Governor  Babatunde Fashola

Governor  Babatunde Fashola has been hailed for transforming the Lagos State. He transformed Oshodi bus stop, a spot in the heart of the city where traffic never moved; where traders displayed their wares on one full lane of the road (both sides), it was the headquarters of pick-pockets, daylight thieves, dare-devil robbers and killers for hire. He is also credited for raising revenue from taxation in Lagos State from a mere N600 million monthly in 1999 to approximately N20.5 billion in 2013. In the health sector, the boots on the ground efforts by the Fashola administration saved Nigeria and the whole world the spectacle of the worst epidemic it might have seen—Ebola.

While Governor Fashola has done very well since 2007, he has not done wonders. Measuring and judging Gov. Fashola to those before him is deserving. However, Lagos State, Nigeria's most endowed city/state laden with everyone from all corners of Nigeria leaves a lot to be classified as having emerged from the woods.
 
Lagos has horrible public service programs, choking network of roads, no sewer or wastewater system. Hardly does the state water board pump about 10 million gallons of water daily to support its nearly 17 million population. This begs the question, since Lagos is situated by the ocean, what has prevented the leadership from developing an efficient water supply system? What is so difficult in copying that technology? If the world average of say 5 gallons per person daily were to apply, Lagos should be pumping daily about 85 million gallons of water. But the City  will never get there in another 50 years even if 'Fasholas' increased. The leadership prone to transaction and not transformation.
 
Yes, Gov. Fashola receives ovation and deservedly so, but considering measurable items such as the state budget and ratio of capital to recurrent expenditures and social programs, Gov. Fashola has managed to keep mostly uninformed people happy. Lagos State has a budget that is less than $3b. Assuming that everyone that lives in Lagos were to be written a check out of the budget, each person would receive – about $1,000. If anyone is impressed with that number, they are entitled but that is no money. That is putting it in perspective.
 
Had Gov. Fashola shown that Lagos State during his eight years of administration gets about 50% of its revenue from internally generated sources and the other half from Abuja, I would have joined the chorus line to trumpet his ‘wonders.’ Here is a comparative analysis using his figures. If Gov. Fashola has managed to grow internal revenue to N20.5b ($100m), and the state budget is about $3b, it means the state relies on outside help for 70%. But as it is, Lagos State is just like many others states with about 70% – 85% of its operating revenue from the center. That being the case, what has Gov. Fashola done different from say Kogi, Enugu, Imo or other less endowed states that rely heavily on Abuja’s allocation? Increasing internal revenue from N600m to N20.5b ($100m) is worthy but that amount compared to the potential is a drop in the bucket. Lagos State still relies on allocation from Abuja to shore up its operating revenue and budget.
 
In 2014, Lagos State only allocated about $9m for poverty alleviation. Considering that more than 90% of Lagos’ population are considered dangerously poor, what can anyone do with the allocation?
 
Lagos State’s 2014 budget, was lower than its 2013 budget by nearly 2.5% and the 2015 budget is flat as same as 2014, an indication that no growth or new money came into the state coffers. While Gov Fashola should be commended, Nigerians need to begin demanding more mileage from their public officials. It is this constant dance in the square and ovation that is making Governors to run the states like ‘petty cash operations’ - doing whatever they want/can to appease the people while the economy of the state is hardly improving. There is no vigorous comparative analysis done on the budget to see how to spike and spark effective utilization of public resources. Money is never enough, however, the attitude to money enabled by efficient system stretches public resources to achieve a bigger bang.
 
I will clap along for Gov. Fashola but on a serious examination of deploying effective tools of the state to get more mileage, Gov. Fashola is just like many of them.
 
Just my 2 kobo enabled by my 2 cents.

By Ejike E. Okpa II
Dallas, Texas.