National leader of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu on Wednesday said Governor Akinwunmi Ambode of Lagos State has excelled despite inheriting a huge debt burden from his predecessor.
Former Governor of Lagos, Babatunde Fashola had left a huge debt profile of N418.2 billion for Ambode to grapple with.
Speaking at the commissioning of Abesan-Aboru Link Bridge in Alimosho, Tinubu said he was scared when Ambode took over because of the huge debt burden he inherited, but that the governor had braved the odds and excelled.
“I was hell worried when you took (Ambode) over, not about your credibility, character or capacity, but because however wise or smart a man is, if there is no resources to back the ideas, production would be zero, progress would be zero.
“When you (Ambode) took over, I know you inherited a burden of debt. The debt profile of Lagos was high, I was wondering how you will re-engineer and face the challenges to make progress.
“Today I can see your report card, you have scored well, you have shown prudency especially in the use of resources of the State. All over Lagos, we are seeing the results. At Oshodi, on our way down here, you can see what is happening there, that place is a construction site. It used to be a den of robbers but what is going on there now is developmental activities for the benefit of the entire country,” he stated.
Tinubu described Ambode as a “very quiet, very peaceful, not a noise maker, but he is delivering on the job. Today, you (Ambode) have given me a good birthday present. This is a great opportunity for me to be very proud again. You didn’t disappoint us. Ambode is silently achieving, religiously executing and brilliantly giving results for Lagos State.”
Speaking at the event, Ambode said his administration had kept his promise to deliver the bridge, saying that “Today, we have a 480 metres bridge linking Aboru to Abesan, both in the Agbado Oke-Odo Local Council of Alimosho Local Government Area. This bridge has significantly eased the burden of travel between these two communities by reducing travel time and eliminating the risks associated with its non-existence.”