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A former governor of Jigawa State has dismissed the popular claim that President Bola Tinubu is the architect of modern Lagos State, criticising his federal administration for its failures.
Tinubu governed Nigeria’s economic hub from 1999 to 2007 and is credited by some supporters for establishing the foundations of a modern Lagos.
However, Lamido, a member of the main opposition party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), argues that Lagos, as the former Nigerian capital, had a significant head start in development before the capital was moved to Abuja.
During his appearance on Monday’s edition of Channels TV’s flagship program, Politics Today, he said, “I know him when he was under SDP; when he was the secretary of the party. I also knew him as governor of Lagos State. I know him very well, and I know his capacity; I know what he can do; I know what he cannot do. Luckily today, he is there on top of the country. He never built Lagos.”
“Lagos was built with Nigerian money- I mean the port, the airport, the bridges. So, when you say Tinubu built Lagos; he never built Lagos.”
Since President Tinubu assumed office in May 2023, his administration has implemented numerous reforms, such as eliminating the fuel subsidy and allowing the naira to float.
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However, these measures have led to a threefold increase in petrol prices, a higher cost of living, and inflation, reaching 33.6% by April 2024.
Despite the administration’s appeal for patience, anticipating that the policies will soon be beneficial, Lamido has criticised the current government negatively.
“The government is doing almost everything wrong,” he said on the current affairs show, faulting the Lagos-Calabar coastal road project amid the clamour for a new minimum wage by organised labour.
He stated that if the government undertakes the project and manages resources wisely, Nigeria can easily afford the new minimum wage requested by labour leaders.
“There is money in Nigeria. If they do it [Lagos-Calabar coastal road], they can pay any minimum wage,” the ex-governor insisted.