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| Governor Ambode during the swearing-in |
Today, I have just
performed the sacred duty of oath-taking as the Governor of Lagos State.
It has pleased GOD through the good people of Lagos State, that my destiny as a
little boy, born from a humble background, on the 14th day
of JUNE to become the 14th Governor of our great State, Lagos is being
realised.
2
I am eternally grateful to all of you. To all Lagosians,
the young and
elderly, widows, physically-challenged; girls and boys, and especially, the
children; who followed our musical campaign with vigour; God bless you all.
3
Permit me to acknowledge and appreciate specially all the voters that voted for
me; equally appreciate those that did not and also the people that did not
exercise their franchise to vote at all. We are all winners. One of
the instructive lessons from this last political campaign and election is for
all politicians never to take our people for granted again. I would, more
than ever before; take you, the good people of Lagos, along with me, in this
journey of renewed hope and prosperity at all times.
4
My appreciation goes to all our elder statesmen and women including all our
senior citizens. To all our religious leaders, I say thank you. All
our Muslim leaders, Christians leaders and other faiths; your prayers for Lagos
State did not go unanswered.
5
I must not fail to acknowledge all our civil society organisations. The
students, civil servants, labour unions, artisans, professionals, corporate
Lagos, the business community, thank you very much. To all Lagosians in
diaspora, foreign residents and all other stakeholders; thank you for keeping
faith in the potential greatness of our State.
6
From the bottom of my heart, I greet all our traditional rulers, our Royal
Fathers, Kings, Chiefs and their wives. I thank you all, most especially,
the Chairman; the State Council of Obas and Chiefs, His Royal Majesty, Oba
Rilwan Akiolu, Oba of Lagos. We promise to continue to nurture our
traditional institutions as part of our heritage.
7
To our Party Leaders and all members of our great party, The All Progressives
Congress (APC); today belongs to you all. Our elected Officers, the three
Distinguished Senators, Honourable Members of the House of Representatives and
Members of the House of Assembly; congratulations and thank you.
8
And my Deputy; Dr. Idiat Oluranti Adebule, thank you.
9
To my family, words are not enough; My mother, who is here today, thank you for
being a very caring mother to me. All my uncles, brothers and sisters; I
appreciate you. To my lovely wife, Bolanle, thank you so much for your
sacrifices and perseverance. God bless you always. My children, friends
and loved ones and supporters; I really appreciate the enormity of sacrifices,
pain, prayers and efforts. I remain eternally grateful.
10
Lastly, I speak to the two people that have shaped the history of this State in
the last sixteen (16) years.
11
You are focused, dogged and hard-working, you are a visioner par
excellence. You are a bridge-builder. To our leader Asiwaju Bola
Ahmed Tinubu; you have laid an enduring foundation for what we are all building
on today. When the history of the political economy of Nigeria is being
written, surely it would be kind to you. Thank you so much.
To our Distinguished
Senator, (Mrs.) Oluremi Tinubu; your support and commitment to our State and to
me personally during the election is well appreciated.
12
To the out-going Governor, Mr. Babatunde Raji Fashola (SAN), you have fought
the good fight. You came, you saw, you conquered. I have been at
close quarters as a student, you as my teacher and mentor. On behalf of
my family and other good people of Lagos; we say thank you. We appreciate
you and your family.
13 EVERYBODY
COUNTS
As we collectively
face the challenge to make Lagos a better place to live in, we must recognize
our strength in diversity. A common national identity where everybody
counts. I shall run an open government of inclusion that will not leave
anyone behind. No matter your age, sex, tribe or any other Status, as
long as you reside in Lagos, we will make Lagos work for you.
14 THE
NIGERIAN DREAM
Lagosians are
hardworking people. Lagos is striving because of its undying
entrepreneurial spirit. However we must realise that there are no
short-cuts to success. To our youths, we must nurture good family values
to succeed in any endeavour. I want our younger ones and children to draw
some lessons from my story. Anyone of you can rise up to be the best you
want to be. Your background and circumstances cannot be an obstacle to
your dreams. In our country, particularly in Lagos, you can always succeed.
