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POLITICS

 CACOL  HOSTS EXPLORATORY CONFERENCE

By Miles Olu and Oliver Iwelu

The center for Anti-Corruption and Open Leadership (CACOL) formerly Coalition Against Corrupt Leaders has hosted an exploratory conference on the Lagos Open Parliament (part four). (LOP4)  held at Rights House Adeniyi Jones Avenue, off Oba Akaran Road, Ikeja, Lagos.

Speaking at the exploratory conference, executive chairman of CACOL, Comrade Debo Adeniran gladly welcomed all and sundry to the exploratory conference adding that it is a key component of the process that would culminate in their periodic publication called the Lagos Open Parliament (LOP).

Speaking further Comrade Adeniran said that the Lagos Open Parliament as a project of CACOL, that she focus on the periodic analysis of government general performance in Lagos state, adding that the program utilizes public and media assessment of the government performance including field work (empirical and practical assessment), as the research strategy deploys government activities with the goal of ensuring transparency and accountability as well as the tool that includes questionnaires, interviews, news analysis, visual investigations involving the usage of video and photographs.

Speaking to the participating, the special adviser to the chairman of Alimosho Local Government Area, Hon Jelili Salamon on policy and strategy, Mrs. Fanibe Oluremi said that Alimosho Local Government Area has really provided dividends of democracy to the citizenry of the ALGA in the areas of improved health care services, skill acquisition on bead making, soap making, hair dressing et’al. Adding that the CACOL exploratory conference has opened their eyes and conscience to the needs and aspirations of the electorate. She concurs that she would adequately give undiluted feedback to her boss, Hon Salamon.

She also gave out an invite to CACOL team to visit Local Government Areas so that CACOL could see most of the projects the Local Governments are doing. Speaking again, the special adviser to the Alimosho Local Government Area, Hon Salamon on policy and Strategy Mrs. Oluremi said that Alimosho Local Government Area has over 30 Skill Acquisition Centers for soap making, fashion designing, adding that Ojota dump site is not the only dumping site in the whole of Lagos state. She submitted that the state government must have critically have carefully reviewed the pros and cons of the Ojota dump site before handing it over to the new operators.

Speaking as a discussant, Barr.Adeyinka Olumide Fusika harped on traffic management of Lagos state adding that the traffic management in Lagos state has appreciably improved, although he quickly added that the situation is still very bad in some areas of Lagos state, despite that the governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Dapo Ambode is making serious efforts to largely improve the traffic situations. He submitted that light rail project that would have been delivered 2013 had not been delivered to the citizenry.

Barr. Fusika added that there is no mega city in the entire globe where the means of transportation is still back warded has he submitted that the light rail from Epe to Lekki, if the operators make it affordable, that many people would not use their personal cars to go to work rather they would use the light rails means of transportation, thereby they would be less traffic congestion on the roads. Barr. Fusita again submitted that the governments do not have the resources to put up all the roads network needed in Lagos state as he says five years down the line, the light rail project has not kicked off. Barr Fusika dwelled on the issues on education and health care delivery. He said that the governor and his team who are beneficiaries of a better public school pedigree have sourced education to private hands and for this reason public schools have been dramatically dead. He said that the governor Ambode who attended public school, he queried what efforts he is making to improve the quality and standards of the public schools.

Barr. Fusika said that the health care services has been reduced to nothingness because the governor and his co-travellers do not make use of the general health facilities available, rather they fly abroad for medical attention whenever the need arises. He also spoke of street lights adding that some streets are in heavy darkness, adding that the roles of the federal government is to construct roads among states and he again said that the state governors have no needs of doing roads within local governments, because it is not their duties, but he quickly submitted that why governors dabble into such function is a ploy to divert the funds meant for local governments. He said that the local government officials are the ones to build cemeteries for burial not state government. He said that the rightful funds that are meant for the local governments are sized by the governors thereby putting the chairmen of local governments in a hopeless situation of non-performing. Barr. Fusika submitted that despite the 18 years of the nascent democracy, that the politicians still behave as if the jackbooted military juntas are still calling the shots.

