By Brown Chimezie
Alhaji Moshood Adekunle is the Chairman of the Peoples Redemption Party (PRP) in Lagos State and also the treasurer of the Inter-Party Advisory Committee (IPAC), in the state. In this interview, he spoke about governance in Lagos state and scored Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu high on the infrastructural development of the state. He also spoke on the party’s preparation for the local government election in the state.
What is your verdict on the performance of the PRP in Lagos State in the past two years?
Well, as a party we have been playing the role of opposition in the state. By this measure, we advise the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) led government on how to deliver on its election promises to the good people of the state.
As a member of IPAC, the PRP plays an active role in ensuring Lagosians enjoy good governance. When the governor performs very well, we commend him and any time he under-performs; we give him a thumbs down and urge him to change.
Tell us About IPAC in Lagos State
The Inter-Party Advisory Committee (IPAC) is the umbrella body of registered political parties in Nigeria. Only recently, Mrs. Temilola Akinade of the National Rescue Movement (NRM) emerged as the Lagos State chairman. In the same election, I was also elected as the state treasurer.
Our objectives include ensuring that Lagosians regardless of their party affiliations enjoy the dividends of democracy.
We want Gov Sanwo-Olu to remember and always put at the back of his mind that democracy is about people, teamwork, and all-inclusive governance and as such should carry everyone along. The governor should not see Lagos as the property of the APC but see Lagos as the home of all the residents of the state. We have been trying our best to unite all political parties in the state.
How would you rate Gov. Sanwo-Olu’s performance so far?
Gov. Sanwo Olu is trying his best to deliver good governance in the state. Sincerely, I must admit that it is not easy to govern a mega-state like Lagos.
So far, you can see that he is tackling issues of infrastructure by constructing new roads as well as maintaining the old roads.
Under his watch for instance, the Lagos Badagry expressway is almost completed. He is also tackling the menace of Okada riders by taking them off the highways.
The governor has also revolutionised rail transportation by introducing many innovations.
For instance, he came up with the Blue Rail, which starts from the Marina and terminates at Okokomaiko. At the moment, it operates from Mile 2 to Marina daily.
Which areas would you like the governor to improve on?
Honestly, I would like the governor to look into the rural areas by bringing good governance closer to the people. He can start by grading and constructing roads in the local council development areas (LCDAs). For instance, in Igbo Elerin in Iba LCDA, most of the roads that connect the communities are in bad shape. When it rains, the area is flooded and inaccessible.
I would also like him to look into the problem of unemployment especially among youths, because during elections, most of these youths are recruited to serve as thugs, but after the election, they are abandoned and become miscreants. The youths can be trained and reintegrated into the society.
How prepared is PRP to participate in the forthcoming local government elections
I can assure you that we are fully ready to feature in the local government poll. At the moment, we are mobilising our members and we will soon hold our convention where principal officers and aspirants will be elected and unveiled to the public.