This is the Nigerian dream where hard-work, courage, perseverance, persistence,
merit and rewards pay. We must therefore embrace new thinking and be
determined to succeed at all times. I am ready to encourage and nurture that
dream in our children, youths and every hard-working Lagosian. We would
reward merit, hard-work and loyalty to the State. The future is for those
who dare to dream and find courage to pursue their dreams.
15 THE
FUTURE IS NOW
We are all witnesses
to the economic downturn and dwindling revenues at the national and state
levels. The present economic situation has affected the financial profile
of most states in the country.
The state is blessed
that the foundation of its financial autonomy was designed and implemented by
that visioner and our leader, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu. Thus, the state has
been partially shielded from the negative trend flowing from the federal level.
For us to sustain
the progressive and radical transformation on-going in the state, we have to
redouble our efforts on all fronts for our commitment to excellence. While we
must be creative and innovative; we are not citizens until we become
responsible tax payers. I want to assure all of us that I will make your taxes
work for you. You will surely get a transparent and incorruptible government
that will give you good value for your taxes paid.
Creativity is the
most valuable asset in any public institution. Progressive governments
must reward contributors of good ideas. Therefore, wherever practicable,
we shall practise government by incentives and not government by
enforcement. We shall implement creative ideas and concepts that reduce
the cost of running government; ideas that make life simpler and happier for
our people.
I, therefore, invite
you all, to join hands with me, to offer new ideas that will pull more
resources to cater for the poor and needy amongst us. This will be a
compassionate government.
16 DEVELOPMENT
PLAN (2012 – 2025)
In the spirit of
continuity, I am committed to the State Development Plan (2012 – 2025).
The plan is structured under four pillars; (1) Social Development and Security;
(2) Infrastructural Development; (3) Economic Development and (4) Sustainable
Environment.
The challenges we
face today as a State, are good enough ingredients to bring out the best of all
of us. Together, we shall push forward and not look back, with our hands
firmly on the plough. We would work hard to tackle poverty, ignorance and
social decadence in our State.
17 PUBLIC
SECTOR REFORMS
As we all know, the
best practices of yesterday may not be good enough for the products of
today. In this sense, we shall embark on continuous reforms in the public
service. I am determined to demonstrate that the government belongs to
the citizens. You have put us here as servants to serve you and not you
serving us. Today we are committed to that creed.
Moving forward, the
Civil Service will be strengthened and made to respond to the needs of all
citizens in the same manner, quality services are rendered in the private
sector.
My administration is
prepared to take the decisions needed to promote merit and
professionalism. To restructure where required, eliminate poor Human
Resource practices and accelerate the pace of reforms in the spirit of good
governance.
I want to assure the
business community and corporate Lagos that the ease of doing business in Lagos
will be improved upon earnestly. Lagos is open for greater business; To
this end, a new office of Overseas Affairs and Investment (LAGOS GLOBAL) shall
be created under the Governor’s Office.
We want you to fly
into Lagos, start your business, find your way; live, work and enjoy in Lagos.
As part of our
reforms, a new Ministry of Wealth Creation and Employment shall be
established. This would specifically address the promise I made during
the campaign on employment trust fund, labour exchange and entrepreneurship.
This goal, we shall pursue vigorously.
Also, the Office of
Civic Engagement shall be created under the Deputy Governor’s Office to
strengthen and enhance our promise on government of inclusion. Everyone
must have a voice in my administration.
18 CONCLUSION
I have the political
will to engage investors and stakeholders in creating the enabling environment
for tourism, entertainment and arts; and iconic infrastructure for the benefit
of all.
Once again, I thank
the good people of Lagos for the confidence reposed in our party; both at the
national and State levels. We shall not disappoint you. God bless
you all.
20 God
bless Lagos State
God bless Nigeria
Itesiwaju
Ipinle Eko
Oje mi lo
gun; Oje wa lo gun
Eko oni baje
– I promise.
Thank you.
BEING THE INAUGURAL ADDRESS BY HIS EXCELLENCY, MR. AKINWUNMI
AMBODE, GOVERNOR OF LAGOS STATE ON FRIDAY, MAY 29, 2015 AT TAFAWA BALEWA
SQUARE, LAGOS
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