Lagosians in the Diaspora have commended the initiative of the Lagos4Lagos Movement to take back governance to the people of Lagos and also make things work better for all that live in Lagos.
The commendation was made during an interactive session between Abdul-Azeez Olajide Adediran, the lead visioner of the Movement, and Lagosians in the Diaspora.
At the session participated by Diasporeans in various parts of the world, including United States, Canada, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom and South Africa, Adediran, who many refer to as Jandor, said the abundant human and financial resources of Lagos was not reflective on the current level of development in the state.
He also expressed concern over the steady decline in various sectors of the state, including education, environment, housing and infrastructural development.
“If we take the current available finances in Lagos and have them judiciously utilised, we won’t be here pushing for a Lagos that works for all,” he added.
Playing down the misconception of the Lagos4Lagos mantra, Jandor said different people find their own unique expression in the Lagos4Lagos mantra and reiterated the inauguration of different ethnic groups into the Lagos4Lagos movement, including the Ndigbo, the Arewas, South-South group and several town unions who are registered and active members of the socio-political group.
Responding to questions on why the choice of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Adediran noted that if the current leadership of the party carries out its proposed reforms through the free and fair internal democratic process, then the newly registered members and the repentant veterans can take the party to its desirable heights in Lagos.
The politician also noted that the present electoral act is not near perfection and its current standing only allows political parties to sponsor candidates for elections.
“The APC member registration and revalidation process is like pressing a reset button; some things will change as a result of the registration exercise,” he said.
“We are in it, things are changing at every level and we must equally ensure a viable internal democracy in the party,” he further said.
On what he would do differently, should he get elected as governor in 2023, he said he would like to be an independent governor that would work with other people to grow the state to the level that everybody would be happy that they have a state.
Adediran, however, reassured his teeming members on their concerns about security threats, saying that “the first attempt to discourage potential leaders is to create this kind of fear in their mind.”
When asked on the insecurity in the country and the role of Sunday Igboho, Jandor said: “If the security architecture is not addressed, we are going to have more Igbohos”.
The teleconferencing meeting which was moderated by Khairat Animashaun-Ajiboye, also suggested that the Lagos4Lagos movement opens an online platform for members to contribute their quota financially.
While appreciating their gestures and volunteering to be part of the movement, Adediran said: “He bankrolls, that is why he controls, we are careful of accepting financial donations from just anyone.”
He, however, assured Lagosians that an online financial support system would be launched soon.
In his closing remarks, an APC chieftain, Fouad Oki, enjoined the Lagosians in the Diaspora to encourage more people to register with the APC.
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