Governor Akinwunmi Ambode took over the reins of power in Lagos state on May 29, 2015, with Lagosians hoping for a continuation of his predecessor’s strides, or even better.
Their hopes stemmed from the promises of the campaigners during the pre-election period, and the trend of things in the state, where since 1999, each n
ew governor has outshined his predecessor.
Alas, their hopes and expectations were shortlived!
The new governor, who took over from now minister of power, works and housing, Babatunde Raji Fashola, was readily touted as a slow governor by the impatient and ever-demanding Lagosians, who believe that the former governor had set a tone for his successor.
Governor Akinwunmi Ambode of Lagos state.
Many anomalies in the state seem to have returned since Ambode took over, and Lagosians have had to groan on a daily basis. Not even the huge amount of money painstakingly saved by the governor in three months would convince the residents of the state about their leader’s readiness to deliver the goods of democracy.
Naij.con has identified five sad situations Ambode has thrown Lagosians into since he took over as the head of the state:
Traffic robbery
Although this had never been totally eradicated on the highways, it had been drastically reduced under the administration of Fashola, but with the ‘ascension’ of Ambode, it has not only gathered momentum, but has also become a regular activity by the assailants.
The dare-devil robbers would take advantage of any meaningful opportunity that the incessant Lagos gridlock presents, to perpetrate their nefarious acts, maiming and killing people as well as destroying properties in the process.
Not even a routine police surveillance on the highways could stop the highway robbers from attacking innocent citizens and residents of the state, a situation which, the governor has promised to deal with in the coming weeks.
Return of gridlock
If there was one challenge the immediate past governor of Lagos state, Fashola, really tried his best to submerge, it was that of traffic gridlock in the state. All hands were put to ensure the free-flow of traffic in the ever busy metropolis.
From Apapa to Third Mainland Bridge to Lagos/Abeokuta expressway to Lagos/Ibadan expressway to Ikorodu road, Lagosians have had nightmares with terrible traffic congestion stretching for as long as eight to ten hours, and their expectation with the arrival of Ambode, was CHANGE.
But instead of an improvement on the gridlock on the major highways, they have worsened and this has given rise to the robbery of unsuspecting road users, some of whom have lost their lives in the process.
Residents of Ikorodu area of the state, have particularly bemoaned the recent expansion of the Mile12-Ikorodu road as sheer waste of time and resources as it has not improved the traffic situation in the area.
Water scarcity
Reports surfaced early this week that the water corporation’s supplies have been dwarfed by the increasing number of residents in the state, this has also been blamed on the new governor.
Lagosians, who had hitherto enjoyed non-stop flow of water in their areas, have now been thrown into a state of hardship by the governor’s emergence.
Although the state government has allayed fears of its residents over the scarcity, and has promised to tackle the unfortunate situation very soon, a promise which Lagosians cannot wait to see become reality.
LASTMA officers’ incapacitation
One of the first things the newly-elected governor did was to reduce the power of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) officials, and asking them to return impounded vehicles to their owners.
This act was initially commended by Lagosians, who believe that the traffic officials have wielded too much power under the last administration, but these commendations soon became a backlash on the
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