Hold Me Accountable To My Promises

Lagos State Deputy Governor and  governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Lagos State, Dr. Kadri Obafemi Hamzat, on Friday unveiled a 100-point manifesto, urging the voters and residents of the state to carry him accountable for its implementation if elected governor in 2027.

Hamzat, who learn the manifesto, tagged The Lagos Promise on the Wole Soyinka Centre for Culture and Creative Arts, previously the National Theatre, Iganmu, Lagos described the doc as a social contract between him and the folks.

He promised far-reaching interventions in healthcare, schooling, infrastructure, financial improvement, safety and social welfare, with specific emphasis on bettering the standard of lifetime of unusual residents.

The doc is anchored on seven pillars: People First, Renewal, Opportunity, Machinery of Government, Inclusion, Security and Resilience, and Everyday Dignity.

Describing the manifesto as a set of measurable commitments somewhat than typical marketing campaign guarantees, Hamzat stated its provisions had been designed to present Lagosians clear benchmarks in opposition to which to guage his efficiency.

“Seven letters, seven pillars, one word you can hold me to,” he declared.

He urged residents to scrutinise the doc, insisting that his proposed administration can be judged by its means to translate the guarantees into tangible outcomes.

Among the main healthcare commitments is a plan to extend the variety of maternal and baby centres within the state from 10 to fifteen and increase enrolment within the Ilera Eko medical insurance scheme from its present stage of almost two million to 1 in each three Lagos residents, with precedence for low-income households.

He additionally promised to ship the brand new 150-bed Massey Children’s Hospital and a 280-bed normal hospital, full the continued 150-bed Shomolu General Hospital and set up two extra normal hospitals at Ogombo and Ibeju-Lekki.

According to him, the tasks would offer an extra 580 hospital beds, alongside the upgrading of 100 main healthcare centres to flagship standing.

Hamzat additional pledged to recruit extra medical doctors, nurses and midwives whereas bettering the working circumstances of healthcare professionals.

On schooling, the APC candidate promised to strengthen public colleges and enhance studying outcomes, notably in studying, comprehension and reasoning.

He stated the ECO-EXCEL programme was already working in 1,028 public main colleges, whereas the ECO-LEARNERS initiative offered 320 classes by way of on-line platforms and tv to allow pupils to proceed studying exterior the classroom.

He promised to increase each initiatives and make sure that youngsters acquired the required foundational expertise earlier than getting into main schooling.

The former commissioner additionally highlighted the institution of Lagos State University of Science and Technology, Ikorodu, and Lagos State University of Education, Ijanikin, saying the state now had three public universities.

He disclosed that plans had been underway for a University of Medicine and Health Services to extend the capability to coach healthcare professionals.

For academics, he promised steady skilled improvement and a evaluation of their compensation packages to replicate their obligations, noting that greater than 33,000 academics had been educated up to now seven years.

On financial improvement and job creation, Hamzat recognized small companies, artisans, merchants, producers and entrepreneurs as crucial drivers of Lagos’ economic system.

He promised to simplify authorities expenses, cut back the burden of enterprise permits, enhance entry to credit score and align vocational coaching with the precise wants of employers.

Citing the efficiency of the Lagos State Employment Trust Fund, he stated greater than ₦15 billion had been disbursed to over 21,000 companies, whereas greater than 116,000 companies had benefited from coaching, advisory and mentorship assist.

He added that 30,000 younger folks had been educated, almost 15,000 positioned in employment and companies supported by the fund had generated greater than 300,000 jobs.

Hamzat pledged to introduce a single printed schedule of native authorities expenses, allocate an outlined proportion of state procurement to certified small companies and set up a one-stop system to simplify enterprise registration and allow processes.

He additionally promised six to 12 months of office placements for vocational and technical trainees, with the state bearing 40 per cent of their stipends.

Artisans and different employees with current sensible expertise, he stated, would have the ability to get hold of free certification at their workplaces.

Beyond financial and social infrastructure, Hamzat stated his administration would place youngsters and weak residents on the centre of its insurance policies.

Recalling the rescue of a 10-year-old boy discovered sleeping underneath a bridge in Oshodi after working away from residence as a result of he felt unsafe, he stated the expertise strengthened the necessity for stronger safety programs involving colleges, healthcare amenities, social welfare companies, safety establishments and communities.

“If you are a child and you live in Lagos, then you are a child of Lagos. Wherever your parents were born, whatever language you speak, and whatever faith your family practises, Lagos will know your name, Lagos will work for you, Lagos will protect you,” he stated.

In his emotional speech , Lagos State Governor Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu stated his deputy was not solely loyal however very reliable .

Sanwo-Olu stated the state’s governance was anchored on continuity, saying, ‘’Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu ran the primary leg. When he handed the baton in 2007, he handed it to Babatunde Raji Fashola, who had been working beside him as his Chief of Staff. When Fashola handed it in 2015, he handed it to Akinwunmi Ambode, who had run beside three governors as a civil servant and because the Accountant-General of this state.

‘’When the baton got here to me in 2019, I had been working since 2003: a commissioner underneath Asiwaju, a commissioner underneath Fashola, the pinnacle of a quasi-government company underneath Ambode. I didn’t come to Alausa to be taught the place the places of work had been.

Speaking on behalf of the celebration’s Governance Advisory Council (GAC), former Deputy Governor, Princess Sarah Adebisi Sosan, additionally referred to as for continuity in governance, urging the following administration to protect profitable insurance policies whereas correcting recognized shortcomings.

Sosan stated Lagos’ improvement was the product of deliberate planning and purposeful management, warning in opposition to abandoning programmes that had delivered outcomes.

“You cannot build a strong state by abandoning everything that has worked; you must preserve the good, correct the areas that need improvement and continue to make progress,” she stated.

She recognized infrastructure, transportation, schooling, healthcare, safety, employment, housing and environmental sanitation as crucial areas requiring sustained consideration.

Sosan additionally careworn that the event of Lagos required collective duty, urging residents, companies and authorities establishments to work collectively.

In a associated improvement, the Director-General of the Kadri Obafemi Hamzat Campaign Organisation pledged that the marketing campaign can be peaceable, disciplined and issue-based.

He stated the competition must be decided by concepts, competence and capability to ship somewhat than personalities or political constructions.

According to him, the marketing campaign would deal with sensible options to the challenges confronting Lagos residents, guided by the rules of Forward and Together.

He defined that Forward represented the dedication to sustaining improvement, bettering public providers and embracing innovation, whereas Together mirrored the promise of inclusive governance that offers each resident a stake within the state’s future.

He stated the marketing campaign organisation would take its message to native governments, wards and communities throughout Lagos, whereas urging celebration members to stay united and disciplined.

The APC candidate stated the last word take a look at of his manifesto can be its affect on the lives of residents, sustaining that public belief may solely be earned by way of transparency and accountability.

“A government that publishes the truth about itself earns its people’s trust,” he stated.