The Lagos Project And Arrested Development By Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa, Esq

There are several historical versions of the true LAGOS, but one
recurring one is that it is claimed by itinerant traders called the
Aworis, who have today become the Olofins, the present land owning
families in Lagos State. Given its unique cosmopolitan location,
Lagos became an instant attraction for the British merchants, as
the easy route to boost their slave trade and other commercial
activities. So it was that Lagos became the centre of governance,
for the colonialists. Being the primary place of residence and
governance, Lagos was modeled to suit the lifestyles of the British
conquerors, with proper physical planning and infrastructures, such
that would later lead to the emergence of city centres like Apapa
GRA, Ikeja GRA, Old Yaba/Railway Units, Ikoyi and other exclusive
areas.

Landmark buildings and estates sprang up also in Lagos, which
easily became the unanimous choice as federal capital, upon
Nigeria’s independence. With suitable infrastructure and government
presence, Lagos became the commercial hub for all manner of
business investments, trading and commerce, despite its limited
land size. It then acquired some kind of cosmopolitan status, with
people trooping in from all nooks and crannies of the nation, for
greener pastures. The presence of several military barracks and
police formations also ensured that it was about the safest city to
dwell in, promoting a sense of acceptability, for all. And the
people! The average Lagosian is a happy go lucky fellow, satisfied
with the goodness that life can bring, detribalized, urbane,
hospitable, liberal minded and tolerant, without any religious or
tribal biases at all. They are simply the best.

Upon the attainment of independence, Ibadan was adopted as the
political capital of the Yorubas, thus saving Lagos the bitter
political wars, rancours and schemes, even though the mainstream
politics of the Unity Party of Nigeria worked to favour the
development of Lagos, eventually. Obafemi Awolowo developed a
master plan for Lagos through Lateef Jakande, that was rooted in
people oriented governance through mass housing, transportation,
building of schools for free education and enduring road network.
Successive administrators of Lagos have in turn imbibed the culture
of development through planning, even among the non-career
administrators, like Ndubuisi Kanu and Buba Marwa. By the time the
federal government realized the need to expand its operations
through a new capital city, Lagos had acquired and retained its
pride of place as the commercial nerve centre of the nation, which
you have no choice but to reckon with as such. This was the
scenario leading to the 1999 general elections, which threw up Bola
Tinubu.

Bola Tinubu undertook a thorough assessment of the status of
Lagos, consulted widely and decided on a new masterplan. He
assembled a team of professionals and experts, from all over
Nigeria, to help develop the vision into an achievable template. It
would later take some of his trusted allies to several cities
abroad, to understudy their models for good governance and
development. The gain of that exercise was in the realization that
development could not be easily attained through the existing
bureaucracy, leading to the establishment of several
interventionist agencies like LASTMA, LASEPA, LAGBUS, LASEMA,
LABSCA, etc. The Tinubu era was mainly to lay the foundation for
the new Lagos, for which he coopted experienced technocrats, most
of whom were not indigenes of the State, to help run with his
vision. It was a daring vision indeed, that challenged the status
quo and got the powers thundering down on it with all aggression,
all of which it survived, albeit not without some bruises here and
there. Having laid the political foundation, Babatunde Fashola
would later come in to hammer in the real mega city agenda. With
his intellectual gift, exposure and skills, Fashola worked
tirelessly to oil the wheel of Lagos’ transformation, embarking
upon very laudable projects to reach the people. Though elitist in
style, Fashola’s concept of good governance got other States
running and Lagos soon became a model for planning and development.
He brought sanity into governance, majoring mainly on projects and
manpower development. Virtually from nowhere, Akinwunmi Ambode
walked into the scene, with bold developmental ideas through
sensible initiatives, which challenged all previous efforts. His
seeming political naivity was his undoing though, as he got
swallowed by the same Lagos agenda that he came to expand. And now
we have Babajide Sanwoolu, to spearhead the next phase of the Lagos
Model.

