By Ayomide Otitoju
Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has challenged opposition parties to present credible policy ideas capable of competing with the development agenda of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), rather than seeking political change for its own sake.
Sanwo-Olu spoke on Tuesday while delivering the centenary anniversary lecture of the Yoruba Tennis Club at the club’s Greetings Hall in Onikan, Lagos.
The lecture, titled “Democracy, Governance, and the Lagos Spirit: A Century of Excellence,” was attended by First Lady Ibijoke Sanwo-Olu, Deputy Governor and Lagos APC governorship candidate Obafemi Hamzat, political and traditional leaders, public officials, members of the club and other dignitaries.
The governor, who is the South-West Zonal Coordinator of the APC Presidential Campaign Council, said Lagos had benefited from policy continuity and urged voters to scrutinise alternatives based on their ideas and records.
He said the opposition should provide credible alternatives rather than advocate change without demonstrating how such a change would improve governance.
“Our challenge to the opposition remains the same – to put forward credible ideas that are able to compete with ours, instead of seeking change for the sake of change,” Sanwo-Olu said.
He argued that continuity had contributed to Lagos’ development since the return of democracy in 1999, with successive administrations building on the development blueprint established under former Governor Bola Ahmed Tinubu, now President of Nigeria.
Sanwo-Olu described what he called the “Lagos Spirit” as a combination of courage, self-reliance, partnership and continuous improvement, which he said had shaped the state’s political and economic development.
He cited Lagos’ role in the June 12 pro-democracy struggle, its response to the withholding of its federal allocation in 2004 and the establishment of indigenous institutions as examples of the state’s history of civic activism and self-reliance.
The governor also identified four principles underpinning what he termed the “Lagos Playbook” for governance: having a clear vision, self-reliance, partnership and measuring government performance by its impact on ordinary citizens.
Reviewing his administration’s seven years in office, Sanwo-Olu said the THEMES+ development agenda had delivered projects and reforms across transportation, healthcare, education, technology, the economy, tourism, security and governance.
He listed the establishment of two public universities, the Imota Rice Mill, investments in submarine cable landings and data centres, the development of a children’s hospital and the Lagos Central Food Security System and Logistics Hub among the projects undertaken by his administration.
The governor also reflected on the 100-year history of the Yoruba Tennis Club, describing its establishment as an expression of self-confidence by indigenous Lagosians during the colonial era.
He urged the club to preserve its founding values while adapting to changing times, and called for greater youth participation, improved documentation of its history and high standards in admitting new members.
Chairman of the Yoruba Tennis Club, Chief Olawunmi Gasper, reaffirmed the club’s commitment to preserving cultural heritage, promoting fellowship and contributing to the social, economic and civic development of Lagos.
The centenary celebration featured the anniversary lecture, the presentation and launch of a history book, the groundbreaking ceremony for a proposed Legacy Building and an exhibition of 100 years of historical and archival materials.
