2023: God Forbid BAT-hings (Part 3) By Erasmus Ikhide

ANOTHER Problem Coming called (APC) and those who are still deluding themselves that Bola Ahmed Tinubu (BAT) built mega Lagos recently had their arguments punctured and perforated, their lies exposed with the report that Lagos is the second worst city for human habitation, a few weeks ago. The report by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) has placed Nigeria’s commercial capital, Lagos, as the second-worst city to live in. The EIU

2022 ranking of the world’s most liveable cities placed Lagos the 171st of the 172 countries it ranked.

The report that Lagos State is one of the very worst city for human habitation sound like a death knell for the beneficiaries of the fast fading godfatherism and fascist government of Bola Tinubu that has brought Nigeria to her knees. This is no good news for those waiting to benefit from the outlandish propaganda, at the expense of the masses. The Nigerian youths, the general public, and the global community are too informed for this bunkum and crap being spewed out by the APC/Tinubu’s political jobbers. Nigerians are well aware that it’s a deliberate attempt to launder the image of a notorious criminal and anti-democratic con man.

Now, the catchphrase “Go to Lagos”. This is the only oxygen left for Tinubu and his ignorant supporters. Many, including youths and the so-called political elites who don’t even know that the reference, “go to Lagos” is a scam and cheap propaganda by Tinubu and his ignorant followers who know nothing about Tinubu and Lagos state. Until political enthusiasts in Nigeria interrogate or probe this phrase, “go to Lagos” which has become a common phrase that tends to suggest, that Tinubu built Lagos or that Tinubu is a great achiever and performer who seeks to obliterate his ground corruption, maladministration in Lagos and his anti-democratic tendencies.

The younger generation has a duty in 2023 to make an open shame of such politicians who have held Lagos and by extension Nigeria, down for so long. It’s high time we understood that “Go to Lagos”, being bandied around especially when supporters of the various Presidential candidates are trying to reference past performance records of their preferred candidates is fraudulent propaganda. Curiously, many of those who find such phrase

or blanket reference very convenient maybe to score a non-existent political point had neither been to Lagos themselves nor read single literature about the history and development of Lagos.

For a better understanding of “go to Lagos”, it’s actually the nemesis of Tinubu that he and his blind followers are yet to know. Otherwise, they won’t reference Lagos, not even his direct eight years let alone, and the so-called people they alleged he empowered as achievements. We are gradually getting to where those who say “go to Lagos”, must have to answer a trailer-load of questions about the actual performance and disservice of Tinubu in Lagos, when and how Lagos became the sole baby project, and the achievement of Tinubu to now earn him the office of the President of Nigeria.

Now, let’s “go to Lagos”, properly because history never dies. It’s a fact that right from the colonial era, Lagos has always been a territory (colony) of special status on its own. And in the post-colonial era, Lagos was the Federal Capital and seat of power in the Federal Republic of Nigeria. That alone accounted for over 60% of the present infrastructural

assets of Lagos which were built by the Federal Government of Nigeria. Such infrastructures include the most critical third mainland bridge linking the mainland and the Island, the Seaport,  International/local Airports, Festac town, National Stadium, National Museum, and many other national monuments and assets that keep giving value to Lagos.

It should rather be surprising that Lagos has no Airports of its own like delta, Anambra, and many other states of the federation that have built airports for themselves. As of today, Edo state has more quality educational institutions than Lagos. Lagos has no rail system, no good drainages, etc, despite the humongous resources available to it, especially from 1999 to date. Those who leave in Lagos know it. This is actually the right time for Nigerians to hold Tinubu to account for what he has done with Lagos resources from 1999 to date. This is because he has effectively been in charge of Lagos in the last 23 years, which is while nobody remembers Fashola and Ambode as former governors, let alone ascribing to them any achievement in Lagos.

