₦airaland Forum

Racoon:
Ambode did far,far better than any other person in APC including the president.Infact the man is the only beacon of hope for prospective APC presidency in the future.
Here we are.Party members vehemently opposing him because a stalwart sees himself as a demigod who determines who be what.
It's obvious Lagos is not moved by the jolting & impending defeat APC is experiencing in Osun State. An awakening is sweeping Nigeria wherein the political class must now beginning to acknowledge that power truly belongs to the people.

shugabasbn:
From Fashola to Banire they are number one Tinubu enemy in the state when they became friends I don't understand but to be frank, Ambode far below Lagos standard if you want to know just take a cab from Orile to Badagary you will pity Lagos. The rate that heap of refuses bn accumulating is highly disturbing.
Anyway, na their wahala be that

WritePal:
While it would appear Banire made some points, reading between the lines it's obvious to see Fashola's hand and vendetta over Ambode's supposed 'arrogance.'

In actual fact, it is Fashola who is arrogant cos he felt slighted that Ambode put him at a distance. He feels he has built an oversized image in Lagos about to be dumped into memory by Ambode. He is the puppeteer pulling the strings behind the Mandate Group, Banire and all the media campaign.

By the way, what is it with the PSP contractors? Why are they all so concerned about these? Someone needs to investigate. It's like it's the vehicle of economic compensation/reward for a large number of APC delegates and members of the Mandate Group.

Ambode may have his shortcomings, but it seems since he chose to be less political and sentimental on his policies decisions and actions and go full professional in the engagement of contractors, they have ganged up against him. Let no one be deceived, this is pure gang up!

And who told Banire that someone cannot come from outside the system to lead? That is what has kept Nigeria in the a cyclic hurricane till today. In fact, the one who will save Nigeria and sweep all of you away like a tsunami (at the highest level) will be from outside the system. A dark horse.

I wish Ambode can get me on his media team. I will take these guys and their minions to the cleaners and help win the majority of the electorate over, regardless of the party platform he's contesting on. It will be like magic. E go do VOOOM for their eyes!

deomelo:
[b]Ambode returned Lagos state to the dirty and chaotic Lagos of pre - 1999.


It's really sad

Lagos is currently in regression. It is dirty, filthy and smelly.

Almost every street, junction, major roads and even market places have replaced dustbin sites in the state, with piles and tonnes of dirt littering every nook and cranny of the city.

The dirts are not only eye sores, they have also started competing with motorists for rights of way, with piles of refuse covering major roads, making both human and vehicular traffic difficult.

On a daily basis, Lagosians are now forced to inhale the stench from the piles of debris in market places, junctions and streets. The people are forced to live with heaps of dirts at the imminent danger of outbreak of diseases if nothing drastic is done to address the growing public health concern.

A resident at Okota told Saturday Vanguard, “this is living in hell and to imagine that Okota is one of the best places to live in the mainland. From the junction where I turn everyday to go to work to the Cele Expressway, heaps of garbage line up the highways, middle ways and sometimes, you see cattle grazing at the heaps of rubbish on the roads.

“It is not just the heaps but also the air that goes with it. Every resident in my area is breathing in polluted air because of the barrage of debris littered all over the place. Some of the refuse contain human excreta and dead animals, so you can imagine what is going into our body system.

“Lagos has become a dirty State. That is what refuse heaps have turned it to be. If not, why are we meant to live with such huge debris? Why are we meant to inhale the poison coming out of them. Why has Lagos suddenly become dirty? The story of bike riders is another. It is unbelievable that they will occupy parts of the road and nothing happens. Riding against traffic has become normal in Lagos. What an animal kingdom.

“Years ago, there used to be people sweeping major streets in every nook and cranny of Lagos but you don’t see them anymore.”

No more streets sweepers in Lagos

For years, there existed in Lagos, a team of orange jumpsuit-clad street sweepers busily removing the damp sand from Lagos’ streets. An investor coming into Lagos would shrink at the heavy traffic occasioned by containers, filth and pot-holes.

