Tinubu’s critics adopting his policies, underestimate him at your peril

Minister for works and housing Babatunde Fashola said the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Bola Tinubu will get his vote and support in the 2023 elections.

Fashola stated this on Thursday as a guest on TVC programme ‘Your View’ where he highlighted his reasons for supporting Tinubu’s presidential ambition.

“I’ll vote for him, and I’m campaigning for Tinubu. Other opposition candidates should come and show us what they have done (because) all of them held public office,” Fashola said.

“I think people localise Tinubu when they only talk about what he did in Lagos. This is because all his policies have gained national resonance even by his own violent critics.”

Fashola narrated how Tinubu ‘pioneered’ the use of bonds to fund the execution of public projects when he served as Lagos State governor.

“Let us remember that the first state-raised bonds for infrastructure in this country was during his time as governor in spite of federal PDP opposition, saying that it couldn’t be done, but that is the model that all states now follow to raise funding.

“So, there was a funding problem, we still have a funding and revenue problem.”

The minister said the strategy that Tinubu used to increase Lagos State’s internally-generated revenue is being adopted by other states in Nigeria.

“Nigeria has a similar problem in our revenue based and this is what (Tinubu) is offering.

“Also, when people were struggling with access to justice, Tinubu create office of the public defender in Lagos. The last time I checked about 10 states have created their own version. So, even those who oppose him, adopt his policies.”

He noted that Tinubu created the Lagos State Signage and Advertisement Agency (LASAA) to generate revenue at local government level, adding that 15 states now have their versions of LASAA and Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA).

Fashola, a former Lagos State governor, who served as chief of staff during Tinubu’s tenure as governor, said anyone who underestimates the APC presidential candidate’s resilience and intelligence do so at their own peril.

“Let the opponents come and show us what they have done. Tinubu is from local to national. And we’re asking them, what have you done? All of them, the frontrunners, held public office.