THE GRAND FINALE OF YEAR 2015 COMMUNITY DAY

An Address by His Excellency, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode, the Executive Governor of Lagos State at the Grand Finale of Year 2015 Community Day at the Police College Grounds, Ikeja on Thursday November 12, 2015

Chorus
HE:We!
Audience : Wah!
HE: We! We! We!
Audience: Wah! Wah! Wah!

Protocols

Community Day is celebrated all over the world because all growth and development starts at the Community level. Today, our administration uses this platform to show our gratitude to leaders of our communities and officials of the over 3,241 Community Development Associations in Lagos State.

These wonderful and committed citizens, out of deep passion for service to humanity, have chosen to mobilize landlords and tenants, workers and the self-employed, the rich and poor in their communities to build the greatest commonwealth that the world has ever known-Lagos.

I thank you for the various self-help projects that have been initiated and implemented to complement government efforts in your local communities. You have by these actions demonstrated your belief in the fact that development is a collective effort and should not be left to government alone.

This administration is committed to Community Development. This is the reason why we are focused on strengthening our communities by initiating a bottom to top approach to governance.We have made the communities an integral part of our decision-making process. It is our communities that must decide what they want from the government and bring it forward.

Our LG/LCDAs recently advertised seeking for bids to build 114 Roads. Two roads will be constructed in each Local Government and Local Council. These roads were selected by the communities in these areas and the contracts will be awarded by the Local Governments.

We promised to intensify community security. In keeping with this, we have donated to the Neighbourhood Watchers, 48 Patrol Vans, 385 Walkie Talkies, 11 Base and Repeater stations, 1,150 uniforms, 570 Handcuffs, 1,150 Belts, Berets and boots to help them keep our communities safe. At a higher level, we are working with the Nigerian Police and other agencies to ensure our State is safe and secure. We are totally committed to community policing.

We recently acquired 26 Transport Ambulances and 20 Mobile Intensive Care Units. These are distributed all over the State for easy access to our communities. We have purchased 22 generators for our General Hospitals to ensure they are ready to treat our citizens round the clock. We are in the process of recruiting 1,300 teachers in ourPublic Primary Schools and 100 FireFighters.

We have rehabilitated, repaired and maintained over 268 inner roads. The Blue Line which shall be delivered in December 2016 will convey over 2million passengers between Marina and Okokomaiko. It will be followed by the Red Line from Agbado to Lagos. These Rail Projects will run as we expand junctions, build flyovers, rehabilitate thousands of roads and open more waterways to move millions of our people to work and home.

Forty-Nine (49) communities that were in total darkness have received transformers from the State Government and are now fully lit. Sixty-Three(63) communities in Ibeju Lekki starting from Eleko to Ode-Omi who have not had electricity in the last Five (5) years, will have power by December 2015.

All these projects have been undertaken with our communities in mind. We want all our communities to be economically livable. That is the future we want to build. Each one of us has a part to play in this future and must contribute to the community. The communities exist to support its members. The community is our connection, identity and can only develop withour cooperation.

I charge you today; go and find out who your Councilor is. Engage him. Visit your Ward Chairman, Local Council and Government Executive Secretary. Engage them. They are representing your interests. They need your feedback.

While you engage your representatives, remember your duties to be law abiding and responsible citizens. Join the crusade for zero tolerance for street trading. If we do not buy, they would not sell in traffic. If they do not sell, criminals would not be able to mingle with them and make commuting a dangerous risk.

I urge you all to pay your taxes, keep our environment clean and obey the laws against smoking in public places, urinating in public and polluting our neighbourhoods with needless noise.

Fellow Lagosians, let us work together to build strong, prosperous and committed communities that will be the bedrock of the development of Lagos State.

Thank you.

Itesiwaju Eko, lo je wa logun!