Lagos State had eleven governors (though mostly military) before Tinubu, the 12th Governor of Lagos. It also had three governors after Tinubu. Therefore, are those ascribing or arrogating the growth of Lagos to Tinubu’s alleged performance not saying, that the fourteen governors before and after him did nothing? Are Nigerians not aware that about 40% of the low-cost housing Estates in Lagos to date were built by the father of modern Lagos, Governor Lateef Jakande who also designed the Lagos Plan of Action for Economic Development of Africa,1980-2000, otherwise known as the modern master plan for Lagos, which subsequent Lagos State governments including Tinubu continue to leverage to evolve the Lagos of today and even tomorrow.

Did Governor Buba Marwa who handed over to Tinubu in 1999 not also contribute greatly to the modern ambiance of Lagos? Why did the “go to Lagos” proponents not consider the fact that in 1999 when Tinubu took over from Marwa, Lagos IGR was already N14.6Billion cumulatively? That as at 2007 when Tinubu’s tenure ought to have ended, Lagos IGR only rose to N83.06Billion, cumulatively. And that Fashola took it from there to a whooping N276.6Billion by 2015 and as of 2020, Lagos IGR officially stood at N418.99 Billion, cumulatively. Why did Tinubu’s minders not deem it is necessary at least, to tell Nigerians what and where Tinubu put all these monies in Lagos, having been in charge of the State since 1999 till date?

Unlike other former governors before and after him, Tinubu did his part within his terms and the obvious difference between him and other former leaders of Lagos or other states is that Tinubu fraudulently refused to move on after his supposed tenure like other governors, ie; Jakande, Fashola, Ambode, Peter Obi and others because he couldn’t survive without state/public resources. Hence he corruptly held on to the throat of Lagos

since 1999 like Mammur Gaddafi of Libya. He made himself the life governor-general of Lagos by replacing democracy with a mixture of fascism, autocracy, and godfatherism, rigging election after election to multiply and protect his proceeds of corruption.

Why are Tinubu’s hatchet writers failing to mention that since 1999, Tinubu alone determines who holds what office from Governor to Counsellor in Lagos to enable him to appropriate more resources for the State? He ensured that elections in Lagos became mere rituals just to fulfil all righteousness. His best achievement was the institute of touts (Agberos) he created and fully empowered to repress democracy, press, and citizens’ freedom, civil liberty, and agitation against dictatorship or fascism. Why is Tinubu’s supporters not mentioning that the abnormalities above are the new normal in Lagos? Or are the BATists and his Agbado People’s Congress (APC) trying to make Nigerians, particularly, Lagosians lost memories of the ideal and the damage Tinubu has done to Lagos over two decades?

These are what Tinubu’s ignorant and desperate supporters should reflect on. Nigeria is on the ballot in 2023 and all lovers of Nigeria and democracy would stop at nothing to ensure that Nigeria wins in 2023. They would ensure that all those selfish criminals and evil men, parading themselves as democrats, politicians, or leaders are defeated. When they are campaigning for Tinubu and they say “go to Lagos” ask them where, what, when, and how it relates to Tinubu in view of democracy, integrity, fairness, equity, social justice, and good governance that Nigerians earnestly yearn for? He was only to be governor for 8 years, ask them when is Tinubu going to finish his tenure as governor of Lagos State. Ask them if the other 14 governors acted on his behalf to warrant them arrogating and appropriating a whole Lagos State as Tinubu’s achievements.

Ask them the source of his wealth and while Lagos is still at the level of development it is despite the humongous revenue and other resources. Ask them why Lagos is the highest indebted state after Nigeria and more indebted than some west African countries today? Tinubu and his men shouldn’t just be left with a free option of expounding their criminal

voyage beyond Lagos by allowing them paint him the wrong picture of a performer and the father of Modern Lagos State. It is an abomination to allow Nigeria fall into Lagos’s situation because democracy would be replaced with fascism, autocracy, godfatherism, and totalitarianism.

