AMBODE: PROMISE AS A VIRTUE
Rasak Musbau
A New York Times bestselling author, Richard Paul Evans, once said”: “Broken vows are like broken mirrors. They leave those who held to them bleeding and staring at fractured images of themselves.”
Making promises and keeping them is definitely a good virtue that people must embrace in all walks of life. In the Nigerian political scene it is, however, obvious that promising a bright future in convincing manners works better than actually delivering on it! It is rampant among the political class to make promise without actually thinking about how to fulfill such. Hence, promises are often broken with tenable and untenable excuses. The consequence of broken promises accounted for one of the reasons why many display apathy towards certain basic civic duties, especially tax payment and the electoral process.
Disappointment of many Nigerians has been visible in open expression of grievances, change of opinion about governments and condemnation of governments in States where performances have fell abysmally against campaign promises. Unfortunately, many of the states faced with challenges of matching promises with performances are not engaging their people meaningfully to explain situation of things to them.
In Lagos State, however, the leadership seems to place high premium on the sanctity of promise in every sphere of life. To the State Government, a promise made should always be a promise kept. In other words, the process of a promise made isn’t completed until it is fulfilled. This is, perhaps, why the State is relatively doing better on the index of economic growth and development. The State Government’s virtue of delivering on promises is a practical lesson for others to emulate.
Creating an atmosphere in which citizens and investors have no option but to stand by his government, the Akinwunmi Ambode administration has continually been proving that fulfilling of promises is possible, and that it is a virtue a responsible government should not toy with.
The administration has injected new hope and energy into a broken morale, scattered systems and altered old mindsets that Nigeria’s ruling class is full of liars.
In an inaugural speech he delivered after performing the sacred duty of oath-taking as the Governor of Lagos State on May 29, 2015, Governor Ambode promised to run an open government of inclusion that will not leave anyone behind. This was promised based on sincere belief that the essence of a representative democracy is continual engagement of all stakeholders in the society. His administration wasted no time in creating various channels of engagement with government. The administration created the Office of Civic Engagement for the purpose of listening to the people and ensures their concerns are adequately addressed.
The Office has been engaging communities and various stakeholders in the State to rub minds on several issues, especially as it pertains to the overall development of the State. Many of the issues raised at such engagements were referred to the appropriate Government MDAs and action promptly taken. The result of this is the various giant strides being recorded at the various sectors of the State.
The Office of Civic Engagement has positively resolved a host of conflicts that could have degenerated into crisis. This include peaceful resolution of the dispute between the Motor Cycle Operators Association of Lagos State (MOALS) and the Motor Cycle Transport Union of Nigeria (MTUN), the rift among Students’ Joint Campus Committee of the Lagos State Tertiary Institutions, the thorny issue between NURTW and RTEAN and the Nagari Nakowa Motorcycle Owners and the Riders Association of Lagos (NNAMORAL), Ojodu Community Development Association and the NURTW among others.
Also, one cannot but commend the tenacity with which the Ambode administration is employing Stakeholders Engagement, Quarterly Town Hall Meetings, People’s Perception survey and social and conventional media to deepen the process of inclusive governance. Through the Governor’s addresses and reports of promise made and kept at the series of the Town Hall meeting, the Ambode administration has, no doubt, brought the common man closer to its social responsibilities.
From the first Town Hall meeting at Abesan mini stadium, Alimosho, to the latest edition held at SUBEB proposed permanent site in Kosofe, one thing is vital. The government is not just listening to the people but actually demonstrating that it is a government that truly believes in working for the people. For instance, while interacting with residents of the Lagos West District, where the first Town Hall meeting was held, the Governor, in response to the proposal made by the Alimosho people pledged to provide more schools within the area, improve better traffic control to reduce travel time on roads and construct a fly over bridge around Abule Egba junction among other promises. Most of these he has done with attendant positive impacts on the life of the people. Today, the Abule Egba axis has one of the two Golden Jubilee Bridges.
The main issue that took the centre stage at the second Town Hall meeting was security, especially as it concerns the increasing number of street urchins within the area. The issue was addressed spontaneously and today, the ‘Area Boys’ menace has been systematically dealt with in the State. This trend continued at Ojo, Badagry, and Ikorodu among others.
At the 8th Quarterly Town Hall meeting held at the Badore Ferry Terminal, Lagos State, Governor Ambode announced that the reconstruction of the Oshodi-International Airport Road would commence in earnest. Characteristically, the 10-lane Oshodi-Int’l airport road was recently flagged off with the assurance that the project would be completed in record time.
While reporting about this at the latest 9th Quarterly meeting, the Governor promised construction of Pen Cinema flyover and rehabilitation of 43 major link roads affected by rain before the end of the year. On the Pen Cinema Bridge, work is currently on going. In same manner, the Governor reported another promise kept which is the newly commissioned DNA Center, the first of its kind in West Africa.
The truth is that the Ambode administration is able to share and discuss its plans and programmes with the people because it is actually fulfilling campaign promises by making Lagos work for everybody in consonance with the administration’s mantra of “Itesiwaju Ilu Eko loje wa logun”.
Whether it was a promise made in the heat of the 2015 campaign or in the process of engagement with the people, the government is proving its authenticity credential. Authenticity is indeed everything. Authentic leaders are self-aware and genuine who are self-actualized individuals that are aware of their strengths, limitations and emotions. They also not pretenders.
The Akinwunmi Ambode administration has so far able to manage the Lagos economy through prudent and stringent management of available resources to the satisfaction of the Lagos people he is reporting to. This has qualified him as an authentic leader and has put him in good stead. According to German writer and statesman, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, ‘not the maker of plans and promises, but rather the one who offers faithful service in small matters is the person who is most likely to achieve what is good and lasting’.
