorney-General of Bendel State V P.L.A. Aideyan. [/s]

The fact that Buhari announced himself as minister of petroleum with regard to the supreme law of the land is something to put something on. Will it amount to 'nothing in the eyes of the law' if Buhari makes you a minister aviation without recourse to the constitution? Wouldn't that amount to an unconstitutional act which is 'something in the eyes of the law? Yes it would.

Futhermore, let me ask you a question. if buhari appoints a minister without the minister appearing before the red-house for confirmation, wouldn't such appointment be unconstitutional? Will you say the president is only exercising his discretional power to appoint the minister and that because the minister will not use the seal of his ministry, he wouldn't be a minister as it were? Wouldn't that be absurd? Sadly, that's clearly what you are trying shove down our throats.

Let me reiterate here that the annexation of the ministry of petroleum to the office of the presidency is very unconstitutional which ever way we choose to look at it.

But of course i'll fail if i sue him given that the court is sold into into money.

jomoh:
Did you read what you wrote.


You actually mean Tinubu bought all the BRT buses, constructed all the bus stops and roads?


No be ur fault na. Ti eru ba pe ni ile o ma n ba wan sepe alajobi. All this immigrants that knows nothing about Lagos state.


One could even be tempted to ask what class were you when Tinubu left governorship in 2007?

The Lagos Bus Rapid Transit System, also known as Lagos BRT, is a bus rapid transit system in Lagos State, Nigeria. It is owned by LAMATA.
First phase[edit]
The first phase of the Lagos BRT was opened on March 17, 2008, although it was initially slated for opening in November 2007 (the initiative to build the system was initiated by the government of the previous governor, Bola Tinubu. It goes from Mile 12 through Ikorodu Road and Funsho Williams Avenue up to CMS. At current, the Lagos BRT Corridor is 22 km in length.
Two operators are offering their services to the Lagos BRT: NURTW Cooperative and LAGBUS. LAGBUS is an Asset Management Company owned by the Lagos State government.
26 bus shelters are offered along the Mile 12-CMS road; three bus terminals are also placed along the corridor (at Mile 12, Moshalashi and CMS), with the bus terminal at CMS designed to integrate with transport modes of rail and ferry that are planned for future construction by LAMATA.

Epaul:
Granted sir provided you acknowledge me as the original writer. You could add your name as co-writer if you deem fit.

Pretty clever argument. But don't you think it makes it even more unconstitutional - that not only did Buhari take up another executive office contrary to section 138 of the constitution but he flagrantly didn't show up at the red-chamber for senate approval contrary to section 147 of the constitution after taking the chair of the petroleum ministry?

jomoh:
Awarded and constructed to 95% by fasola. Ambode did not add anything to it.

ekseel:
Fashola did! Hypocrisy at the highest level. We know it's for the Lagos State Government but under Fashola Administration, so Fashola did and don't try to be political here

olatunji21:
Fashola Constructed the road i guess?