Just recently, about 300 supervisors of street sweepers were sacked. Between the Lagos State Government and the management of Cleaner Lagos Initiative and the contractor mandated to mop up the filth exists the truth of what has really gone wrong.


https://travel.valsdaily.com/2018/07/21/dirt-disease-and-death-how-lagos-is-losing-its-beauty-tourism-potentials/

WritePal:
By the way, what is it with the PSP contractors? Why are they all so concerned about these? Someone needs to investigate. It's like it's the vehicle of economic compensation/reward for a large number of APC delegates and members of the Mandate Group.

NoToPile:
About the PSP contractors they have taken the waste collection back from visionscape for several months now so what's with the PSP they are hammering about. People are saying they are foreigners, the women that are sweeping the street under the CLI are they not all Nigerians, the visionscape staff were they not Nigerians? All the people employed were they not Nigerians?

Visionscape house to house collection failed because of the Nigerian factor which I kindoff fore saw not that Ambode was wrong to seek a better means. It's back to the PSP so they should let us hear word.

This teaches me something Nigerians want the status quo a lot of times even if it seems there may be a more excellent way of doing something. Waste collection under PSP was not perfect, was it working 'yes, was it efficient - not entirely.

I wouldn't fault the governor for trying out what might be a better way, somebody brought the PSP model it worked, someone tried to bring what seemed a better model to the PSP it failed and so?

Maybe because I know something's about this particular psp, visionscape, CLI,SSML palava that's why I am feeling this way

We are saying we are a mega city, nothing wrong in trying to manage waste the way mega cities do.

As for their election na them sabi,whoever they like they should choose as flag bearer.

Visionscape Group executed a Memorandum of Understanding on February 23, 2017 authorising the incorporation of a Special Purpose Vehicle (“SPV”) – the Municipality Waste Management Contractors Limited for the purpose of issuing Medium Term Notes (bonds) to finance implementation of the CLI.

In an unprecedented move the State Executive Council at a meeting held on March 21, 2017 passed a resolution to secure the financing structure adopted by the Consortium to raise funds for the project via issuance of an Irrevocable Standing Payment Order (ISPO) as a charge on the State Internally Generated Revenue account/ Environmental Trust Fund.

This meant the Lagos State Government was basically agreeing to be on the hook in case of default for a N50 billion bond programme the Visionscape Group through its SPV was set to issue.


https://nigeriancurrent.com/2018/03/15/inside-the-lagos-visionscape-deal-that-costs-taxpayers-up-to-n85bn/

“Lagos has gotten progressively less transparent today, they don’t even bother,” said Tunde Leye, Consulting Partner at SBM Intelligence.
“[b]Under the previous Governor Fashola for example, even though the budget was not detailed, you could find procurement information on the LASG website We know exactly the cost of building the Lekki Ikoyi Brdge.


Compare to Ambode where we do not know how much he spent to build the Ajah flyover or anything else. Civil society has tried to invoke the freedom of information (FOI) act repeatedly but they have either been ignored or blown off. Lagos is very opaque.


https://nigeriancurrent.com/2018/03/15/inside-the-lagos-visionscape-deal-that-costs-taxpayers-up-to-n85bn/

BusinessDay had numerous interviews for this story with analysts and market operators who preferred to speak anonymously although the common thread was that the State government should have been careful especially in dismantling the former waste management agreements and in appointing a new firm to oversee Waste collection in the state.



It is understandable many chose to speak annonymously as Lagos State remains a lucrative partner to do business with.

Take the five firms which brought the N27 billion Visionscape bond to market last year led by lead issuing house and arranger Eczellon Capital.

They earned N967 million in total from the deal or 3.85 percent of issue size, according to data from the information memorandum.


BusinessDay digging into the ownership structure of Visionscape shows that ABC Sanitations Solutions Limited accounts for a 15 percent stake in the Visionscape SPV and is in a strategic partnership with CSH Environmental.

CSH environmental is a UK based company that is a family owned British waste disposal business.

