Sanwo-Olu challenges opposition to present ideas that can compete with APC 

Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has challenged opposition parties to present credible ideas capable of competing with the ruling All Progressives Congress’ (APC) development agenda rather than seeking political change for its own sake.

Sanwo-Olu made the call on Tuesday while delivering the centenary anniversary lecture of the Yoruba Tennis Club at its Greetings Hall in Onikan, Lagos.

The lecture, titled “Democracy, Governance, and the Lagos Spirit: A Century of Excellence,” brought together the First Lady, Ibijoke Sanwo-Olu; Deputy Governor and APC governorship candidate, Obafemi Hamzat; political and traditional leaders, public office holders, members of the Yoruba Tennis Club and other dignitaries.

The governor, who is also the South-West Zonal Coordinator of the APC Presidential Campaign Council, said Lagos had benefited from continuity in governance and argued that untested alternatives should not replace an established development path without credible competing ideas.

“We must keep insisting that it cannot be changed merely for the sake of change. We must never think we need to tear things up just to prove that we are in control,” Sanwo-Olu said.

“Our challenge to the opposition remains the same – to put forward credible ideas that are able to compete with ours, instead of seeking change for the sake of change. Untested novelty is no longer an option for a Lagos State that has tasted and felt the superiority of continuity,” he added.

He also linked the continuity argument to the national political landscape, saying the APC would seek to build on what he described as the gains of reforms undertaken by President Bola Tinubu.

According to him, the reforms had produced visible gains in areas including foreign exchange stability, education, agriculture and security.

Sanwo-Olu described the “Lagos Spirit” as a combination of courage, self-reliance, openness and continuous improvement, which he said had influenced the state’s democratic tradition, governance and development.

He recalled Lagos’ role in the June 12 pro-democracy struggle, the development of indigenous political institutions and its history of civic activism.

The governor said the state’s development since the return to democracy in 1999 had been driven by continuity, with successive administrations building on a development blueprint initiated under former Governor Bola Tinubu, now President of Nigeria.

He identified four principles underpinning what he called the “Lagos Playbook”: vision, self-reliance, partnership and measuring governance by its impact on ordinary residents.

Sanwo-Olu said the development blueprint introduced in 1999 had been maintained by successive administrations, citing the Blue and Red Line rail projects as examples of infrastructure he linked to continuity in governance.

On self-reliance, he said Lagos had reformed its tax administration and fiscal system to increase internally generated revenue, while describing partnership as another principle that had shaped the state’s development.

He said the ultimate measure of governance should be its effect on residents, citing issues such as access to healthcare, education, transportation and the ability of traders and other workers to conduct their businesses efficiently.

Reviewing his administration’s seven years in office, Sanwo-Olu said the government’s THEMES+ development agenda had affected millions of Lagos residents through projects and reforms in transport, health, the environment, education, technology, the economy, tourism, entertainment, security and governance.

He listed the establishment of two public universities, the Imota Rice Mill and investments in submarine cable landings and data centres among the projects undertaken by his administration.

He also said the government was building what he described as one of Africa’s largest children’s hospitals, while introducing digital technology into public school classrooms.

On food security, the governor said Lagos was developing the Lagos Central Food Security System and Logistics Hub at Ketu-Ereyun to improve the aggregation, storage, processing and distribution of food for the state’s large consumer market.