The Times Call for this Man, Akinwunmi Ambode

 

By Bola Ahmed Tinubu

Akunwunmi Ambode is more than the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate for governor of Lagos State. He is the man most qualified to lead our state that we may continue the journey of the progressive development we started in 1999.

.Personal ambition does not call him forth to become governor. The challenges of the moment call him. He is not a man of political bargain and games. He is a man of destiny. The times called upon him because experience, talent and temperament have equipped and shaped him for this moment. He has done his duty by answering destiny’s call. We must now do our duty by electing him to  the office that he can open a new and greater chapter to the APC legacy in this state.

.Do not let this man’s kind and humble nature fool you. He combines keen, creative intellectual power with a tremendous work ethic. He also possesses unparalleled experience for he has devoted his entire career to the service of this state. From that modest start, his obvious ability and excellent performance propelled him to where he became the accountant general for the entire state.

He controlled the purse strings of the state and did so expertly. His rise was not caused by political favor. It was due to unquestionable merit. Equally now, his candidacy as our next governor was not the product of political favour.  His candidacy bears the sign of merit.

He was a major architect and implementer of our progressive development programme for the state.  While governor, I depended on him and trusted him completely to maintain able and honest management of our finances in such a way that we could cut waste and begin the process of rebuilding Lagos into a modern, productive and great state.

During that time, the PDP federal government did everything it could to scuttle our dream. They sought to break Lagos State. They illegally withheld revenues. They did not want us to realise our development plans because our progress would put their failures to visible shame.

They sought to choke us financially.  They failed. Lagos won. Ambode was a major reason for this people’s victory against oppression. He worked diligently not just to keep the state afloat but also to find ways to allow it to begin flourishing by implementing the development projects we envisioned for our beloved state.

Now with dwindling government revenue to the federal government  due to global slide in oil price, Lagos needs a governor who can bring financial stability to the state. That man is Akinwunmi Ambode.

I marveled at his dedication to this difficult yet vital task and applauded the superior quality of his work.  This man showed himself to be a rare combination of financial probity and creativity, a man who checked every detail but also understood the big, strategic picture.

His name has been unsung but Ambode is one of the most important heroes and a key factor in the progress we have made these past years. Without him helping to lay the fiscal foundation, much of what we accomplished would have been gone with the wind.

Ambode  is a brilliant young man who in his Ordinary and Advanced Levels had the distinction of achieving the second best result in all of West Africa in the Higher School Certificate Examinations in 1981.

Ambode proceeded to  theUniversity of Lagos where he studied Accounting, graduating at the age of 21 in 1984. By the time he was 24, Ambode had qualified as a Chartered Accountant and had completed his Masters Degree programme in Accounting, specialising in Financial Management.

In his six years as the Lagos State accountant general, the state’s financial performance improved visibly with the budget performing at a remarkable average of 85 per cent annually. He has built on this track record ever since.

.There is no person better qualified than Ambode to steer the ship of Lagos state at this delicate moment.    

In fair weather, anyone can captain the ship. However, when the seas get rough amid the coming storm, we need an able, experienced man at the helm. Ambode is that man. He is a man of destiny. He is the man for the times.

.During my administration, he helped Lagos regain its national and international stature as a centre of excellence. He supported Governor Fashola as the Governor built upon that strong foundation. Now Fashola and I support him to advance even further our collective progressive dream for Lagos.

The progress Lagos has made has not been the trademark of any one man. It has been through the collective and collaborative creation and implementation of a development plan. Ambode actively participated at the very inception of this historic, groundbreaking process.

He has been an integral part of a team that shares a common vision.
This election cycle offers Lagos a rare opportunity. With the Buhari APC government in Abuja, this will be the first time our progressive government in Lagos will be able to work in full harmony and cooperation with the federal government.

The ramifications of this close connection are completely positive. This is a chance that we have worked toward for many years. The joint infrastructural and employment projects and collaboration between the state and the federal will quicken the improvement of our roads, schools, power generation and the entire array of social services. This new era of cooperation between the state and federal government promises to be a golden period for Lagos and for all Lagosians to share equally therein.

We see a Lagos that is a fount of learning, enterprise, innovation and prosperity for all. We see a Lagos that is tolerant and welcoming to its people and to all Nigerians regardless of religion or ethnic background.  We see a Lagos that does not despise the common man but provides adequate education, health care, housing and opportunity to all.  We have gone far toward realising these things but we are not home yet. Ambode knows the way home because he helped draw the map. Vote for him. He will bring us closer to home.

He is a man of integrity, honour and promise. He is a man of destiny. He is the man for the times.

Under Agbaje, carpetbaggers like Bode George will run riot, sucking dry the lifeblood of the state and destroying in months what has taken us so many well-planned years to achieve.

Do not sacrifice our future by giving the reins of governance to those with little idea of the challenges ahead and with no notion of how to resolve them.

Agbaje, bless his heart, may be a nice fellow but he is lost in his party and is lost in time and place. He is not to lead us for he will hand Lagos over to the Jonathan gang. This would kill the future of our state as if by execution.

People of Lagos, you have a choice to make that is really not much of a choice.  Do you continue to build and grow the state in a manner that holds the promise of a better day for all of its inhabitants or do you give the state over to those who have already ruined the federal government?  In one hand, there is a blueprint for progress.  On the other, a blue print for disaster.

I choose progress. That means I choose Ambode. He is a man of destiny. He is the man meant for this time. Vote for your future by voting for him.       

• Tinubu is former governor of Lagos State