On the board of Visionscape is a Nigerian Niyi Makanjuola a founding director of Caverton Offshore Support Group, information from the company website shows.


https://nigeriancurrent.com/2018/03/15/inside-the-lagos-visionscape-deal-that-costs-taxpayers-up-to-n85bn/

NoToPile:
About the PSP contractors they have taken the waste collection back from visionscape for several months now so what's with the PSP they are hammering about. People are saying they are foreigners, the women that are sweeping the street under the CLI are they not all Nigerians, the visionscape staff were they not Nigerians? All the people employed were they not Nigerians?

Visionscape house to house collection failed because of the Nigerian factor which I kindoff fore saw not that Ambode was wrong to seek a better means. It's back to the PSP so they should let us hear word.

This teaches me something Nigerians want the status quo a lot of times even if it seems there may be a more excellent way of doing something. Waste collection under PSP was not perfect, was it working 'yes, was it efficient - not entirely.

I wouldn't fault the governor for trying out what might be a better way, somebody brought the PSP model it worked, someone tried to bring what seemed a better model to the PSP it failed and so?

Maybe because I know something's about this particular psp, visionscape, CLI,SSML palava that's why I am feeling this way

We are saying we are a mega city, nothing wrong in trying to manage waste the way mega cities do.

As for their election na them sabi,whoever they like they should choose as flag bearer.

deomelo:
1. Vision scape is still in charge of waste management in Lagos state and can not even get out of it because of contractual obligations. That was ignorance on your part.

deomelo:
[s][/s]



You are nothing but an anti Lagos ipob and a PDP apologist.


Feel free to make all the excuses you desire to justify Ambode's gross incompetence, but Lagosians have the last say so far because of his incompetence, they want him gone.

Is Fashola responsible for the rot and decay Ambode returned to Lagos state? Or is he responsible for destroying LAWMA and the Multibillion waste management infrastructure Ambode's predecessors built that served Lagosians admirably? Is he responsible for retrenching thousands of waste management employees in favor of foreigners? Is Fashola responsible for the horrible roads in Lagos? Is he also responsible for the trash enveloping Lagosians every day and even the chaotic traffic situation all over the state?

Funny how this joker discounted the PSP operators, the PSP operators represented tens of thousands of jobs, the same tens of thousands of Lagosians that Ambode cluelessly rendered jobless in favor of a foreign entity.

According to you, Fashola is or was arrogant, but Lagosians love him so much that they defended and supported him back them because he delivered on their behalf, but are Lagosians supporting and defending Ambode today? The answer is CAPITAL NO, they are not and in fact, they want him gone.


Talking about Fashola, within Fashola's first term in office, he commissioned waterworks, power plants, hospitals, paternity centers, schools, roads, bridges, state institutions like courts and so on. He even started the Lekki Ikoyi bridge (Still the best bridge in Nigeria) in his first term.


...but Ambode with twice Fashola'sbudget (N1 trillion) is still preoccupied with bust stops, laybys, flyover and substandard and already washed out roads. The man is not only thoughtless and incompetent, he's too vindictive, visionless and shortsighted.

He should be shining today by completing and commissioning all the projects Fashola left behind to benefit Lagosians, but the useless man abandoned them.


If you are going to defend Ambode, do so by highlighting the great things he did for Lagosians and how Lagosians are enjoying and benefiting from his projects, programs, and policies instead of blaming other people.

Ajibel:
As an insider, at what time did Asiwaju realise it was time to pull the plug on the governor’s second term bid?

I honestly don’t know. What I know is that in the last four or five months, there has been a subtle evaluation of the administration, and I could tell from his body language and that of people around him that they were beginning to realise that they were in trouble.

By that time, they had begun to realise that if the governor was presented for a second term, the success of the party at the poll was endangered. Again, information reaching me shows that there have been some polls, which showed that there was a looming problem if the party went ahead to field the current governor in the polls.


Since the drama surrounding the second term bid of Governor Ambode began, a lot of people have been speculating what the shortcomings are. Can we have you address the specifics?

There are a lot of issues and I do point them out but people were like why say it and I am like why won’t I say what I know. Take the issue of Environment, for instance. I personally know the state of the environment when I left as commissioner. Again, take the issue of climate change.

