Rhodes-Vivour explains why APC has failed Lagos despite improved infrastructure, revenue

The candidate of the Labour Party in the 2023 governorship election in Lagos, Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, has faulted the All Progressives Congress’ running of the state.

According to Mr. Rhodes-Vivour, the state government’s strides in infrastructure development and revenue generation are not spectacular as they are underpinned by high debt and wasteful allocation of public resources.

Mr. Rhodes-Vivour made the comments on Thursday during an appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today.

The MIT-trained engineer said he plans to run for the governorship seat again in 2027, although he was coy on his choice of political party.

Below, read excerpts from Mr. Rhodes-Vivour’s interview:

Interviewer: Traffic, flooding, there’s no governor that’s been able to resolve this issue. If you were to give counsel or you were to be in charge what would you have done?

Rhodes-Vivour: So in relation to traffic we need to create and not just pay lip service to it; A multimodal city, right? They’ve made efforts with water transportation, there’s a lot of talk about it. But there’s a normalization that has to happen and these things are done by actually creating different nodes that allow for this to be normalized. Whether it’s a small market on the water on your way, right? So you go from A to B, you can stop here, you can buy things here and continue going. Better quality jetties. Look at the jetties in Ikorodu, right? They look like they’re about to fall off. So people that are going on there, there’s always a question of safety. So that’s why the adaptation or adoption of that means of transport is low. 

Secondly, while we talk about transport, the cost of transportation. Look at the red line that is on blue line. How many people can actually afford to use this mode of transportation? There needs to be a subsidy on it, especially for the older people in our population; The retirees, the pensioners. There needs to be a subsidy for them, right? Even the students, there needs to be a subsidy for them so that more people use this, than then decongest our roads which then allows for more efficient movement on the roads, right? So those are some things. 

And then the inner roads. Local governments should be empowered to actually deliver on the inner roads, which is their actual mandate, right, so those things. 

And then not tying the development of our train systems to the purse strings of the state. Open it up to the private sector. Allow for it to be transparent and open. Nobody needs to be giving kickbacks. So nobody needs to know this particular person.

Interviewer: Are they giving kickbacks?

Rhodes-Vivour: Oh, certainly. I know several businessmen that have said they’ve actually got consortiums and put money together to be able to come in and deliver on these railroads. But they always had these huge demands put on them, which is why they never, which is why they stepped out. So the government needs to become a platform government where you’re creating platforms for private sector, private entities to be able to come in and deliver. And your job is to ensure that Lagosians are getting it at the best possible price. That’s your function. It should not be about, oh, you control it, you put your money in it. No. Create a transparent system for business to come in and you can mediate the cost that is to be paid for the average Lagosian.

Interviewer: You know, if the Governor, someone who was sitting here and I was asking him some questions, one of the things I suppose he will say is that he’s been able to grow the IGR from budget analysis that I saw the last time. I think the IGR as of 2023, when the year ended, came to almost about 800 billion. That is a record. So that’s like the IGR of almost 20 something states.

Rhodes-Vivour: But in dollar terms, it’s still pretty much the same. You know, the cost of inflation, I mean, how much are you buying petrol? 

Interviewer: It’s a Naira economy. 

Rhodes-Vivour: It’s a Naira economy where everything around us in Naira has gone up. So when we are talking about numbers, we have to put it in context. The money it costs for me to fill my tank, if I think about it six years ago, someone told me that I’ll be screaming. Right? Well, the time where you go to 40,000 Naira, with 40,000 Naira to a petrol station, you’re a big man. Today, you can barely do anything at a petrol station and fill a tank without 150,000, 120,000. So when we are talking about these numbers, we have to put it in the context of the fact that our currency has lost 50% of its value. Because over 700 companies have shut down.

Interviewer: Is the argument over the ability to be able to optimize, to generate revenue for the state to be able to carry out the responsibility, don’t you think that’s a plus for them! 800 billion?

Rhodes-Vivour: It’s always good to be able to raise money. It’s always good. The question is, what are you doing with it? Because this same state that’s raising money is in so much debt.

Interviewer: Yeah, about 2.7 trillion.

Rhodes-Vivour: Yeah, so what are they doing with that money? This is aside from FAAC. What are they doing with that money? All this money that they are raising from taxpayers, from payee, because there is no other state like Lagos. This money that they are generating, they are not getting it from the air or from the ground. It’s from hard-working negotiations. 