Speaking as a discussant at the CACOL Exploratory Conference of Lagos Open Parliament (LOP4). Hajia Fatimah Usman Legal Officer Civil Society Network Against Corruption said that she moved down to Lagos state in 2015 and when she first landed in Lagos that Lagos state was extremely littered with refuse heaps here and there. She said that there has been domestic violence and rape of young girls are on the increase as many young girls are raped on a daily basis by idiots and touts. She said that the authorities are not check-mating these ugly vices, as she adduces that the government should put down a heavy legal punishment for offenders with jail terms. Hajia Usman disclosed that the three years of governor Ambode in the saddle has some positive impacts and negative impacts but, she generally called on the governor Ambode and his co-travellers to wake up from their deep slumber and pragmatically provide the much needed dividends of democracy for the down trodden masses.

Speaking as a discussant at exploratory conference on Lagos Open Parliament (LOP4), comrade Gbenga Komolafe said that the whole essence of government is to provide security and welfare for the people because that is the main trust of the government. Speaking again Comrade Komolafe said that CACOL has been very consistent with her struggles and her activities of progress, positiveness, forwardness, et’al in the past adding that the Sustainable Development Goals on human needs, aspirations in the areas of availability of technology to drive development on human capital, sanitations, health care service, education, portable drinking water as he said that the system has brought everybody to the level of sachet pure water.He adduces that in health care service that malaria which has been eradicated in the developed countries is still the major killer of children in Lagos state, Nigeria and Africa.

He concurs that there are not enough health care facilities in Lagos state and typhoid, dysentery and diarrhea are still killing people on a regular basis. Comrade Komolafe said that the sanitation in Lagos state is very low and dangerous to health of the citizenry. He told the participants of the recent Ojota dump site that was engulfed with fire and for more than three weeks the burnt dump site produced unhealthy smokes that spread to the whole of Ikeja, Oshodi, Ilupeju, Ogudu and Ojodu. He blamed all and sundry for not rising up to the challenges the Ojota dump site created. He particularly blamed the media for not giving the incident adequate attention and coverage it deserves. He said that the sanitation of the Lagos state is nothing to write home about and thereby he called on the authorities to rise up to the challenges. Comrade Komolafe said that while the Ojota dump site was on fire and enveloped with thick smokes that the state pretended as if nothing serious ever happened. He queried why they took away the dump site from the former handlers and operators.

Speaking again he said that the education system is warped adding that in public schools, there are 120 pupils in one classroom, and in some public schools pupils still seat on bare floors, that virtually all and sundry has abandoned public school for private schools which have become the haven of corruption through examination malpractices. He said the owners and operators of private schools are always in the habit to deceive the entire citizenry with high grades by employing machineries to come in and help their student to write important examinations. Comrade Komolafe queried what kinds of man-power are the private schools are churning into the system and labour market. He queried again where have been 400 students coming out with a first class in a public school, but, it is only in a private school such feat is achieved.

He said that parents should be very careful and examine themselves with righteousness because they are the very ones and their children with examination malpractices. He also spoke on water transportation from Ikorodu to Badagry and that the government should provide enough jetties to cater for the needs of the citizenry. He said that transportation is a key to economic development of any state and he queried if all the (DANFOS) are removed from the roads, what would the governor use to replace them, adding that the government should provide enabling environment for the citizenry.

Speaking at the  exploratory conference Lagos Open Parliament (LOP4). Pastor Tunji Oseni of Ikorodu town commended CACOL for a good work she is doing to measure indices of governance on Lagos. He appealled to CACOL to assist them, that they of Ikorodu residents around Lagos state Polytechnic that the road is in horrible state. That whenever it rains the road becomes impassable and he made reference that when governor Ambode came to LASPOTECH convocation last year 2017, that he had to come from Ijebu-ode route to Ikorodu which was not supposed to be. CACOL assured him that the state governor Ambode will receive the report very shortly where his appeal would be heard.

Speaking at the exploratory conference Lagos Open Parliament (LOP4), the first Executive National Secretary of Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ) in the year 1963, Jola Ogunlusi commended CACOL for their uprightness in carrying on her laudable programs for the down trodden masses. He said that good transportation system is the modern technology that would drive the economic very largely and productively. The CACOL Assistant and Documentation Program Officer read out 79 questionnaires to the participants whereby the indices of the responses were measured with various percentages of agreeing, disagreeing and indifferent. Comrade Adeniran informed the participants that the next conference would be revalidation where all the meats of the exploratory conference Lagos Open Parliament (LOP4) would be processed and packaged for consumption for the general good of the down trodden masses.