As of that time we were among the first 10 in the entire world. Our activities on climate change earned us a seat on the Board of World Health Organisation during that period. There was hardly anywhere in the world where the issue of climate change was to be discussed without involving Lagos State, because we escalated the issue and took it so seriously so much that we became a force to be reckoned with. Where is the issue of climate change today? It is as good as dead.

Look at the issue of waste management. We had succeeded largely in empowering people by way of private sector participation in waste management. We were getting it right and improving. Suddenly, somewhere somebody came with one funny policy and one funny company, maybe from space, emerged to manage our waste. So, Nigerians can no longer manage our wastes and we had to go and get a foreign company to come and help us manage wastes.

When the company came in, I granted an interview wherein I said from what I have seen of them, definitely, the company had no experience in waste management. The moment I started seeing wheeler bins on the roads – nowhere in the world do they put wheeler bins on the road except at construction sites and where they are normally put them are hidden areas or designated dump sites.

What you find on the roads and streets are litter bins, smaller ones like drums. So, immediately I saw that, I said definitely this company does not have experience in waste management. Yet, Lagos State went ahead to give guarantee in billions for such an inexperienced company?
Then they started putting up wheeler bins on the road thereby legalising dumping of refuse on the road and turning the spots to dumpsites. So, people were populating the spots with refuse and they couldn’t cope. Eventually, see where we are today. Half of the state is in state of epidemic as we talk. You need to go to the hinterland – Mushin, Ajegunle and others – in fact, as far as I am concerned, those ones live on refuse dump.

Look at how flood now ravages the state. We had conquered flood largely. We took the issue of flood control very seriously. We used to prepare for the rainy season as if you were preparing for marriages or any social event. Apart from the fact that we had a programme to clean all the drains every quarter, few months to every rainy season we’d mobilised all resources and cleaned all the channels.

We will mobilise all the local government councils, they take over the tertiary drainage and we take over the secondary canals. We would clear all the drainages immediately. What they do today is that they will give out works. I saw one of them, the contractor claimed to have done three kilometres whereas he only did the first 300 metres, so, they will only peep and say, ‘see that one and they’d say yes the job is done’. That is the kind of scenarios that you see today.

When I was in the environment ministry, it dared not happen. Some of my members of staff are still alive. We would go from one end to the other; we were on the road all weekends and our phones were open to all residents to tell us anywhere there was problem. We don’t sleep, we were alive to our responsibilities and challenges, but all these are no more in place.

During the Fashola administration you dared not engage in construction works and endanger the populace; you dared not litter the place with stone or iron rods, not all what you have today. Doing so not only constitutes danger to residents, it is also an abuse of the environment. In fact, the aesthetics of the state is largely gone.

Talk about transportation. I saw the buses that they just imported and I started laughing. How could anyone have thought of such buses in this age and time in a city like Lagos? In fact, Lagos is more than a mega city; we are in excess of 20 million. A mega city is a city within a population of 10 million.

Right from the period of Jakande, we had known that what we need in Lagos are Mass Transit buses. How could we bring in those types of buses at this age? We are going back. The buses will only compound the traffic situation.
Again, we have enough bus stops that are not being used in Lagos, yet, they are building more and more bus stops all over Lagos, when people will not use it. The funds being wasted in that area if I were in his shoes I would have expended it on motivating LASTMA officials, get them more logistics to manage the traffic in the state.

In London, they make use of high capacity buses – mass transit buses – yet how many layby do you see around London, because they are supposed to be moving? At each bus stop, they can spend more than a minute. Why would somebody want to build houses for miscreants and shops for ogogoro sellers and petty traders? Just be patient, you would see that in another three to four months, that is what it would turn to. You are creating another social menace, because that is where all of them will turn to as their new market.

These are part of the dangers of not looking at things holistically. You must always look at things holistically. Look at the BRT initiative. I introduced BRT to Lagos State and we had our plans. They have distorted it now. I feel ashamed when I see the construction going on along Agege Motor road; I feel ashamed at how they have messed up the whole road and how they have technically shown the physically challenged the red card.