President Muhammadu Buhari on Wednesday inaugurated his much awaited cabinet, swearing in his ministers and announcing their portfolios.
Mr Abubakar Malami, SAN was sworn in as the Minister for Justice and Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF).
Malami was born in Birnin Kebbi of Birnin Kebbi Local Government Area of Kebbi State on 17th April, 1967 to the late Hon. Khadi Malami Nasarawa and his wife Halima Malami.
https://www.lawyard.ng/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/Malami-2-500x441.jpg
Mr Abubakar Malami, SAN during his ministerial screening. Credit: Twitter/MammyRiruwai
The new Minister for Justice has his primary education at the Nasarawa Primary School (1973-1979) before proceeding to the College Of Arts And Arabic Studies (1979- 1984)· Malami attended the College Of Legal And Islamic Studies, Sokoto between 1984 and 1992 after which he was admitted to study Law at the Usmanu Dan Fodio University, Sokoto from 1987 to 1991.
Having bagged his LL.B degree at the Usmanu Dan Fodio University, Malami enrolled at the Nigerian Law School, Lagos and was subsequently called to the Nigerian Bar in 1992. He thereafter enrolled for a Masters in Public Administration at the University Of Maiduguri in 1994.
In 2014, Malami contested for the governorship ticket of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Kebbi state but lost to Mr Atiku Bagudu who is now the incumbent governor of the state.
Prior to that time, Malami had served in different capacities, some of which are listed below:
National Legal Adviser of the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC)
Chairman, Legal Team, CPC Presidential Campaign Organisation (2011)·
Chairman Legal Team, CPC Presidential Campaign Organisation (2011)·
Member, PDP Legal Team, Election Petition (2003)·
Member, Kano State LG Election Tribunal (2004)·
Resource Person, Manifesto Drating Sub-committee of the Inter-party Merger Committees Of The CPC, ACN, ANPP, APGA, DPP towards the formation of the APC·
Member, National Convention and Congress Committee (2013)·
Member, APC Electoral Committee For Anambra State Gubernatorial Election (2013)·
Member, Kebbi State Committee on Federal Government’s National Conference Of 2013·
Chairman, APC Kano State Congress Appeals Committee (May 2014)·
Member, APC Constitution Sub-committee (June 2014).
Worthy of mention is the notable fact that Mr Abubakar Malami was conferred with the distinguished rank of the Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) in 2008, about 16 years after he was called to the Nigerian Bar. At 48, he is also presently the youngest member of the federal executive council.
Mr Malami, SAN will now have the onerous task of reforming Nigeria’s legal system to ensure justice for all and sundry, regardless of their standing in the society.
We wish him success at his new station.

Epaul:
ok. I would have ordinarily left your post unreplied since you've honestly fessed up you are not in the loop about constitutionality. But for the fact i love your thought process, i'd answer your question.

As to the question of whether or not the president has the power 'to merger or scrap ministeries'? Yes the president has the power to merger or scrap ministeries. This is because by virtue of the combine effect of Section 5(1)(a) and Section 130 of the 1999 constitution as amended, the president is constitutionally vested with broad executive powers. For example Section 5(1)(a) of the 1999 constitution provides
“Subject to the provisions of this Constitution, the executive powers of the Federation shall be vested in the President and may subject as aforesaid and to the provisions of law made by the National Assembly, be exercised by him either directly or through the Vice-President and Ministers of the Government of the Federation or officers in the public service of the Federation”
And by virtue of Section 147 of the 1999 constitution it means the various ministries are tied to the apron string of the president who can appoint or sack the ministers of the various ministries. And as such the president can either merger, scrap or fashion out ministeries as may he may deem necessary for the effective implementation of it's policy. But it must be noted, however, here that the broad executive power of the president to either merge or scrap ministries it's not absolute as such executive power of the president takes the biscuit under the constitution in certain respect like under section 138 of the 1999 constitution which we would consider later. Having this in mind, let's look at your second question which appears like a claim even though you conceded it was an assumption.

Whether or not the president can annex ministries to the office of the presidency since he has the power to merger or scrap ministeries? Capital No! The import of Section 138 is that the president is constitutionally not brooked to annex ministries to his office. He can only merge or scrap ministries pursuant to section 5(1)(a) and 130 of the constitution. This is because annexing a ministry to the office of the presidency amounts to the president holding ANOTHER EXECUTIVE OFFICE as ministries are EXECUTIVE institutions and such is very unconstitutional. The position that the president cannot hold another executive office is expressly laid down under section 138 of the constitution which is a prohibitive section. The said section provides to wit:
"the president shall not, during his tenure of office, hold any OTHER EXECUTIVE OFFICE(emphasis mine) or paid employment in any capacity whatsoever". Why does Section 138 prohibit the president for holding another executive office or any paid employment? It is simple. Those who framed our written constitution contemplated that the duties and functions of the president are onerous and it would amount to too much work-load for president to combine two offices at the same time. Another chief reason is to shield the president from distraction that comes with steering one too many affairs. It is for pretty much the same reason the president is immuned against litigation in his personal capacity pursuant to Section 308 of the 1999 constitution.

