Lagos State Governor, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has appealed to the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) not to politicise fuel subsidy removal.
Governor Sanwo-Olu made the plea on Sunday after a post-inauguration thanksgiving service, which took place at the Cathedral Church of Christ, as part of 11-day activities to mark the governor and his deputy’s second term inauguration.
According to Governor Sanwo-Olu, who was accompanied by his wife Dr. Ibijoke Sanwo-Olu, Deputy Governor Obafemi Hamzat and his wife, Oluremi Hamzat, to the church service, which marked the end of activities lined up for the second term inauguration, going on strike will neither address nor resolve any issue.
He noted that all the presidential candidates in the last election said the first thing they would do was to remove fuel subsidy, saying that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu had done nothing different from what others would have done.
“This is not the time to go on strike. Recall that all presidential candidates said the first thing they will do is to remove fuel subsidy. So what has changed? What has President Bola Ahmed Tinubu said or done that is different from what others would have done? The president has not even spent one week in office,” HR said.
Governor Sanwo-Olu, therefore, enjoined the citizens to be very patient and reason together, cautioning against playing politics with the issue but supporting President Tinubu on the move.
“We need to be very patient and reason together. Let us not make the issue about politics, but let’s support this man. We should allow him to go and reflect.
“Strike will not resolve anything; it won’t address the issue. The point should be how to ensure a sustained turnaround in our economy. The president mentioned better ways, and we started that in Lagos in January, and I hope other states can key into it. We don’t need to wait for the national government, we just need to reflect on what the challenges are in the country and seek ways to resolve them,” the governor said.
“So I plead with the NLC not to turn the subsidy issue into a political one. The leadership should know they are leading people, and so there is a need to restrain themselves. Let us be patient and work with the president.
“NNPC has said it has more than enough fuel to go round, so there is no need to heat up the polity. We should not get political because it is governance, and the people must see purposeful governance,” he added.
Speaking on the thanksgiving service, Governor Sanwo-Olu noted that it was important to acknowledge God’s help to individuals, the state, and the country and commit the second term into God’s hand for direction, even as he again assured Lagosians to expect a lot more from his government.
“It is important to thank God Almighty and to acknowledge his help to all of us, as individuals, as a state, as a nation, and to also commit our second tenure to him, to ask him for direction and to place everything in his front.
“Lagosians should also expect a lot more from us. We have promised a human-centric THEMES PLUS agenda which will ensure no one is left behind. We want to build a better inclusive sense of governance where we will be doing a lot of hard and soft infrastructure, things that will touch the people’s lives, specifically palliatives that would bring succor and relief to our citizens in their difficult times, especially with the global economic issues.
“The people also need to understand that though the government cannot do everything, we need to be able to bring them out of poverty and speak to what their needs and yearnings are. So it’s a purposeful human-centric agenda that will ensure that no one is left behind. And we are holding ourselves accountable to that,” Sanwo-Olu assured.
Provost of the Cathedral, Rev. Adebola Ojofeitimi, gave his sermon on “Unity: Catalyst for Godly Possibilities,” urging the people to remain united so that things can work effectively.
“We are wired to be united for efficiency, you can see the power in unity is, unity makes us strong to make the right impact. In Lagos, we are united, it makes Lagos powerful, he said.
Thanksgiving prayers were led by the State Chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Rt. Revd.Stephen Adegbite.
Other dignitaries at the thanksgiving service included Lagos State Chairman of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Cornelius Ojelabi, APC Women Leader, Jumoke Okoya-Thomas, former members of the state executive council, Body of Permanent Secretaries, Oba of Lagos, Oba Rilwan Akiolu, represented by the White Cap Chiefs, African Church Archbishop from Abuja, Peter Ogunmuyiwa, among others.
