The governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Lagos, Mr. Jimi Agbaje, has promised to develop all the five divisions of the state into viable economic hubs.
He stated this in Ikorodu when he met with representatives of the five divisions of the state under the umbrella of the Conference of Indigenous Associations of Lagos State (CIALS).
He also promised to address the numerous socio-political and economic dislocations that affected indigenes of the state in the last 20 years of the current democratic dispensation.
In a statement by his media office on Tuesday, Agbaje said there was the need to ensure that the current trend whereby the economic potentials of the state was limited to Lagos Island was urgently and frontally addressed.
He added that the agenda formed part of his re-anchoring programme that was aimed at the even development of all parts of the state.
Agbaje stated that the programme, when fully implemented, would address the numerous problems currently plaguing the state, such as quality education, mass transportation, education and provision of water.
“What we are looking at is a situation whereby we turn each of the five divisions making up the state to an economic hub, using the various comparative advantages of each of the various division for economic development in a sustainable manner that won’t cause someone living in Badagry for instance to seek livelihood in a far-flung area such as Lagos Island,” he said.
While admitting that the indigenes of the state had sacrificed much to accommodate others, he stated that a fair term that would ensure that non-indigenes were not relegated in the scheme of things in the running of the state under his leadership.
The governorship hopeful, who described himself and his running mate, Mrs. Haleemat Oluyemisi Busari, as proud indigenes of the state, however, promised to dispassionately look into the issues of marginalization and loss of opportunities raised by the association.
The president of the association, Professor Rasheed Ojikutu, lamented that aboriginal Lagosians had become marginalised in their homeland due to the hospitality extended to non-indigenes.
According to the association, issues such as lopsidedness in political appointments, environmental degradation, land grabbing by privileged state officials and politicians, dwindling opportunities to indigenes in accessing slots in state government-owned educational institutions formed part of the critical areas needing attention.