In conclusion, the president is like Adam in eden. Of all the ministries he can merger or scrap but of the merger of a ministry to his office he cannot pursuant to Section 138 of the 1999 constitution.

dewstar:
Is this what the constitution says, that it is according to Buhari's discretion. If that is what the constitution says, then fine.

Do not forget that serious nations are governed by rules and laws and not by discretions.

Ikengawo:
mustardpressingng nko?

But what legacy has The Economist bequeathed to former Governor Babatunde Fashola? “Cars were terrified into order by a state traffic agency, LASTMA, whose bribe-hungry officers flagged down offending drivers.”

This is clearly an uncharitable summation of traffic management under the last administration. It is disrespectful, even more condescending to the officers of LASTMA and to Lagosians in general for whom the magazine purports to be fighting. In any case, if indeed some officers were corrupt in LASTMA, by The Economist’s damning verdict, should Governor Ambode continue to maintain such a tainted template? Is this the magazine’s idea of the end justifies the means or it is negligible because this is Africa?

FreeGlobe:
The Lagos State Government has taken note of an article in the latest edition of The Economist magazine entitled “Paralysed: Why Nigeria’s largest city is even less navigable than usual” and has considered a rebuttal necessary, in view of the bile and bias contained in it.

The said article has since gained frenetic, orchestrated spread in both social and traditional media in Nigeria, helped in part, ostensibly, by a push from a recalcitrant legion of traducers still struggling with the reality of a new helmsman whose idea of progress in Lagos State factors in electoral promises and respect for human dignity.

If we excuse the fact that the offensive article in The Economist came out last weekend just about the time that Lagos State Government has added some bite to its security and traffic management efforts, what shall we call the curious ‘culling’ of the said article by some local media? For only last Friday, the media had widely reported Governor Akinwunmi Ambode’s comprehensive enforcement effort on traffic management, which in a matter of days has already started yielding positive results and wooing converts to the Ambode cause.

Is it not painfully obvious that fifth columnists have hijacked this one-sided reportage in The Economist that failed to take into account the bigger picture of an emerging reform policy, designed to address the larger concerns in the management of security, traffic and the environment? If we were to conclude hastily, like the article did, we would have described the magazine’s effort in the same words it once famously used as “an unpleasant nose-to-stranger’s-armpit experience.”

But we won’t necessarily query the original motive by asking “what is it about foreign correspondents that makes them believe they are the ultimate authority” on a city they have only covered for a few years, as India’s Swarajya magazine did last year in taking The Economist to the cleaners when it ran a harsh report on Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s appearance at Madison Square Garden in the United States.

However, because the magazine got its report on Lagos wrong on every score, what is important is to deconstruct the fallacies therein:

Firstly, The Economist claimed Governor Ambode cut the powers of “traffic controllers by banning them from impounding cars” and “officers have refused to enforce the rules.” This is inaccurate and preposterous.

In July, what the Governor did was to task the officers of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) to release to the owners hoards of impounded vehicles that had clogged LASTMA offices for several months or years without claims or retrievals. What’s the use of turning a government agency into a junkyard thereby blocking space for other offending vehicles that could be taken in?
The Governor also enjoined them to choose booking offenders through a ticketing system backed by the same type of technology used in licensing and tracking vehicles instead of impounding the vehicles as first option. If technology could work for vehicle licencing and tracking, why should we be timid of exploring a similarly convenient option that saves time and money and shows a more people-friendly approach to law enforcement?

Both considerations, of course, arose out of the campaign promises that the governor made to voters. But to The Economist, this is inadequate and anything that falls short of a show of force and dehumanizing traffic offenders is unacceptable to this international magazine that used to stoutly stand for human rights and civic engagements.

That The Economist sees nothing wrong in recalcitrant officers refusing to carry out a directive by their employer is as surprising as it is shameful. Shockingly still, the veil finally came off this curious article when it states that by choosing a compassionate approach to enforcement, Governor Ambode is less competent and has deviated from his predecessor’s template. But what legacy has The Economist bequeathed to former Governor Babatunde Fashola? “Cars were terrified into order by a state traffic agency, LASTMA, whose bribe-hungry officers flagged down offending drivers.”

