Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, on Wednesday, unveiled his second term bid brand campaign tagged, ‘Greater Lagos Rising’, saying he will run based on his records.
Sanwo-Olu was first elected as governor in 2019. He succeeded Akinwunmi Ambode, who served a four-year term (2015 to 2019), but failed to secure his party – the All Progressives Congress’ (APC) ticket to seek re-election.
“With all sense of humility, Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu has sent us here to say, ‘I am running on records. Get ready for more!” Gbenga Omotosho, Lagos State commissioner for information and strategy, said during the media unveiling in Ikeja. Omotosho urging Lagosians to brace up for the campaign season, said, it will be “an exciting campaign season like never seen before. A government that has delivered on its promises; we have many reasons to campaign boldly,” he said.
The commissioner said the records of the administration propelled the governor and his deputy to put their hats in the ring again for a second tenure. “We promised our people a greater Lagos. What do we see around us? Abundant evidence of a new city rising from the womb of time; but we do not make a false claim of having reached the zenith of our journey. These are the signs discerning minds can see all around the city of Lagos today,” said Omotosho.
According to him, a greater Lagos rising is not only appropriate for a state that achieved so much in spite of all odds, but also a thematic continuum of what Sanwo-Olu promised in 2019 while seeking the votes of Lagosians.
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On the rationale for ‘A Greater Lagos Rising’ as the campaign theme, Omotosho recalled how Lagos managed and navigated through the challenges of the first three years of the Sanwo-Olu administration, which anchored its campaign thrust on ‘Greater Lagos’ while seeking to be elected in 2019.
“Just a month in office, the administration had faced its litmus test with Lagos witnessing torrential rainfall which impacted negatively on the state of roads, causing traffic snarls and attendant hardship on the citizens. The response of the Sanwo-Olu administration was to launch the #FixingLagosRoads Campaign, an intensive road rehabilitation campaign. Omotosho also recalled the tragic pipeline explosion at NNPC in Ijagemo as a result of the activities of pipeline vandals. Governor Sanwo-Olu mobilised help for the helpless,” Omotosho said.
He equally spoke on the criticism of the activities commercial motorcycle (Okada) menace by Lagos residents, which the government responded to with the ban of their activities across some local government areas of the state. “The move was a containment strategy to keep their activities manageable for the already over-stretched security agencies. Again, respite came the way of the citizens who applauded the bold move by the Sanwo-Olu administration,” said Omotosho.
He recalled the setback that COVID-19 pandemic could have caused to Lagos but for a courageous and brave governor and his deputy. In the end, Lagos emerged as the global example for the medical world on how to fight the pandemic.
“#ENDSARS also almost grounded the state with critical infrastructure massively destroyed. But the Lagos of Sanwo-Olu came out stronger. “Within a few weeks, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu launched the Rebuild Lagos initiative aimed at rebuilding all that was destroyed during the protest”. Omotosho said.
The media unveiling was preceded by a multi-dimensional road show comprising power bikers, activation rigs and mobile advertising vans that commenced from Ikeja through Ikorodu road to Lagos Island.
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