Emeka Mozoba is the coordinator, All Progressives Congress (APC) Igbo Vision for all markets in Ojo Local government Area. In this interview, he spoke about the new political alliance between Ndigbo and APC in the area.
What is your take on the Local government elections in Lagos State?
As the campaigns build up, we the Igbo living, working and doing business in Ojo Local Government area have decided not stay and watch from the sidelines. We want to let everyone know that this time around, especially in the politics of Lagos State, we have decided not to remain with the opposition parties, but to strike a winning partnership with APC, the ruling political party in the state, which is also the ruling party in the country today. We have collectively decided to support and throw our weight behind the All Progressives Congress (APC) and all its candidates seeking for the chairmanship and councillorship in the state.
As the co-coordinator of the APC, Igbo Vision for all the markets in Ojo Local government area, I am calling on all Igbo to come out in large numbers, to mobilize our people, embark on house to house to canvass for votes to ensure that the APC candidates emerge victorious at the elections.
Why the new partnership with APC?
Like I said earlier, Igbo are tired of staying in opposition in the state. It is pertinent to note that since all these years we have been with other parties that were not the ruling party in Lagos, and we have not gain much as a people while in opposition. It will be recalled that in the past we have received several promises from the government aimed at impacting positively on the interests of our people, which surprisingly are yet to be fulfilled, probably because we did not support or voted for the ruling party in the state, thereby making it difficult to gain the attention of the government to support our interests in the state.
Therefore, this time around we have decided to join and work with APC.
Igbo have a huge population in Ojo Local Government Area, which we can use positively to sweep any political party to power. And, if we succeed in working with APC to vote its candidates into power in the coming elections, that will throw up a huge possibilities for our people. Remember, Ojo LGA is largely populated by Igbo, and over 70 percent of Igbo in Ojo LGA are doing business in Alaba International market which is located in Ojo. If you look at the market, you will agree with me that we need access road to the market to eliminate the difficulties being faced by our customers in their bid to come and patronize traders in the market.
It is saddening when you discover that today most of customers are being discouraged from coming to Alaba market to patronize us because the number of hours they have to spend in traffic due to bad roads.
This is a compelling reason for an alternative route to Alaba, as well as a more compelling reason to support Ambode and APC to enable him fulfill his promises to us. If you carry out a survey in the state,
you discover that most of the investments and properties in the state are owned by the Igbo. This therefore makes it imperative for our people to pitch their camp with the ruling party in the state, in order to protect our investments and interests in the state. As we partner with APC, it makes it possible for us to make requests and the requests will be honoured, and If we make complaints to the government, the complaints will be given due attention because we are part of the system that voted the government into office. And since the hard working governor of Lagos State, Akinwunmi Ambode, has promised to construct alternative access road to the market, I strongly believe that there is the need for our people to support him.
My belief is that if we can cue into this new vision of development propelled by the able leadership of the action governor of Lagos, we are going to benefit tremendously from the government.
What is your take on the leadership style of the Lagos State governor?
As I said earlier, the Lagos State governor, Akinwunmi Ambode, is an action and hard-working governor who have really done so well since he was elected into office. Generally speaking, the governor has practically taken development to different parts of the state, constructing new expansive township and rural roads and opening up and connecting remote areas with the urban areas. He has made it easy and possible for property owners and developers to get property titles and C of Os without passing through hassles. Ambode has done a lot and invested heavily in the fight against criminal activities in the tate, and this to a larger extent has led to reduction in armed robbery activities, kidnappings, cult attacks and violent crimes.
You will recall that not too long a lot of arrests were made of notorious armed robbers, kidnappers, cult members and violent gangsters operating in the state. Simply put, the governor is doing wonders in Lagos, and if he continues with this tempo, very soon the state will become investors’ haven in Africa.
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