If anyone does not like what I have to say here, they are quite at liberty to hang themselves. Mr Babatunde Fashola'and I once had occasion to defend him (see 'Lagos: The writing on the wall' )'has once again demonstrated one of those traits of wickedness for which I have consistently maintained that he is an anti-people governor, no matter what brainwashed members of the public or Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) apologists say. Mr Fashola demolished Makoko without providing any alternative accommodation for the displaced residents.A statement was even credited to him to the effect that the displaced people are not Lagos indigenes. But they were indigenes during elections. My advice for him this morning will be lifted from the mouth of a fellow governor, Dr Olusegun Mimiko: 'We have been able to and prove that government can engage the market women in a very useful way to stop guerrilla or street trading. You don't just bulldoze shacks and send people into deeper poverty.' (see Return of Greatness published by Gaskia Media Ltd). Whenever I look at the so-called model government in Lagos (a government which puts people in Black Maria for hawking, and has uniformed touts in the name of KAI), I find very fuzzy ideological content, a zero tolerance for dissent, and a gruelling emphasis on morbid capitalism. Sincerely, Lagos crumbles when you apply the Awo parameters.Dr Mimiko brought development to the doorsteps of market women; he built world standard neighbourhood markets right on the same spot where shacks, dirt and mud had reigned, and the market women are paying only N50 per week'and even that is for the maintenance of the market. On the other hand, the Lagos State government simply bulldozes markets (remember the traders in Osodi) and sends people into deeper poverty. Mr Fashola should visit Ondo State and learn how to be people-centred, beyond decorating Onipanu while Bajulaye rots in utter neglect.Not that the ACN governors are not doing some positive things. For instance, Senator Abiola Ajimobi is currently engaged in road work, and recently finished work on Queen Elizabeth road following a media publication. The governor has also been facing fire from criminals just because he sacked certificate forgers from the civil service, people who should have been prosecuted and jailed for their crime. In his handling of matters following the last flooding incident in Ibadan, Ajimobi demonstrated a clear understanding of the dynamics of poverty and urbanisation, and chose to engage residents of flood-prone areas in meaningful dialogue and moral suasion, while also taking necessary action. Indeed, but for his positive efforts, the latest flooding incident in the city would have been disastrous. In the area of security, Ajimobi has showed some class as well. And in Ekiti, Dr Fayemi has mapped out a unique plan for tourism development in the state, demonstrating considerable knowledge of the intricacies of tourism in his handling of the Ikogosi project. Now, to return to the Makoko residents. If Mr Fashola is truly a progressive, he would, while protecting the people against themselves, have provided an alternative accommodation for them.The people had to take their protest to the state House of Assembly, and the pictures of the pathetic situation were published in the papers. Evidently, Mr Fashola couldn't care less, because he is not in their shoes. Unfortunately, he was elected to assist these people. He was elected to make life meaningful for them. He was not elected to prove that he is right all the time.The people had schools in Makoko. Just where would their children go to school now' The scene I watched on Aljazeera was indeed a very shameful one. A working governor, particularly one on whose behalf the South-West media seems to exist, should have taken the people's plight as his own personal responsibility.It is a lame and illiterate excuse to say that they are not Lagos people. What Fashola did amounts to pure wickedness, but then this is hardly surprising given his lunatic toll gates, his insistence that he could not afford to make the Lagos State University (LASU) a school for the poor while carrying out a morbid increment in school fees, the discredited Lagos local government polls, the excesses of LASTMA and so on. Perhaps the true test of Fashola's statesmanship is his handling of the Army officers he recently 'arrested' on his BRT lane, an event which his media aide glorified while displaying utter tactlessness (''Realising that the game was up...' Which game, media aide'). While the Army colonel kept apologising for his misdeed, the governor kept playing to the gallery, asking pointless questions. Did the governor. a lawyer, consider that the man may have faced an exigency having to do with national security' Had the man committed such an offence in the past' If your wife was dying and there was a traffic gridlock, would you rather maintain your so-called law or take the BRT lane and save her life' There are always extenuating circumstances in life, and a man of wisdom will discern the times.Despite the man's humility and apology, Mr Fashola promised to report him to the higher authorities. And yet these people pray for the forgiveness of their sins. The man may have been dismissed now, I don't know, but I definitely have some sympathy for him, and that has nothing to do with his being a senior army officer. By his conduct, that army colonel definitely proved that he was not a lawless scoundrel. I suspect that he had a compelling reason to use the BRT lane on that day. I know that a lot of people will never take sides with soldiers because of the evil things they did in this country, but we should never get to the point that we think that they are useless. Even in the law courts, a proven thief who shows some remorse is granted some consideration. Mr Femi Gbajabiamila, the House of Reps member currently under fire from his detractors, was said to have shown remorse and cooperated fully with the Georgia authorities after messing up with a client's money. For that, he was given some consideration. I see nothing wrong with that. I would rather have a man who shows remorse for his misdeeds than a self-righteous beast who will not be appeased. Handlers of the Lagos governor may wish to learn not to play politics with everything.Beyond this however lie questions of state finance and the future. Is it true that the state's treasury is being bled dry on a monthly basis in the guise of tax consultancy' Is it true that nearly all of Lagos State is now the property of one man' That would not be progressive, would it' Where do you find such a precedent' What kind of progressivism is that'Awolaja is on the staff of the Nigerian Tribune
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