This is clearly an uncharitable summation of traffic management under the last administration. It is disrespectful, even more condescending to the officers of LASTMA and to Lagosians in general for whom the magazine purports to be fighting. In any case, if indeed some officers were corrupt in LASTMA, by The Economist’s damning verdict, should Governor Ambode continue to maintain such a tainted template? Is this the magazine’s idea of the end justifies the means or it is negligible because this is Africa?

Secondly, the magazine dismissed as mere excuses Governor Ambode’s explanations that the rains and the unprecedented influx of ‘internal economic migrants’ and escaped insurgents from the North-East were major causative agents of worsened gridlock and a slight rise in crime in traffic within the metropolis. It is curious how a magazine of this stature would ignore weighty intelligence reports from both the Assistant Inspector General of Police of the Zone 2 Command and the Lagos State Police Commissioner.

While the latter said at a press conference last month that as military intervention intensifies in the beleaguered North-East of Nigeria, insurgents are escaping and finding their ways into Lagos and a few other states, the latter said Lagos has witnessed an unprecedented influx of ‘migrants’ from other states in the last six months as harsh economic realities in the country bite harder, leaving 27 states struggling with payments of workers’ salaries.
In a May 3, 2014 article, The Economist in ‘The Tube Strike’ publication had no qualms linking incessant tube strikes with disruptions in traffic situation in London, it even examined it along the larger socio-economic reality of the city. The magazine agreed that “in the past decade, passenger journeys have risen by 29%. As jobs became concentrated in central London, more people are traveling from outer suburbia…and that between 2003 and 2012 the average number of people entering the underground system in zone one – the most central – on a weekday morning rose by 23%, while the number entering in zone six rose by 41%.”

But it refuses to accept that as the economies in many Nigerian states face sustainability challenge, the first point of call for internal migrants is Lagos where civil servants’ salaries are not owed; the Internally Generated Revenue is larger than those of 31 states in Nigeria combined and the Gross Domestic Product is larger than those of 42 African countries combined.

Changes in demography could necessitate incessant strikes in London without The Economist recommending a “terrified into order” treatment that the magazine celebrates as the only language of enforcement in Lagos.

Is the magazine advocating different standards for treating people in London and Lagos? If it is called traffic management in London, why is The Economist advocating a show-of-force treatment for Lagosians?

Also, it alleges that “the biggest concern is that the gridlock is a sign of a breakdown in relations between security forces, government agencies and the new governor.” Not only is this assertion unprofessional, it is equally reckless and slanderous.
The bile in this is unmistakable.

But it came a tad late as the Governor has since rolled out an effective, comprehensive security and traffic management solutions with the active participation of every security stakeholder like the Police, the Directorate of State Services (DSS), Army, Navy and Air Force.

On this solution that has since rolled out against every form of impunity on the roads, critical stakeholders like tank farm owners, and association of trailer, commercial motorcycles, tricycles, taxi and commercial bus owners have all pledged compliance to this method that favoured consultation and advocacy over force. Lagosians have since seen the difference and are full of commendation that the Governor they elected will get the job done without being a brute or playing to the gallery.

For the avoidance of doubt, the monthly Security Council Meeting, which has the leadership of every security agencies in attendance, has never failed to hold since Governor Ambode became governor five months ago. The Security Trust Fund under him is well embraced by the corporate partners. The Governor certainly has a most cordial relationship with all the security forces in the state and is in firm control of all of its enforcement agencies.

President Muhammadu Buhari won the April Presidential election in Nigeria in spite of The Economist’s reluctant, tongue-in-cheek endorsement of his candidacy. We are also aware of how Boris Johnson, the Conservative London Mayor, won his reelection in 2012 in spite of The Economist’s campaign that ‘London deserved better’ and the virulent accusation of the Mayor for dealing a blow on what the magazine called “London heritage and individual liberty” after Johnson decided to do away with some of his predecesor’s mass transit and traffic policies.

