Fashola has lost my vote

Until recently, I used to be one of the fanatical supporters of Fashola even though I have no real political leaning. One of the reasons why I supported him was beacause he went to the best university in the world, which I am a product of. Incidentally, I graduated one year earlier than him from the same faculty. He really has my sentiments. I also got to love him because of his creative approach to governance and the host of new things that he has introduced in the past two years. I have listened to him over this period and like all talented lawyers he has the gift of garb and listening to him is a great delight.

However, what I am seeing presently indicate that he is becoming a victim of his popularity and is now turning governance into an agent of oppression and affliction to the populace. His regime is beginning to remind me of the whizkid sensations of the finance house days who ultimately turned out to be frauds and dubious people. I think they are now being carried away by the accolades and using it to introduce new policies which are daily impoverishing the people. It now appears as if either our man is now a captive of his self serving political ilks, or someone thinks that we can all be taken for a ride.

With the coming of the rains, the deficiencies of this government is now becoming apparent. The traffic situation has suddenly reached an alarming state and absolutely nothing is being done about it. This is the same government that said recently that they make a monthly income of N14.5 billion and that they had beaten the global meltdown. It seems as if the whole thing is melting down into a few pockets. No one should attempt to claim that the traffic situation is caused by the failure of the federal roads. The truth is that the connecting state roads that should have served as alternatives are either inadequate or in terrible shape.

We have been made to pay immense price under this government supposedly for the better good of the general populace. Buildings have been demolished, shops and stalls destroyed, and people have been rendered homeless and without a source of livelihood and without adequate provisions made to resettle them. The truth is that we have never had it this bad when it comes to government making provision for the upliftment of the people. The burden of taxation on the people presently is most unbearable, and in spite of all these we are yet to see any real dividends. Rather this govenment has afflicted us today with a highly politicised and corrupt civil service made up of task masters and oppressors.

Recently, a local government chairman celebrated his 200 days in office by purchasing 7 jeeps, yet the major road that runs through the length of his local government area is worse than a death trap. One imagines what Fashola and his cohorts could have been able to achieve in their first two years of governance. A great opportunity for a bright young man to write his name in gold is gradually being frittered away. This is the shame of my generation; we are now taking governance to its most unfortunately corrupt height. Why can Lagos not generate its own power to ensure uninterrupted power supply? I would rather pay increased tarrif, than the amount of money that I pay to ensure that I enjoy power in my house and office. Lagos can afford better road network and more bridges to handle the worsening traffic situation. We can make the government schools to have better infrastructures and improve their management in order to secure the destiny of our next generation. Even though I commend the idea for beautification of Lagos, the execution of this beautiful dream has been appalling and maintenance in most locations is not existent. I think Fashola needs to drive around with less speed and on his own. He would be blind not to observe the shoddy work that was made of such a brilliant idea.

Everyday he appears to me like a man under captive and unable to do anything about it. Maybe I thought too much of him initially. Government has turned itself into a nuisance and a hinderance to the well being of the people. It portrays itself as though it has something against businesses and private developments. When they should relate with private citizens as partners in development, they act as if they are in competition and put together policies designed to frustrate them and kill the private sector. One would have thought that Fashola who came from the private sector would have done better. Have they ever imagined why each time politicians come into business they have not fared well?

Now, they have introduced what is called the Infractructure Development Tax, which is designed to kill the lower middle class and younger professional. It will hinder them from aspiring to develop their own properties and keep them at the mercy of those who loot government money to develop properties and rent them out at incredible rates. This is due to the ridiculously high amount that this tax demands from the people who want to develop their properties for commercial, educational and religious purposes. I know someone who wanted to develop a coldstore on a property which he had acquired for a while. He intended to spend about N10 million for the entire development, but received an assessment of about N17 million for this tax. For those who are able to make this payment, the final burden will ultimately be borne by the common man. Meanwhile, no one is doing anything to tax those who develop large mansions that are developed everyday in Lekki, Victoria Island and Ikoyi.

The bottomline is that we are presently seeing in Fashola, the head of a government that is totally insensitive to the plight of the people, and unless there is a change, he has lost my vote in the next election.