Fashola at Anglican Synod: Lack of respect for law and order, cause of Nigeria’s problems

Governor Babatunde Fashola of Lagos State, on Monday, attended the opening ceremony of the 3rd Session of the 32nd Synod of the Diocese of Lagos, Church of Nigeria, identifying lack of respect for law and order as the main cause of the nation’s problems.
The governor, who spoke at the St. Saviour’s Anglican Church, Marina, Lagos, added that law and order is perhaps the most important issue which the nation has not focused on, saying that if a comparison is drawn between the Nigeria of today and what it looked like 30 years ago, the difference really is in law and order.
“The homes we live in today are more beautiful than the homes of 40 years ago. We have begun to build even bigger palaces. 40 years ago, how many people had air-conditioning in the offices? They worked with ceiling fans but the truth is, are we happier today than we were 40 years ago? The difference is law and order,” he added.
On the nation’s economy, the governor said despite the fact that the nation is drilling more oil now, it is clear that the nation is not more prosperous because of a failure of law and order.
Giving a simple arithmetic breakdown, Fashola said if 400,000 barrels of crude oil that is lost daily is multiplied by $59 which is the cost in the international market, it would amount to approximately more than $20 million that is lost daily to oil theft
“When you have over 20 states not being able to pay salaries simply because there is no money, you can begin to quantify the losses that we collectively suffered because of the failure of law and order, but that is not where it ends. When over 200 children suddenly disappears into thin air, it is a failure of law and order, no more no less,” he stressed.
The governor posited that criminal activities is not limited to this part of the world but the law and order response is what needs to be ramped up if the country must make progress, reiterating that law and order is not just about security and agencies but what is required by everyone is to show leadership in the place where he is a leader such as in the homes, in the churches and the mosques.
He insisted that the biggest national issue in the country is law and order, insisting that although many people may disagree with him, he is convinced that if people are ready to live within the law, the country will improve.
Fashola decried the use of religion and ethnicity to form resistance to law and order, as this needed improvement in the society.
“That is not the issue, whether you are a Christian or a Muslim, the law is religion neutral. So, when people breach the law, we should just take them to where they take people who breach the law to, so that they can go and explain themselves”
“So, all of those kinds of responses should not be tolerated. We must all rise to condemn those kinds of acts. When people have done the wrong thing, then they are suddenly the children of a prominent person and we would gang up and say he is our child. That is not appropriate for a society that wants to live within the law. The person may ultimately turn out to be innocent but the answer is not to say the person is somebody’s son”, he explained.
He told the gathering that for him, those are the real issues that should be focused on, adding that every time he looks at the things that make life uncomfortable, the only thing that sticks out is law and order.
The governor stated that all the prescriptions form a body of laws under the Road Traffic Law and if obeyed, one can drive till eternity without any untoward incident happening.
He said cars do have accidents but they should not, if people do the right things on the roads where there is a speed limit to be obeyed, street signs to be observed and acts such as using of mobile phones while driving avoided.
Fashola also used the occasion to say a big thank you to the clergy and the members for their prayers, counsel and votes saying the last eight years have been very eventful for him.
“I call them hills and valleys but I can say there were more hills than valleys and the only thing that I can say is that at this great moment of expectations, all of us have a very big role to play”.
Urging cooperation for the incoming administration at various levels, especially the Governor-elect of Lagos, Fashola said the support would translate to good governance for the benefit of all.
“It seems to me that our roles will be bigger than those of the people we have elected to office starting from Lagos to all the states of the federation. Our nation would be as good as we wish it to be. We decide the kind of society we want. We make bold decisions by the actions we either take or refuse to take and by the actions that we support or the actions that we condemn”, he noted.
The governor said he once had cause to point out that in the aftermath of an election when results are announced and those results have not been invalidated and some people begin to talk about factions when indeed one side has won the elections, what is being done by acknowledging factions is to promote and widen divisions.
“When a contest has been called and it has held and somebody has won and somebody has lost, we must have the grace to accept that it is over. Except of course, there is the right to challenge the results in the appropriate manner but the appropriate manner is not setting up factions but to go to Court”, he asserted.
Earlier, the President of the Synod and Diocesan Bishop of Lagos and Dean Emeritus, Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion), Rev. Ephraim Ademowo, commended the governor for his eight years of selfless service in the state.
He added that each time the reality dawns on him that the governor would soon be serving out his tenure of office, he becomes afraid but he is assured that the President-Elect, Major-General Muhammadu Buhari, is the leader that will take Nigeria out of the woods.
The wife of the Diocesan President, Mrs Oluranti Ademowo, on behalf of the Diocese, also presented plaques of appreciation to the governor for a job well done in Lagos over the past eight years and another one to the First Lady, Dame Emmanuella Abimbola Fashola, for providing the strong support on the home front.
The opening ceremony attracted many leaders of the Church including the Lord Chancellor, Justice George Oguntade and clergymen representing the various Dioceses of the Anglican Church nationwide.