Perhaps, it is high time that this vaunted magazine learnt to restrict itself to strict journalism rather than seeking to impose jaded views in a volatile political climate where, we dare say, the gluttonous lot can choke on their own bile, almost hoping that the elections leading to the emergence of the governor could be held over again.
Governor Ambode won a hard contest, at the polls and at the tribunal…up to the Supreme Court. He enjoys the full backing of his party, the All Progressives Congress (APC) and majority of Lagosians who see in him a compassionate leader and competent manager of resources.

He has demonstrated his mettle by first getting the finances of the state back in shape, restructuring a choking debt exposure from 18% interest rate to 12.5%, thereby freeing N3bn every month for the state to put into other pressing use. He has paid out N11bn in pensions to those neglected since 2010; signed 2.500 C of Os; constituted a forward-looking cabinet that has hit the ground running; fixed more than 200 roads across the state in what he calls Operation Zero Tolerance for Pot Holes and has flagged off a remarkable initiative with Local Governments that will have 114 roads (two per each of the 20 Local Government Areas and 37 Local Council Development Areas) constructed with standard drainages, walk-ways and street lights.
This Thursday November 12, he is declaring open the BRT corridor that links Mile 12 to Ikorodu, which in itself is preparatory to the launch later this month of an ambitious roll-out of 450 new set of mass transit buses and a dedicated special BRT service that will be direct from Ikorodu to Victoria Island. He is lighting up the entire metropolis in a matter of weeks and is finalizing on a major waterways expansion project. All these and more at a time that he is fortifying the security apparatus with a set of brand new patrol vehicles and power bikes as well as three helicopters to assist in surveillance.

Governor Ambode’s great plans for Lagosians are not in doubt and are already being unfolded. He will get on with it while insisting that like Londoners, Lagosians too deserve good things of life…with some respect!

STEVE AYORINDE
COMMISSIONER FOR INFORMATION AND STRATEGY
LAGOS STATE
NOVEMBER 11, 2015
http://www.olisa.tv/2015/11/11/lagos-replies-the-economist-magazine-says-its-criticism-of-ambode-is-reckless-and-slanderous/

Below is an article written by Steve Ayorinde, Lagos state Commissioner of Information, in response to an article on Governor Ambode, by The Economist.

The Lagos State Government has taken note of an article in the latest edition of The Economist magazine entitled “Paralysed: Why Nigeria’s largest city is even less navigable than usual” and has considered a rebuttal necessary, in view of the bile and bias contained in it.

The said article has since gained frenetic, orchestrated spread in both social and traditional media in Nigeria, helped in part, ostensibly, by a push from a recalcitrant legion of traducers still struggling with the reality of a new helmsman whose idea of progress in Lagos State factors in electoral promises and respect for human dignity.

If we excuse the fact that the offensive article in The Economist came out last weekend just about the time that Lagos State Government has added some bite to its security and traffic management efforts, what shall we call the curious ‘culling’ of the said article by some local media? For only last Friday, the media had widely reported Governor Akinwunmi Ambode’s comprehensive enforcement effort on traffic management, which in a matter of days has already started yielding positive results and wooing converts to the Ambode cause.

Is it not painfully obvious that fifth columnists have hijacked this one-sided reportage in The Economist that failed to take into account the bigger picture of an emerging reform policy, designed to address the larger concerns in the management of security, traffic and the environment? If we were to conclude hastily, like the article did, we would have described the magazine’s effort in the same words it once famously used as “an unpleasant nose-to-stranger’s-armpit experience.”

But we won’t necessarily query the original motive by asking “what is it about foreign correspondents that makes them believe they are the ultimate authority” on a city they have only covered for a few years, as India’s Swarajya magazine did last year in taking The Economist to the cleaners when it ran a harsh report on Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s appearance at Madison Square Garden in the United States.

However, because the magazine got its report on Lagos wrong on every score, what is important is to deconstruct the fallacies therein:

Firstly, The Economist claimed Governor Ambode cut the powers of “traffic controllers by banning them from impounding cars” and “officers have refused to enforce the rules.” This is inaccurate and preposterous.

