The Favour Governor Akeredolu Can Do Us

Anthony Kila writes that Governor Rotimi Akeredolu of Ondo state needs to come up with cogent reasons why he’s expending huge resources to remodel and develop two state-owned estates in Victoria Island and Ikoyi, Lagos.

Dear Governor Rotimi Akeredolu

Lagos and Abuja have two peculiar but common presence and practice managed by Nigerian State Governments that we are invited to dwell upon today.

The practice and presence are those of having government lodges and state liaisons offices in Abuja and in Lagos.

It is easy to trace the origin for both: Lagos, the current commercial capital of Nigeria, was also the political capital of the country till the creation of Abuja, the current capital of Nigeria.

Let us be clear. To discuss this issue, fate has chosen you, Dear Governor Rotimi Akeredolu, as our main interlocutor not because you are the only Governor with a Liaison office and a Government Lodge in Lagos and Abuja but simply because, just this week, there was a news item that most might have missed but that presented your state (Ondo state) as the newest property developer in Lagos.

Timing and coincidence apart, your track record of being a lawyer, activist and governor never to do things to be shy off or to shy away from done deeds also make you a preferred addressee.

Yes, if there is anyone that can do us the favour of explaining this practice and presence, it is you.

Some of the very important information that the news item gave us include the news that your government is re-purposing and re-developing its real estate assets in two prime areas of Lagos State.

The real estate assets are Sunshine Plaza in Victoria Island and Sunshine Apartments in Parkview Estate, Ikoyi.

We also learnt that the Sunshine Plaza is a 7-floor office development with a total gross leasable area of 3,798 square meters, and its completion is expected in Q4 2023 and that the Sunshine Apartments consist of 6 units of 3-bedroom apartments with BQs and a penthouse, and the average rent for a 3-bedroom apartment in Ikoyi is N12,500,000 Naira per annum.

For the uninitiated, here are four facts about the Sunshine Plaza and the Sunshine Apartments.

One (a finance related fact) is that the two buildings are located in two very prime areas of Lagos, the other (historical fact) is that the Sunshine Plaza was formally known as Oduduwa House.

The third fact is political and it is that previous Ondo state administrations have abandoned these buildings like many other state governments have done and are doing to their liaison and sometimes Government lodges.

The fourth fact for consideration is that these investment projects are managed by Ondo State Development and Investment Agency (ONDIPA).

By the way the agency is yet to list this new project on their website, let them take this as a reminder.

Dear Governor, I am sure you will agree with me that in the mind of the average citizens and residents of your state, an agency created to manage development and investments is imagined and indeed understood to be made to manage any and all development and investments inside Ondo state not Lagos or another state.

The average citizens think and understand that the purpose of an agency like ONDIPA is to bring investments and developments to the state not do it outside the state.

You need to do us the favour of explaining where they get it wrong.

In the specific case of the Sunshine Plaza and the Sunshine Apartments, please ask any architect, bricklayer, contractor, dredger, electrician based in Ondo state that could have worked on these projects what I mean by their expectation that ONDIPA should be bringing development and investment to Ondo state not engage in building Lagos.

I am sure you like many other governors have your good and valid reasons for this and other investment projects outside your states, here is a good opportunity for you to do us the favour of explaining the rationale of such policies.

It is possible to argue that the investments generated in Lagos state will be used in Ondo state to generate development. That argument however brings to fore the question of the difference between the philosophy and ethics of managing public and private assets.

Should the public wallet and the assets contained in it, whether natural or social, be used for speculating in view of making profit, like individuals and private organisations do or should the commonwealth be strictly limited to the purpose of making life better for the populace?

There is another point that needs explanation: Investments and development are done in the name of and for the benefit of the people of the state, so technically and morally, the people of Ondo state are the landlords of these plaza and apartments in Victoria Island and Ikoyi.

I am tempted to wish these Landlords congratulations but understandably, they might not take it well considering how rich indigenes and residents of Ondo state are. My educated guess is that the people of Ondo state like many other citizens and residents of others states would rather not have any Government Lodge or State Liaison offices in Lagos or Abuja.

Those who doubt me should ask themselves how many times they or their family members have visited a Government Lodge or State Liaison offices in Lagos or Abuja.

My educated guess is that the people of Ondo state like many other citizens and residents of others states would prefer any amount of asset their state governments have be directed to the improvement of education that will generate human capital (or talents as they say at CIAPS) that will not only generate wealth inside the states but also solve other problems the state might have.

I think if asked, indigenes and residents will want an improved health care systems that will keep their productive human capacity alive and fit for work and their aged population alive and hale.

Whilst at it, it is time we are done the favour of being educated on the reasons why states still need Government Lodge or State Liaison offices in Lagos or Abuja in 2023.

The only time we see Governors use their government lodges in Lagos and Abuja tend to be for partisan political meetings, though our practice allows it, and nobody seems to care or let alone ask question about mixing institutional affairs and partisan ones let us say it here that is a wrong practice.

With the level of digitalization, number of flights and variety of hotels available there is no need for Government Lodge or State Liaison in Lagos or Abuja. Let governors spend more time in their states and get more work done there. Let them visit roads, hospitals and markets regularly not wait till disasters, emergencies or elections.

When they travel to Lagos and Abuja governors stay in hotels and if there are activities that require liaison offices that they need an office for, they can appoint and decorate indigenes of their states as Consuls and Agents, they would be too glad to provide functional offices at no cost.

Join me if you can @anthonykila to continue these conversations.

-Kila is Centre Director at CIAPS. www.ciaps.org.