•Says country will surmount insecurity, hunger challenges
The Governor of Lagos State and Chairman of the South-West Governors Forum, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has advocated for stronger unity, saying Nigerians should be united to surmount insecurity, hunger and other challenges in the country.
He said Nigerians must adopt a homegrown, local and bottom-up approach in the actualisation of state policing, local government autonomy, presidential legacy infrastructure projects connecting cities and opening up of rural areas, and other demanding issues for the development of the country.
Governor Sanwo-Olu spoke on Tuesday at the one-day lecture marking the 65th Independence Anniversary of Nigeria, organised by the Arewa Think Tank, themed “65th Year of Nigeria Independence: The Journey So Far with the Renewed Hope Agenda in View” at Arewa House Auditorium, Kaduna State.
The event, chaired by former President of the Senate and Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator Pius Anyim Pius, was attended by top officials of Kaduna State Government, members of the Federal Executive Council, former and current public office holders, religious and traditional leaders and captains of industries, among others.
Sanwo-Olu, who was the Guest Speaker, challenged current public office holders to build on the legacies of the founding fathers like the late Sir Ahmadu Bello, Chief Obafemi Awolowo and other leaders, patriots and founding fathers of Nigeria, by studying their lives, their examples and learning from their successes and their shortcomings.
He said: “No one is perfect, and politics and public service are not about perfection. Instead, they are about constantly improving, fine-tuning, reforming—planting trees we might not be around to enjoy, building to leave behind a better country and a better planet than the one we inherited.
While echoing his call for stronger unity as a nation, Governor Sanwo-Olu said: “I will close with a strong message of hope and unity for these times that we are in, against the backdrop of the challenges that we are confronting as a nation, including very controversial claims from the United States government about religious persecution and intolerance.
“We will continue to affirm that Nigeria is a proudly multiethnic, multi-religious and multicultural country, where the things that bind us together are far weightier than whatever seeks to separate or divide us.
“We stand together as citizens and compatriots, firm in our conviction about our common destiny. God has put us together for a purpose, and we shall achieve that purpose without distraction or division.
“We shall defeat every challenge: poverty, hunger, and, as the President himself has assured us, terrorism. As His Excellency President Bola Ahmed Tinubu reminded us earlier this week, ‘The task ahead is immense, but it is our resolve to move forward with unity and purpose, guided by the Renewed Hope Agenda to build a prosperous, inclusive and resilient Nigeria.”
Speaking about President Tinubu’s administration, Governor Sanwo-Olu said the President, in his politics and vision, taps heavily into the audacious foresight that defined Sir Ahmadu Bello’s generation, noting that “The President’s Renewed Hope Agenda is a clear testament to this foresight—and he has faithfully implemented its pledges and commitments since he assumed office on May 29, 2023.”
He said the Renewed Hope Agenda, anchored on progressive thinking and solutions, is in full alignment with the founding ideals and long-term direction of the All Progressives Congress (APC), adding that the comprehensive agenda focuses on economic growth and diversification, security in all its ramifications (national security, energy security, food security), national infrastructure, human capital development, and governance reform.
“At the state level, APC governors are encouraged to draw from and align with these pillars in our various governing agendas. In Lagos State, for example, our THEMES+ agenda is fully aligned, emphasising infrastructure, human capital development, diversification through entertainment and tourism, security, governance reform, and social inclusion. This unity of purpose, across tiers of government, is an essential foundation for fast-tracking development in Nigeria,” he said.
Governor Sanwo-Olu said the removal of the petrol subsidy, unification of exchange rates and the introduction, passage and presidential assent to four tax acts by President Tinubu are commendable, noting that “These fiscal reforms represent a hard reset of the Nigerian system. A reset away from dysfunction, to efficiency, away from wasteful consumption, to productivity. The country now possesses a new engine that enables it to operate at its maximum capacity.
“The reform foundation of the Renewed Hope Agenda has not just been about blocking leakages; even more importantly, it is about increasing the quantum of resources available to drive real and sustainable growth and development.
Governor Sanwo-Olu, while emphasising the need for true federalism in Nigeria, commended President Tinubu for building a fair and equitable society and closing the widened inequality. He said the revenue has surged under the watch of President Tinubu, and there is now more money for governors and local government chairmen to do more work that benefits the people of Nigeria.
He said: “Mr. President is a veteran unifier and a bridge-builder, and this is self-evident from the breadth and vastness of his personal and political networks across Nigeria and even Africa. And I can very boldly say that bridge-building is what the Renewed Hope Agenda is all about as well.
“The agenda seeks to build bridges—bridges of impactful reform, of enduring development, of collective prosperity, and of equity and national unity—in Nigeria. And it is doing this with the understanding that Nigeria is a large and diverse country, comprising various regions that must be allowed to advance in a way that is compatible with their specific contexts and circumstances.”
Governor Sanwo-Olu noted that: “Having been Governor, President Tinubu not only knows what it is to run a subnational government—he also understands very deeply the role that state and local governments play in actualising national development. This is why he has put so much focus on empowering those two tiers of government. Between 2023 and 2024, federal allocations to state governments grew by a whopping 65 per cent—i.e., almost two-thirds—while those to local governments grew by 47 per cent—i.e., almost half.
“That pattern has continued to date and is set to grow even further from 2026, with the new tax laws which have reduced the Federal Government’s share of VAT from 15 per cent to 10 per cent, while raising the share for states and local government areas to 55 per cent and 35 per cent, respectively. Yet another demonstration of the lengths to which President Bola Ahmed Tinubu will go to take decisions for the collective good, and not personal gain.
“For the local governments, he took the matter of their financial autonomy to the Supreme Court and made a convincing case that secured a historic judgement in favour of local governments. He is equally committed to ensuring the full implementation of this financial autonomy for this tier of government that is closest to the needs and aspirations and desires of the Nigerian people.
“The tireless reformer that he is, the President is now on a quest to extend the reforms and restructuring to Nigeria’s security architecture in a manner that has never been seen since 1960. I am referring here to the issue of State Policing, which is most accurately described as an arrangement that empowers state governments to have a greater say in the security of their states and local communities.
“When the President sets out to achieve a fundamental reform, we know that, regardless of all the odds and challenges, he will—working with and carrying along all stakeholders—achieve his objectives.”
