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GRV is on a mission to deliver a Lagos that works for the people [Pulse Interview]

In an interview with<strong> Pulse,</strong> GRV extensively shared his plans for Nigeria’s commercial capital and how he intends to address the issues Lagos residents are facing.
Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, the governorship candidate of the Labour Party in Lagos State (Premium Times)
Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, the governorship candidate of the Labour Party in Lagos State (Premium Times)

The desire to see a Nigeria where political leaders work for the people and care about them prompted Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour (GRV) to join politics in 2016.

Six years down the line, Gbadebo fondly known as GRV joined the Lagos gubernatorial race to become the next governor of the state in 2023, having tested his popularity in local government and senatorial elections in the state.

Driven by a vision to deliver a Lagos that works for the good of Lagosians, the governorship candidate of the Labour Party (LP) is enthusiastically prepared to run the race that’ll open doors for him to execute his plans for the people of the state. 

In an interview with Pulse, GRV extensively shared his plans for Nigeria’s commercial capital and how he intends to address the issues Lagos residents are facing.

The 39-year-old candidate, whose political ideology and governance ideas center around the people promised that if elected, he would prioritise transportation, education, and the healthcare system in Lagos State. 

GRV believes solving these three problems would enable his administration to easily address other challenges and make life much better for the people.

For decades, some of the problems associated with living in Lagos have refused to go away. Efforts by successive administrations to tackle them have not substantially addressed issues like transportation in the state.

In his agenda, a well-planned transportation system can be tied to accommodation, job opportunities, as well as urban planning and renewals in some local governments to attract industries to such areas. 

“Transportation is also tied to urban planning to create, you know, Urban renewals in certain local governments so that they can function sustainably by themselves. How do we plan our city, Lagos state to ensure that industry can go into each of these local governments so, that people do have to travel long distances to get to work or finding a means of living, so, that people do have to travel long distances to get to work or finding a means of living.” he submitted.

Tackling the menace of the brash and aggressive young men employed to work as Agbero by the National Union of Road Transport Workers in the state is also an important programme in the GRV’s agenda.

According to him, the menace of Agbero on Lagos roads is a creation of lazy politicians who want to permanently remain in power by using the jobless youths to perpetuate electoral violence. 

To address this, the Labour Party candidate said his administration would empower road transport workers with alternative means of earning, and make them useful citizens.

“We are coming, our government by God’s grace is going to focus on getting our job done. So we are not going to need thugs to snatch any ballot boxes, ? So for us like I said, we will empower the youth. empower people to have an alternative means of earning, and then once we’ve created that alternative we’re going to crack down on this agbero menace that is in Lagos State.”

On healthcare, the governorship candidate vowed to improve the capacity and welfare of healthcare workers in the state and at the same time ensure there are consequences for medical negligence.

“It is not okay to go to a hospital and they leave you waiting in the waiting room until you die, or they tell you that you should leave and go to a Babalawo to go and get treated or they tell you that there’s no oxygen in the hospital.”

Contrary to the recent ban on Okada, GRV proposed regulations on the operations of motorcycle riders in Lagos to empower local governments across the state to function better.

He believes the ban on Okada in the state is a disservice because “there are places in Lagos people cannot get to without bikes”.

“What we need to do is map these things out and then localize the registration of okadas to the local government. LGs must become more empowered, they must become places that generate data.

“As an Okada rider, you go and register at a local government. Biometrics are taking of you the rider and this is then tied into the surveillance system in that local government. So if there’s any problem that involved your Okada, it will be picked up by cameras. That’s where we need to get to in Lagos State. The outright ban is not what you need”, he said.

On the recurring building collapse incidents in the state, the candidate, who is an architect by profession submitted that corruption is the main reason people continue to die in Lagos as a result of buildings falling down. 

Explaining the reason buildings collapse in Lagos every time, GRV submitted, “First of all, there’s just so much red tape and bribing and things that have to happen and because you’re drained of all of that you don’t have the leverage to go and inspect and truly do your work to make sure that these things are being done properly.

“If for me to get planning approval and have to bribe and bribe and bribe, the conversation will never be are you using the right materials? Are you following your structure engineer’s drawings? Are you meeting the building regulation codes? 

“There are places in Lagos that are not supposed to go higher than certain floors, but obviously, it becomes more profitable the higher you go. So all you have to do is give one person in Lagos (I’m not going to mention who) two apartments in your tower and then you can now go 14 floors instead of eight floors or nine floors. This is what is happening”. 

The Labour Party candidate further assured Lagosians that his administration would improve their capacity and localize solutions to the problems facing them in their communities.

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