As electorate in Lagos State prepares to go to the polls on Saturday, March 11, the Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) has drummed support for the second term bid of the incumbent Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu.
The faith-based human rights advocacy group said that the Lagos governor deserves another term by virtue of his “sterling performance in office”.
MURIC said this in a Monday, March 6 press statement issued by its Executive Director, Professor Ishaq Akintola.
The statement reads, “The people of Lagos State will join their counterparts from other states of the federation to exercise their franchise in a nationwide gubernatorial election on Saturday, 6th March, 2023. Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu is contesting for his second term in office. It is our humble submission that Sanwo-Olu is the best option and we urge Lagosians regardless of religious background to give him their votes.
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“A quick look at the governor’s score card will reveal giant steps in critical areas. In four years, Sanwo-Olu has taken Lagos to the next level. His major achievements include the red and blue rail lines as well as the revamping of water transport with high capacity boats acquired by the Lagos State Ferry Services (LAGFERRY). These are very significant steps particularly for a mega city like Lagos with its perennial traffic congestion.
“Sanwo-Olu’s administration also constructed more than 308 roads among which are the Pen Cinema flyover, Lekki-Epe-Ibeju road expansion and the Lekki-VGC regional road. The World Health Organisation (WHO) poured encomiums on his administration for its impressive performance in the quick and effective curtailing of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“In the area of education, apart from the free education in Lagos State primary and secondary schools, tertiary institutions attract the lowest tuition in the state. In its quest for progress in this sector, the state government has established two more universities.
“Lagos became the Mecca of Nigerians from other states after former visionary Governor, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, now President-Elect, launched a master plan which has been faithfully implemented by his successors to date. It catapulted the state’s Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) from a paltry N600 million to mouth-watering figures in billions of naira every year.
“It will be retrogressive to vote for any candidate who may likely cause a derailment in the Lagos master plan. Therefore, we should give Sanwo-Olu another mandate because he has faithfully adhered to the Lagos master plan. Such adherence is necessary in order to sustain the status of Lagos as the centre of excellence in Nigeria and the model for other states. We urge all lovers of good governance and all those who want progress for Lagos State to vote for Sanwo-Olu. There is definitely no better alternative.
“MURIC appeals to Muslims in particular to regard the election this coming Saturday as an entirely different picture. A vote for Sanwo-Olu is a vote for Tinubu, his mentor. Nigerian Muslims mobilized support for Tinubu, not because they do not love their Christian neighbours, but because they were frontally challenged with a false narrative of higher Christian population in the country.
“Well, the battle has been won and lost and each group knows exactly where it stands. This time, we Muslims will vote for a Christian, Babajide Sanwo-Olu. He deserves our votes because of his brilliant performance. It may also be necessary to remind Muslims in Lagos State that Sanwo-Olu gave instructions for the issuance of the hijab circular in the state and appointed two Muslim tutor generals.
“There is also an understanding between Sanwo-Olu and the Muslims of Lagos State that a Muslim will succeed him. It is only wise to give our support to an administration with whom we have an agreement. As Muslims and responsible citizens, we also have a duty to join our Christian neighbours in keeping the treasures of Lagos away from reckless hands.
“We therefore implore the good people of Lagos to troop out en masse to vote for Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu. Sitting down and wishing on election day makes no candidate win. Good citizens must come out to perform their civic duty. Remember, bad leaders are elected by good citizens who fail to vote.”
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