In July, what the Governor did was to task the officers of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) to release to the owners hoards of impounded vehicles that had clogged LASTMA offices for several months or years without claims or retrievals. What’s the use of turning a government agency into a junkyard thereby blocking space for other offending vehicles that could be taken in?

[b]The Governor also enjoined them to choose booking offenders through a ticketing system backed by the same type of technology used in licensing and tracking vehicles instead of impounding the vehicles as first option. [/b]If technology could work for vehicle licencing and tracking, why should we be timid of exploring a similarly convenient option that saves time and money and shows a more people-friendly approach to law enforcement?

Both considerations, of course, arose out of the campaign promises that the governor made to voters. But to The Economist, this is inadequate and anything that falls short of a show of force and dehumanizing traffic offenders is unacceptable to this international magazine that used to stoutly stand for human rights and civic engagements.

That The Economist sees nothing wrong in recalcitrant officers refusing to carry out a directive by their employer is as surprising as it is shameful. Shockingly still, the veil finally came off this curious article when it states that by choosing a compassionate approach to enforcement, Governor Ambode is less competent and has deviated from his predecessor’s template. But what legacy has The Economist bequeathed to former Governor Babatunde Fashola? “Cars were terrified into order by a state traffic agency, LASTMA, whose bribe-hungry officers flagged down offending drivers.”
https://www.mustardpressng.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/11917997_882778165171884_932506772_n.jpg
This is clearly an uncharitable summation of traffic management under the last administration. It is disrespectful, even more condescending to the officers of LASTMA and to Lagosians in general for whom the magazine purports to be fighting. In any case, if indeed some officers were corrupt in LASTMA, by The Economist’s damning verdict, should Governor Ambode continue to maintain such a tainted template? Is this the magazine’s idea of the end justifies the means or it is negligible because this is Africa?

Secondly, the magazine dismissed as mere excuses Governor Ambode’s explanations that the rains and the unprecedented influx of ‘internal economic migrants’ and escaped insurgents from the North-East were major causative agents of worsened gridlock and a slight rise in crime in traffic within the metropolis.

It is curious how a magazine of this stature would ignore weighty intelligence reports from both the Assistant Inspector General of Police of the Zone 2 Command and the Lagos State Police Commissioner.

While the latter said at a press conference last month that as military intervention intensifies in the beleaguered North-East of Nigeria, insurgents are escaping and finding their ways into Lagos and a few other states, the latter said Lagos has witnessed an unprecedented influx of ‘migrants’ from other states in the last six months as harsh economic realities in the country bite harder, leaving 27 states struggling with payments of workers’ salaries.

In a May 3, 2014 article, The Economist in ‘The Tube Strike’ publication had no qualms linking incessant tube strikes with disruptions in traffic situation in London, it even examined it along the larger socio-economic reality of the city. The magazine agreed that “in the past decade, passenger journeys have risen by 29%.

https://www.mustardpressng.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/3062187_ikoroduroadd.jpg

As jobs became concentrated in central London, more people are traveling from outer suburbia…and that between 2003 and 2012 the average number of people entering the underground system in zone one – the most central – on a weekday morning rose by 23%, while the number entering in zone six rose by 41%.”

But it refuses to accept that as the economies in many Nigerian states face sustainability challenge, the first point of call for internal migrants is Lagos where civil servants’ salaries are not owed; the Internally Generated Revenue is larger than those of 31 states in Nigeria combined and the Gross Domestic Product is larger than those of 42 African countries combined.

Changes in demography could necessitate incessant strikes in London without The Economist recommending a “terrified into order” treatment that the magazine celebrates as the only language of enforcement in Lagos.

Is the magazine advocating different standards for treating people in London and Lagos? If it is called traffic management in London, why is The Economist advocating a show-of-force treatment for Lagosians?

Also, it alleges that “the biggest concern is that the gridlock is a sign of a breakdown in relations between security forces, government agencies and the new governor.” Not only is this assertion unprofessional, it is equally reckless and slanderous. The bile in this is unmistakable.