Tinubu and those ignorantly following him, arrogantly and fraudulently arrogating so-called achievements in Lagos to him do not mean well for Nigeria. Ask those who live in Lagos. “Go to Lagos” catchment is nothing but the most fraudulent, deceptive, and corrupt way to engage in image laundering with stolen public funds and the collective effort of others. That

Nigerians are still tolerating the likes of Tinubu and his promoters who make blanket and veiled references to Lagos as Tinubu’s project and report of public service performance, leaves reasonable Nigerians in bewilderment.

No doubt that the more they launder Tinubu with Lagos, the more they would expose his corrupt and fraudulent activities in Lagos. Especially now that a sitting governor of the State has abandoned his duties before, during, and after the APC primary, only to be following one leader like a house-boy, expending public resources on a private ambition of an individual at the expense of the state. Save for Tinubu’s godfatherism/fascism, Lagos would have been ten times better than what it is today. Because many countries that are far better than Nigeria do not have the resources available to Lagos State. So, where is the borrowed robe of Democrat, Progressive, Performer, etc that Tinubu is being addressed or glorified by his followers who are mostly blinded by temporary stomach infrastructure? Do we all think that professor Osibanjo, Aregbesola, Prof. Adeyeye, etc are just being ingrates, disloyal or don’t all know what they are doing by attempting to stop Tinubu?

Great loyalty is not loyalty to the individual but ideas, principles, and content of character that profit the generality of the people and society. Ask yourself, how many two-term former governors or even past Presidents of Nigeria can boldly be able to privately distribute money in bullion vans as Tinubu has been doing over the years? Where did he get those monies if not ours? Not even Dangote, the richest man in Africa could do that. That is

the impunity and tyranny many of us want to elevate to a national scale. It’s only in Nigeria such would be promoted. He boasts of having not lost a single election when in actual sense he has never allowed free and fair elections in Lagos State. The only two elections thuggery was denied in Edo and recently his home state of Osun, he lost woefully, despite his bullion vans.

Is it not curious, that Nigeria has witnessed a change of government from one political party to another, yet Lagos State still remains in the hands of one single individual, who appoints everyone from Governor to Counsellor. It’s seriously bewildering to know that many Nigerians are not only ignorant and idiotic, even educated and civilized people keep pouring accolades and encomiums on those who have enslaved them just to survive momentary hunger. It is annoying and frustrating that with the relentless effort of even elders like Pa. Adebanjo, EK Clark, etc to reset Nigeria, there are still young people who prefer the status quo. There aren’t bothered about the present state of hopelessness in Nigeria. They are still promoting Tinubu and APC. Lagos State is not a gift to Tinubu, and neither would anyone compensate him with Nigeria for whatever reason.

Where is our conscience? How do you promote or defend those who have wreaked socio-economic havoc on Nigeria? One must look stupid and idiotic trying to extricate any key player from the disaster APC has brought upon Lagos and Nigeria at large.

Ask those campaigning, why are they not proud of APC’s seven years of Buhari and Tinubu leadership as President and APC National leader, respectively? Did he, Tinubu not contribute to the drafting of the APC manifesto and its execution by Buhari’s regime? Did he not campaign for APC/Buhari using the said manifesto while marketing both to Nigerians? Has Tinubu not been in Nigeria in the last 7 years? Was there any time we read in any of the national dailies that Tinubu, the national leader of APC disagreed with the Buhari-led APC government for abandoning their party manifesto? Did he ever attempt to resign even though he only occupies an informal position of national leader due to the failure of the APC government? If NO, how can anyone extricate him from the APC disaster in Nigeria?

As it stands, no wise and well-meaning Nigerian would find APC and Tinubu electable in the 2023 Presidential Election. Their disastrous outing, pillaging of the economy, the decimation of the nation’s security architecture by Buhari’s Fulani terrorists brothers are enough to reject APC/BAT, wholesale.

Nigerians are ardently saying affliction shouldn’t repeat itself for a second time. That’s why they’re avoiding Another Problem Coming (APC) because those who shouted hollow “chengi” between 2015/2019 on the mountain top are viciously hauling themselves up again for terminal pillage.

Erasmus Ikhide can be reached via: ikhideerasmus@gmail.com