They are building some funny looking pedestrian bridges all over the road. In the first place, how does the physically challenged get to the middle of the road to join the BRT buses? What you have on that road is what is called design error. The BRT should have been on the outer lane. They didn’t know how I introduced or why I introduced the one on Ikorodu Road, because they never asked. Instead of them to ask how we arrived at that conclusion, they didn’t ask; they just went there and started replicating what we did on Ikorodu Road, without factoring several other considerations.

They thought the solution was to put pedestrian bridges in place. Even the pedestrian bridges are so ugly. Some engineers have even queried the stability and integrity of those pedestrian bridges. From my perspective, the beauty of that place has been disfigured completely.

Somebody was talking about Airport Road and I said to them that it was during my administration that we designed the Airport Road. I gave him the design.
The construction ought to have taken place during Fashola’s tenure, but for the fact that the federal government at the time said after the construction was completed, they would be the ones that would collect revenue from the adverts on the road, then we said how can that be? How can I be playing for IICC and be collecting salary from Rangers Football Club? It doesn’t add up. That was the basis upon which we could not go ahead.

Then Fashola said now that I am the minster, I am ready to construct the road with federal government funds, he said no. He said he would do it with Lagos State funds, the money that could have been diverted to several inner roads that are in terrible state now. He made us miss that money. Fashola came around and said he has appropriated money for that road in the federal budget and it will be done, and you take another place, the next thing was blackmail.

What are the interventions in schools? I go to the General Hospital in Ikeja and I see patients on the floor in state. With N30billion internally generated revenue? This is part of the problem caused by somebody, who has not been part of the system and suddenly assumed leadership of the state. If it had been any of these two people that are being paraded now, Obafemi Hamzat and Babajide Sanwo-Olu, apart from the fact that they have been part of the system since 2003, they know everything about what we have been doing. They are best suited for the job. They know who and who did what; they can always call people up to ask questions: what happened during so so and so project? What did we conclude on?

Why didn’t we go ahead with that project? In my own very strong view, that is what is called continuity. Somebody that has been part of the system takes over from one person and who takes over from that person is also from within the system. That is what is called continuity. When I was raising these issues, everybody was abusing, denigrating me and saying all manners of things. Am I not being vindicated today?

WritePal:
Typical mindless and hate--filled rant of an ethnic jingoist masquerading as a political analyst. Clap for yourself.

You know I read the other level-headed and objective mentions and I picked a point or 2 in their arguments and applauded them in my mind. But for you, I just giggled and wondered again: Can anyone hide smoke? Can anyone mask an ugly heart with a mascara?

I've been waiting for a chance for dudes like you and poof! Here comes one. But this night, I haven't got your time. But maybe soon. Very, very soon . I may not be like anyone here you've taken on. Most of your ilks on NL are actually featherweight category. Can you do an AJ?

Racoon:
Ambode did far,far better than any other person in APC including the president.Infact the man is the only beacon of hope for prospective APC presidency in the future.
Here we are.Party members vehemently opposing him because a stalwart sees himself as a demigod who determines who be what.
It's obvious Lagos is not moved by the jolting & impending defeat APC is experiencing in Osun State. An awakening is sweeping Nigeria wherein the political class must now beginning to acknowledge that power truly belongs to the people.

gazilion:
Governor Ambode should Man up and Quit Himself like a man.
No one person should play God for you!
Fight for your political future and let the people decide!!
All things are possible including the defeat of godfatherism,
afterall, Oshiomole your party chairman defeated the godfatherism of Tony Anenih in Edo state.

JVector:
Seriously speaking....If you move round Lagos, you will understand what Muiz Banire is talking about.

WritePal:
While it would appear Banire made some points, reading between the lines it's obvious to see Fashola's hand and vendetta over Ambode's supposed 'arrogance.'

In actual fact, it is Fashola who is arrogant cos he felt slighted that Ambode put him at a distance. He feels he has built an oversized image in Lagos about to be dumped into memory by Ambode. He is the puppeteer pulling the strings behind the Mandate Group, Banire and all the media campaign.

