We’ll complete abandoned projects, solve traffic gridlock – Sanwo -Olu, Hamzat

The Lagos State All Progressives Congress gubernatorial candidate, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, and his running mate, Dr Femi Hamzat, have stated that if elected, their government will complete previously abandoned projects in the state.

Some projects of the immediate past governor Babatunde Fashola have been abandoned by the current governor Akinwunmi Ambode.

Speaking at an interactive session with journalists in Lagos, Mr Sanwo-Olu said the Ilubirin housing estate will be completed as well as the 27km long Blue Line rail project connecting Okokomaiko to Marina.

“The Ilubirin project will be completed. I believe it was stopped because the government is yet to find a way to solve the traffic the estate will create. But we will solve that and complete the project.”

Commenting on the traffic gridlock in the state, Mr Sanwo-Olu said “creative thinking and solution” is the way out.

“One of the things I said this morning is very simple: there were areas where we were travelling today we had four lanes, here is blocked, you have the other four lanes that is empty and moving in the opposite direction.

“Why can’t we think of a solution whereby, in the morning or whenever it is that this is blocked, let’s create two additional lanes from these four lanes that are empty?

“All we need to do is look at – how do we solve the issues around enforcement and management of it: Where are the entry and exit points? Make this one six lanes in the morning when you are going, the other one two lanes and in the evening you do a reverse.

“You can solve some of these things without needing to build all of the things that are going to take you one or two years to build. It is the model we use in some of the toll plazas. It’s going to take a lot of patience and enforcement.”

He also dismissed insinuation of a rancour between him and Governor Ambode.

“On the ‘Ambode issue,’ let me state it here that there is no ‘Ambode issue.’ He is my governor. We are one party and our goals are the same. A better and greater Lagos is our challenge.

“There is no rancour. We meet. We talk. We are clear about what Lagos needs to excel and that is our collective goal,”

On his part, Dr Hamzat said their government will open the state government’s book to the public.

“The reality there is: what is there to hide?” Why are those agencies not going to the United States to give us the budget of the Department of Defence, even Congress don’t scrutinise it,” he said.

“The reality is that there are many things the government knows that if you know you won’t sleep.

“When they said Boko Haram is coming to bomb Third Mainland (bridge), you think it’s a lie? Where’s the budget for that? So we’ll put it in the budget that we’ll fight Boko Haram with N4 billion? You can’t.

“I’ve seen people talk about various things… governor’s security votes.

“I’ve even seen a governor, who is now the vice presidential candidate of Atiku talking absolute….to me, complete ignorance.

“You wonder how that person was a governor. Saying that he saved this amount in Diamond Bank, when erosion in Anambra State is the worst in this country and you can’t solve that. And you are telling me you saved so much. As a governor, is it your responsibility to save money?”