It was like a carnival in Lagos on Tuesday when Minister of Works, Power and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, inaugurated 5,000 foot-soldiers who will vigourously campaign for the re-election of President Muhammadu Buhari.
The expansive Haven Event centre in Ikeja was filled to capacity with APC supporters gorgeously clad in ‘Buhari 2019’ T-shirts and caps who were drawn from the 57 local government and Local Council Development Areas.
Fashola reeled out the achievements of the Buhari-led administration in the last three and half years and reiterated to the party supporters that Buhari is a good product that will sell anyday , anytime.
He said: “We only have one mission. It’s to see to the re-election of good leadership. Your mission is not to disrupt peace of promote violence but to seek the consciousness of every Nigerian to the good works the President has done in the out- going first tenure, and let them know why we have to re- elect him.
“I want you all to be a formidable force towards Buhari/Osinbajo’s re-election. You are not being inaugurated just to go out and shout and dance. You have to be strategic and objective in your different local governments. I believe you all are equal to the task, so go out and conquer”
The minister added that, “The APC has done more in three years than 16 years of PDP administration, yet they say President Buhari is too slow. President Buhari is taking Nigeria to the next level. We are going to the Next Level.
“The 2019 presidential election is a choice between going back and moving forward to the next level and also a choice of whom Nigerians can trust with their money. “Buhari has inaugurated a structural infrastructure fund for road construction. N15 billion has been released for the rehabilitation of Lagos-Ibadan expressway.
“There is need for the progress to continue. Dubai was built with oil-money; Nigeria can be built with it too. The past administration squandered oil revenue.
“Federal Government is constructing at least one road in every state in Nigeria. We are also constructing houses in 34 states in Nigeria. “We have collected 690 containers for the construction of 90 transmission stations and through our policy of mini grids, our markets now have uninterrupted power supply.
“In the last 3 years we have constructed 40 kilometres of roads per year. In 2015, the total number of roads completed nationwide was 80 kilometres. In 2016 after we took over, we completed, 274 kilometres of road, 478 kilometres in 2017 and 474 kilometres in 2018. “Electric generation has moved from 4000 Megawatts that we met to 7000MW.
That’s an increase of 3000MW, an average of 1000MW a year. We have started an IPP in 9 universities in Nigeria. We have accelerated the distribution of meters by outsourcing it to distributors.”
Mr. Oyinlomo Danmole, a former commissioner for Home Affairs in Lagos who is the Director General of the Independent Campaign Group explained that the group, ‘Buhari 2019’ will be complementing the campaign efforts of the party.
Danmole charged the grassroot mobilizers to prove their mettle in their respective communities and wards by collating data and constantly follow-up on registered voters in their wards before the elections.
“You have all been drawn from all the LCDA’s we have in every part of Lagos because of your loyalty to the party and past achievements for the party in Lagos State. We likewise trust that this group would achieve far beyond what we have ever achieved in this state and Buhari will be elected again.
“This is not the APC campaign council team. The party would conduct their own campaign when they are set. This group consists of participants from different tribes and religion, like Hausa, Igbo, Yoruba, and other smaller tribes. We were all carefully selected to complement whatever the APC campaign council will do. The purpose is to bring more votes for Buhari in 2019, and we are targeting between 4.5 million and five million votes for Buhari out of 6.2 million registered voters.
Personalities in attendance at the event were the lawmaker representing Lagos East Senatorial District, Senator Gbenga Ashafa; former Commissioner for Transportation, Mr Kayode Opeifa; former Special Adviser on Political and Legislative Matters, Mr. Oyinlomo Danmole; former Chief of Staff to Fashola, Chief Lanre Babalola; and Senior Special Assistant to the President on Sustainable Development Goals, SDGs, and former Deputy Governor in Lagos State, Mrs. Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire.