But it came a tad late as the Governor has since rolled out an effective, comprehensive security and traffic management solutions with the active participation of every security stakeholder like the Police, the Directorate of State Services (DSS), Army, Navy and Air Force.

On this solution that has since rolled out against every form of impunity on the roads, critical stakeholders like tank farm owners, and association of trailer, commercial motorcycles, tricycles, taxi and commercial bus owners have all pledged compliance to this method that favoured consultation and advocacy over force. Lagosians have since seen the difference and are full of commendation that the Governor they elected will get the job done without being a brute or playing to the gallery.

For the avoidance of doubt, the monthly Security Council Meeting, which has the leadership of every security agencies in attendance, has never failed to hold since Governor Ambode became governor five months ago. The Security Trust Fund under him is well embraced by the corporate partners. The Governor certainly has a most cordial relationship with all the security forces in the state and is in firm control of all of its enforcement agencies.

President Muhammadu Buhari won the April Presidential election in Nigeria in spite of The Economist’s reluctant, tongue-in-cheek endorsement of his candidacy. We are also aware of how Boris Johnson, the Conservative London Mayor, won his reelection in 2012 in spite of The Economist’s campaign that ‘London deserved better’ and the virulent accusation of the Mayor for dealing a blow on what the magazine called “London heritage and individual liberty” after Johnson decided to do away with some of his predecesor’s mass transit and traffic policies.

Perhaps, it is high time that this vaunted magazine learnt to restrict itself to strict journalism rather than seeking to impose jaded views in a volatile political climate where, we dare say, the gluttonous lot can choke on their own bile, almost hoping that the elections leading to the emergence of the governor could be held over again.
Governor Ambode won a hard contest, at the polls and at the tribunal…up to the Supreme Court. He enjoys the full backing of his party, the All Progressives Congress (APC) and majority of Lagosians who see in him a compassionate leader and competent manager of resources.

He has demonstrated his mettle by first getting the finances of the state back in shape, restructuring a choking debt exposure from 18% interest rate to 12.5%, thereby freeing N3bn every month for the state to put into other pressing use.

He has paid out N11bn in pensions to those neglected since 2010; signed 2.500 C of Os; constituted a forward-looking cabinet that has hit the ground running; fixed more than 200 roads across the state in what he calls Operation Zero Tolerance for Pot Holes and has flagged off a remarkable initiative with Local Governments that will have 114 roads (two per each of the 20 Local Government Areas and 37 Local Council Development Areas) constructed with standard drainages, walk-ways and street lights.

This Thursday November 12, he is declaring open the BRT corridor that links Mile 12 to Ikorodu, which in itself is preparatory to the launch later this month of an ambitious roll-out of 450 new set of mass transit buses and a dedicated special BRT service that will be direct from Ikorodu to Victoria Island.
He is lighting up the entire metropolis in a matter of weeks and is finalizing on a major waterways expansion project. All these and more at a time that he is fortifying the security apparatus with a set of brand new patrol vehicles and power bikes as well as three helicopters to assist in surveillance.

Governor Ambode’s great plans for Lagosians are not in doubt and are already being unfolded. He will get on with it while insisting that like Londoners, Lagosians too deserve good things of life…with some respect!

dewstar:
The op is not asking if Buhari has the right to higher people, he is asking if he has the constitutional right to hire himself.

And pls do not say he can just because Obasanjo did it, remember, Obasanjo is not the constitution.

Engineer96:
Aviation is not part of the ministries under Amechi.
it has its own separate minister from the north -a female.

drnoel:
if FAAN is under ministry of Transport what would the ministry if aviation be doing?

vicoloni:
But we can all see how Ambo has been struggling to even maintain what He did infrastructure wise in Lagos

Alphaoscar:
so because she's Igbo she should keep quiet and allow her people to be misled into another hopeless and meaningless war ?

Promhize:
That has nothing to do with governing a state. The company has been successful for years without an online presence, in Nigeria you and I know that a website isn't a pre-requisite to a successful business. We just aren't there yet.

You may deny, but you and I know that JK is as charismatic as Fashola, and Ambode is not in their league intellectually. Doesn't matter how many years he has spent in public service