Agbaje accuses Lagos govt of blackmailing monarchs, clerics, civil servants

Governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Lagos State, Mr. Jimi Agbaje, has accused the Lagos State Government of impunity and of blackmailing traditional institutions, religious leaders and civil servants.
He said the government had the penchant of withholding the certificates of community leaders (Baales), Chiefs and Obas “to force them to toe the All Progressives Congress (APC) selfish line”.
According to him, the same treatment was often meted out to churches and mosques, with authorities deliberately delaying the issuance of land and registration documents to such worship places.
His words: “Many have been made Baales without certificates. And on the day you fail to support them, they remind you that you are yet to receive your certificate of appointment, and it could be withdrawn anytime. And for the churches and mosques, the day they hear you criticise their policies, they remind you that you have no documents backing your place of location, and they subsequently send in the demolition squad.
“Their display of pride and impunity has become too much. They have turned themselves to God. And it is time to say: Enough is enough.”
Agbaje spoke yesterday in Ifako-Ijaiye, Kosofe and Eti-Osa Local Governments, on the fifth day of town hall meetings taking him round all the 20 local governments of the state.
Present at the occasion were: Agbaje’s running mate, Alhaja Safurat Olayinka Abdulkarim, Captain Tunji Shelle, Lagos State PDP Chairman, Mrs. Onikepo-Oshodi and Alhaji Rahman Owokoniran, Director-General of the campaign.
He decried the absence of potable water for the residents of Iju, where the state’s foremost water works resides, saying, it is one more evidence that the ruling APC had no business remaining in government after 16 years.
According to him, it was clear that the absence of potable water was a common denominator among Lagosians attending the town hall meetings, a platform dedicated to a cross-fertilisation of ideas with non-political voters in the state.
His words: “This is Iju, the home of Iju Waterworks. If after 16 years, we do not have water, yet they say they want continuity, we say no to continuity.”
Agbaje promised that his government would encourage a micro-finance scheme to assist artisans like mechanics, hairdressers, welders, and others.
“They say there are no houses for the poor. When they build, they build expensive houses for themselves. They have no housing plan for the masses.”
Agbaje accused the APC of running a government of impunity in the state.
He said: “The election of February is a battle between continuity and change. And the people want change. They want continuity yet they pay civil servants N12,000 instead of N18,000 as minimum wage. This sort of impunity must stop.”
He decried the deportation of sick and indigent non-indigenes, saying: “Without the non-indigenes, Lagos will be a village. When non-indigenes are deported, the indigenes will be landlords without tenants. Then you will have traders without buyers. We understand the synergy and value that indigenes and non-indigenes create together, so we will not drive non-indigenes away.”
According to Agbaje’s running mate, Alhaja Abdulkarim, the people should reject a government which, rather than improve their lives, had worsened their situation.
“Is it those who demolish your stalls that you want to continue in office? Do you want the continuation of those who read through the Free Education policy of Awolowo and suddenly increased the fees of LASU students from N25,000 to N350,000?”
The hall chanted NO.
Canvassing for the people to vote for Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, he said Lagosians who wanted an Agbaje governorship must first return the President for a second term.
He also urged them to vote for the other PDP candidates on the party’s ticket, including those for the House of Assembly, the Senate and the House of Representatives.
In Eti-Osa, he said that Lagosians had not got value for money in the last 16 years, with the N4 trillion accruing to government.
As far as he was concerned, although the government could not have been said to achieved nothing these last years, it was evident that things could be better.