From whichever angle it is viewed, the Lagos Model has worked
for Lagos and for Nigeria, being the product of careful and
deliberate planning, over the years. It would definitely take a
counter superior model, to displace that status quo. And that other
model must be known, it must be specific and speak to the real
issues that have troubled or caged the original model. Those issues
range from perceived godfather-rism, the much trumpeted greed and
total dominance of the political and economic space of Lagos, by a
dynasty. Now, it is possible to be disenchanted by the turn of
events since the Tinubu era, but we can’t possibly wish away the
positive impact of the Lagos Model, first on the people and
secondly on governance, across Nigeria, for it has become a
phenomenon.

For the first time in Nigeria, we actually had an
Attorney-General that was spearheading integrity as a policy for
running public institutions. Yemi Osinbajo was the arrowhead of the
transformation of the judiciary in Lagos State, through
revolutionary initiatives of electronic recordings, upgrade of
welfare of judicial officers, commencement of alternative dispute
mechanisms and renovation of the courtrooms. It is true that many
have issues with the elitist nature of the Lagos Model, as no
single slum settlement has so far benefitted from this arrested
development, despite huge monetary investments from donor agencies
such as the World Bank and AFDB. This should be the next phase of
the governing think tank, to integrate the rural settlements into
the developmental plan of the mega city.

The Lagos Model has been hindered by the shortsightedness of
lack of electricity to drive the economy of Lagos. If there is any
regret for Fashola, it should be his inability to develop an
off-grid power system for Lagos. That in itself partially crippled
all the efforts put into the Lagos Model. How can a city with so
much potentials be depending on public power supply, when it was
revealed at the mega city planning stage that extant bureaucratic
institutions should be sidelined for revolutionary initiatives?
That indeed is arrested development! If there can be minimum
eighteen hours of constant electricity supply in Lagos, then you
can be sure that in five years from now, its economy will be
competing with that of Nigeria. The consequences of the power
drought, on the environment, on productivity and the prosperity of
Lagosians are too weighty to be ignored. And that is why it is
shocking that after about three years on the saddle as the Minister
in charge of power, Fashola has not been able to execute his boast
of electricity in six months, at least for Lagos.
So, looking forward to March 2 to determine the occupant of
Government House in Alausa, I should see some sense in the
continuity of the Lagos Model, as the alternatives have not truly
spoken to the real issues. This is not an endorsement though, given
that one is virtually involved with all the major contenders, in
that Babajide Sanwoolu is a neighbor, Jimi Agbaje is a friend and
Babatunde Gbadamosi is a client. It is only a careful analysis,
birthed through reality.

The challenge now however is to return to the drawing board and
dig out the original masterplan for the Lagos Model, to free it
from all the cobwebs and an apparent tactical misadventure. The
seeming distrust for the Lagos Model is based mostly on the
disconnect between the people and the drivers of the masterplan. A
situation that seems to prosper and oil the pockets of a dynasty
cannot survive the 21st century transparency agenda for long. The
architects of Lagos of old did no special thing but to focus on
infrastructure and the deliverables. There is just no way a city
like Lagos can continue to exist without basic amenities of water,
electricity and housing, for the common people, who are in the
majority. That should be the essence of the new phase, to be
anchored by Babajide Sanwoolu, in the years to come. So, if the
Lagos Model must continue, it must work for the common good. We
cannot have a Mega City held down by touts, thugs and cultists. It
just cannot work.

Perhaps there is then the need to revisit developed cities with
the peculiarities of Lagos again, in Holland, in China, in the USA,
and even in South Africa, for we cannot be mouthing Dubai in Lagos
without committing first to the basic requirements of
accountability, transparency and good government for all. Whereas
the Tinubu era was good, the Fashola era was better, the Ambode era
was super, the palpable fear of most Lagosians is that the coming
Sanwoolu era may totally eclipse the Lagos Model, unless something
is done urgently, by the drivers thereof, to reinvent the vision of
a truly Mega Lagos, totally free from this arrested
development.