Ambode, Fashola and a road in need

On the surface of it, the recent verbal fireworks between Lagos State Governor, Akinwunmi Ambode and Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, incidentally Ambode’s immediate predecessor, could pass as another scene in the development of the federal administration’s characterisation as masters of lethargy.

That the administration is taking time to sleep over requests from the Lagos State government should be no surprised to a people who were witnesses to how long it took the honcho of the administration to consult with himself and himself alone before arriving at a list of cabinet members.

A people who waited for one and a half years to have a list of ambassadors-designate and still waiting, after 22 months to have the boards of agencies and parastatals constituted, should not be surprised that the Federal Executive Council (FEC) needs forever to decide on the propriety of granting the fiat to fix a road, which has become an unmitigated source of national indignity.

It is possible to hope that a Fashola, believed to have graduated prima classe, from Class 2015   of governors, should be better in the crowd, but even if the former governor truly did absolute noble on that seat, we should ask ourselves the question:  “how long does it take a sheep that enjoys the company of dogs, to feast on feaces?” Is it not a banal fact that evil company corrupts good character?

However, taking a more than a cursory look will reveal that the emotions go far deeper than the issue of Buhari’s government’s drabness. After all, Messers Lai Mohamed and Solomon Dalung, Ministers of Information and Culture, and Youth and Sports respectively are part of this same foot-dragging administration. Yet, they have gone ahead to relinquish the National Theatre, Iganmu and the National Stadium, Surulere, two national institutions at the peak of dilapidation to the redemptive hands of the same Lagos State government!

So why is the request for the transfer of the International Airport Road for immediate rehabilitation gathering dust on the table of the Federal Executive Council (FEC)? Is this the final verification of insinuations of frictions between the immediate past governor and his predecessor or this request is just another victim of the red tape that has become traditional of public administration in Nigeria? Did Ambode’s outcry and Fashola response give them away as not working together for the interest of Lagos State?

Let us backtrack slightly to review the action and reaction of these two gentlemen. Reports had it that after returning from the inspection of a number of projects, Ambode chose to address a conference. It was at this event that the vexed issue of the airport road came up. I do not know whether this comment was premeditated or an extempore reaction to a question, but as part of the conversations in the course of the conference, he was quoted as saying: “The State currently has a design of 10 lanes to come from Oshodi to the International Airport with interchange and flyover that would drop you towards the Local Airport. The contractor is already set to go and everything, as I said, has been completed and we already have the cash, but alas we are having challenges with the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing. This is a Federal and not a State road. The Federal Ministry of Works believes that they should do the road, but they have not been able to do it all these years past.” The governor went on to state some other grouses the state government has with the federal ministry even though he seemed to have more passion for the Airport Road.

Not to be outdone in a discuss bearing any measure of likely public opprobrium, Fashola replied in kind via a  statement issued by his Special Adviser on Communications, Hakeem Bello. Dismissing claims of frustration on the all-important road, he explained that: “The Ministry has presented the Memorandum conveying the request of the Lagos State Government to the Federal Executive Council as was done with a similar request by the Kaduna State Government in 2016.Due to the fact that Two of the roads also connect Ogun State, the Federal Executive Council could not reach an immediate decision on them because it requested the input of the other State Government affected. Federal Executive Council Memorandum are debated and commented upon by all members and in cases of roads, surveys, maps and other material have to be provided to assist members understand the location and connectivity of the roads, (in this case Four roads), in order to assist how they vote on the

Like a child trying to establish his mother generous edge over that of his buddy, the minister then reeled out a number of other things that he has approved or facilitated for the state he governed for eight years. After which he went ahead to validate insinuations of an unhealthy relationship between him and Ambode by informing us that the governor had only called him once since he handed over the reins of power to him almost two years back!  Now, what does that contribute to the discussion other than the personalisation of the issue by the minister and an unwitting hint that the slowdown may be due to more than a sluggish FEC process..

But Ambode, Fashola and any of their cohorts do not have to be friends before the nation moves forward. The governor may have well meant a personal attack on Fashola by his outburst, but he concealed it well, addressing the institution that the latter represents. Unfortunately, Fashola took the bait and went personal and that is disappointing. A measure of the qualification of people to hold political office is their maturity and emotional intelligence, the ability to disallow personal schisms from affecting the rights of the people to good governance. This is even more so in the instance under discussion in which Fashola is the constitutional representative of the state in the FEC. Although he owes allegiance to the nation; the spirit of Section 147 (3) of the 1999 Constitution is to the effect that he bears the interest of Lagos State at the FEC and should work in the interest of this state which is a microcosm Nigeria.

For a country which carries a huge burden of infrastructural decay, the excuse given by Fashola also suggests that we might need the whole of eternity to attain the level of development fitting a country of Nigeria’s status and population.

This should again get us thinking about redressing the country’s pseudo-federal structure?  To achieve the universal level of development that would impact on our entire population, the federating units cannot continue to wait on Abuja on every matter including that which concerns the safety of lives and property. If a request from Lagos State takes forever for instance, how long will it take the for Nigeria’s 36 state to have their requests processed and approved by the FEC.

And it is sad that even some of those chosen to execute the revolutionary mandate handed  this administration allow the same tendencies they promised to eradicate dictate the pace at which they work. How much do they really hope to have achieved when it’s time to take stock?

Take the Airport Road under contention for instance, it is totally inconceivable that any member of FEC would hold back a vote Lagos State to fix and modernise this national eyesore as it is doubtful anyone of them would not have experienced the chaos on this road.

Literarily the first point of contact for any new entrant into Nigeria’s commercial capital, the Airport Road has been neglected by successive federal administrations and the offer by the Lagos State government in furtherance of its own development plan should excite the FG which is not prepared for the kind of overhaul that Ambode has in mind.

Unfortunately, Fashola concluded his response to Ambode’s challenge to his ministry without giving any indication as to when the almighty FEC may approve release burying it in rhetoric. But there is one thing that Ambode’s decision to speak up might accomplish. Now that the issue is in the public domain, Fashola and his colleagues will hopefully be inspired to do the needful and save us from the national embarrassment that the Airport Road in Lagos is.

Twitter:@niranadedokun