So the social contract between the government and the negotiations must be at an all-time high. So what are they doing with all that money? Why is there so much debt? Why is so much of this money going to be servicing debt? So these are the questions. It’s not just enough. Lagos State, since the 1700s, has been generating huge amounts of money. Go and ask Oba Adele, ask Oba Kosoko, all of them. Lagos State has been at the forefront of it. We have been a trading course for the last 500 years. So money has always flowed in Lagos State. It’s not about that. It’s about how is this money impacting the lives of the everyday Lagosians.

Interviewer: So as we begin to wind down, let’s look at the performance of the Sanwo-Olu administration. In your view, in your rating, by your own assessment, what will it be?

Rhodes-Vivour: I do not believe that any governor that emerges from the APC is given the free reign to actually embody or manifest a vision. Look at Governor Ambode. I mean, Governor Ambode, I would say he did decently well. I saw his vision for the Onikan area in terms of creating an art district. I saw a wholesome perspective on Lagos State, right? But you see what happened to him, right? Because apparently,, he questioned the vision of the APC. 

I don’t see anything broadly innovative that Governor Sanwo- Olu has done. I mean, most Lagosians will tell you that housing is still a major problem in our state. They’re talking about doing developments on some islands so you already know that these developments are not going to be affordable, right? People still tell you we are being flooded. Flooding is happening. They’re demolishing people’s houses while our canals are overgrown with weeds. There’s not been any steady system that allows for maintenance of our canal ways that already exist. There’s still an opaque system of governance, which is the main thing I campaigned about, opening up the accounts of Lagos State, so it has a line-by-line item that is easily accessible to Nigerians. And that kind of level of transparency takes on a life of its own. So even you as governor cannot steal. 

Interviewer: The reason I’m asking you these questions is because it’s important that those of you in your position hold the government to account.

Rhodes-Vivour: Oh, certainly. And we have been doing that.

Interviewer: So would you have done a better job than Governor Sanwo-Olu? 

Rhodes-Vivour: Certainly, because from day one, I would have opened up the accounts of Lagos State and then benchmark our projects against World Bank benchmarks. So you will not be reading in a budget that a Toyota Camry is costing 200 and something million when you know that on the market it’s less than 50, 60 million. So when you see a line item, it’s benchmarked against what you can get on the market. Because what is the government supposed to be doing? It’s supposed to be using the economy of scale to get the best deal for Lagosians and maximize its commonwealth. And that’s the objective. But unfortunately, that’s not the case here. You see, the commonwealth is just used to propagate and increase the wealth of the political elite as opposed to getting the best deal for the most possible people in the fastest possible time and for Lagosians to enjoy a better quality of life.

Interviewer: As we wind down, two quick questions. Are you running again?

Rhodes-Vivour:  By God’s grace, yes.

Interviewer: On the platform of… 

Rhodes-Vivour: Ah, well, you heard what my leader said, we are still, we are working, we are working.

Interviewer: You’re not sure of running under the platform of the Labour Party? 

Rhodes-Vivour: Oh, we are… For me, I believe that if all parties do not come together,it’s going to be a waste of time running in 2027. Because there’s a full state capture that has happened in this country now. So we cannot afford to, for the opposition to be separate, right? So for now, my job is to ensure that I have a strong party, which is Labour Party, and to ensure that there are bridges that are being built all across the country and all across the state.

Interviewer: So finally, are you ready to help build your party to being an institution?

Rhodes-Vivour: Oh sure.

Interviewer:  Because the problem we have seen with the Labour Party as a political journalist is the fact that Labour Party seem to look like a personality party than an institution. Is that something you guys agree with?

Rhodes-Vivour: No.

Interviewer:  Even in Lagos state, it’s just about you we know the most. At the national level, there’s a tussle between Peter Obi, Alex Oti, and somewhere…

Rhodes-Vivour: I mean, we have a state chairman that’s fantastic. Our state chairman is an icon in herself. And there’s a lot of work to come together and build a solid structure. So take that from me, and we’re working very diligently to do that. But we still have a lot of work to do, and by God’s grace, this year we will do that.

Interviewer:  Okay, we’re here to watch and report all you’re doing, that’s our responsibility, by the way, Rhodes-Vivour is the 2023 Labour Party governorship candidate in Lagos state.  And he says he’s going to run again, though we don’t know what party it’s going to run under. Thank you for coming on the program. 

Rhodes-Vivour: Thank you.