By the way, what is it with the PSP contractors? Why are they all so concerned about these? Someone needs to investigate. It's like it's the vehicle of economic compensation/reward for a large number of APC delegates and members of the Mandate Group.

Ambode may have his shortcomings, but it seems since he chose to be less political and sentimental on his policies decisions and actions and go full professional in the engagement of contractors, they have ganged up against him. Let no one be deceived, this is pure gang up!

And who told Banire that someone cannot come from outside the system to lead? That is what has kept Nigeria in the a cyclic hurricane till today. In fact, the one who will save Nigeria and sweep all of you away like a tsunami (at the highest level) will be from outside the system. A dark horse.

I wish Ambode can get me on his media team. I will take these guys and their minions to the cleaners and help win the majority of the electorate over, regardless of the party platform he's contesting on. It will be like magic. E go do VOOOM for their eyes!

gift01:
I'll miss Ambode's command of English Language but no legacy worthy to remember. Oh I forgot, he brought the President to commission a bustop under construction

NoToPile:
Of course visionscape is still managing the building of various dumpsites, engineered landfills etc that's part of their contract. I mentioned waste collection,waste management is sort of broad

PSP handled door to door collection basically which was also part of what visionscape was to do which they failed and the door to door, markets,collection etc is back to PSP.

That's what the people see and that's not the totality of the contract visionscape had.

So now visionscape is still managing the waste but not majorly involved in the collection simple. The reason people are shouting is because there is dirt all around Lagos, it's just one phase of waste management which is collection and that's even the major challenge of Lagos waste management.

By the way LAWMA was never disbanded,they still function, they acted as a regulatory org and actually regulate visionscape.

Now the visionscape stuff was great on paper honestly it was, they had a good plan I would say but I always wondered if the Nigerian factor won't come into play and it did. Lots of stuff happened underground that led to the failure of that collection part of the contract. Allegations of fraud etc etc (ironically the perpetrators of these crimes are Nigerians), money was chopped. It's a whole mess and it's we Nigerians that caused it.

Maybe there was something to gain by some people if visionscape came in I can't say and honestly don't know but I just had to say what I know and experienced about this matter.

nokatakata:
Ambode's command of English Language ? LMAO! are you joking? Na wa for some of una ooo.

nokatakata:
Lol...you think they are talking about boli and groundnut...LMAO! It is unintelligent people like you that are fit to work with ambode. Sound and tested people are talking and giving FACTS, you are yapping trash about vendetta.

WritePal:
"Unintelligent people like you" "Sound and tested people" "giving FACTS" "yapping trash."

Folks here throw words around, create images in their head and make blind assumptions. It's a faceless forum, so that to an extent is understandable though.

If you knew who you were talking to...

"Sound and TESTED people" indeed. Guess you're talking about "greats" like Banire, Fashola & co (whom you obviously hero-worship and spitting tribalistic-lain venom against anyone who holds opposing views).

I know you've seen the best standard possible, but for some, it's celebration of mediocrity. But I refuse to nitpick with you and your likes. Why should I invest energy in unprofitable venture?

WritePal:
"Unintelligent people like you" "Sound and tested people" "giving FACTS" "yapping trash."

Folks here throw words around, create images in their head and make blind assumptions. It's a faceless forum, so that to an extent is understandable though.

If you knew who you were talking to...

"Sound and TESTED people" indeed. Guess you're talking about "greats" like Banire, Fashola & co (whom you obviously hero-worship and spitting tribalistic-lain venom against anyone who holds opposing views).

I know you've seen the best standard possible, but for some, it's celebration of mediocrity. But I refuse to nitpick with you and your likes. Why should I invest energy in unprofitable venture?

Racoon:
Ambode did far,far better than any other person in APC including the president.Infact the man is the only beacon of hope for prospective APC presidency in the future.
Here we are.Party members vehemently opposing him because a stalwart sees himself as a demigod who determines who be what.
It's obvious Lagos is not moved by the jolting & impending defeat APC is experiencing in Osun State. An awakening is sweeping Nigeria wherein the political class must now beginning to acknowledge that power truly belongs to the people.