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Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s Brilliance at The Platform Lagos Debates: How Social Media Responded

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Babajide Sanwo-Olu, the APC Governorship Candidate for Lagos went up against Jimi Agbaje, the PDP Candidate for Lagos, Babajide Gbadamosi, the ADP candidate for Lagos and Owolabi Salis the AD candidate for Lagos at the Lagos Gubernatorial debate organised by The Platform Nigeria, a creation of Pastor Poju Oyemade’s Convenant Christian Centre.

Arriving at the venue of the debate early, he posted a selfie with the hashtags on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram #SanwoOluDebates and #ThePlatformDebates which a tweet from his handle a few hours ago had started a trend across Social Media. The selfie post received thousands of likes, comments and retweets across the different social media platforms.

Dressed in a white native attire, Babajide Sanwo-Olu immediately started the debate strong answering a question from the debate moderator Dr. Victor Oladokun about what he had done that qualified him to be the Governor of Lagos with his impressive resume in the private and public sector. He spoke about how 17 years in the private sector and 13 years in the government managing different key portfolios like Budget and Planning; Commerce and Industry; and Establishments, Training and Pensions have prepared him to drive fiscal governance, manage an important relationship with the private sector and ensure growth and development of the civil service. He also talked about his experience creating PPP housing projects as Managing Director of the Lagos State Development Property Corporation which prepared him to manage housing and other social projects required to make Lagos a 21st century economy. The other contestants who had minimal experience in the private sector and zero experience in the public sector tried to focus their answers on what they would do rather than what they had done.

Babajide Sanwo-Olu went on to answer questions about what he would do during his first 100 days of office; how he would solve transportation issues in Lagos; how he would stop the brain drain in the health sector, how he would communicate with the private sector and the population; ensuring accountability in government financing; external influence in government and finally gave promises he would fulfill to Lagosians in his first year.

He talked about resolving the Apapa gridlock, getting trailers off the streets of Lagos, setting up of a strong cabinet, fixing of potholes, and installation of traffic lights, assessment of teachers training needs, driving enrolment in the Lagos Health Insurance Scheme and other low hanging fruits he would tackle in his first 100 days of office. On government openness, he talked about how the Lagos government presents its budgets on time and also carries out quarterly reviews. He talked about how his administration would take that to the next level.

He spoke about how his experience training over 1000 teachers as commissioner for Establishments, Training and Pensions had given him an idea of the needs of the entire civil service and also how he planned to integrate technology into teacher training and the education development curriculum for Lagos.

Making a promise for the next 4 years, he spoke about the great plans he had for building a greater Lagos and how he wanted Lagosians to hold him responsible for those promises during the election cycle.

He had what may have been one of his greatest moments close to the end of the debate when asked about external influences by confidently stating, “I Am My Own Man”. He cited family governance with the high flying performance of his wife and family; education discipline with his constant quest for knowledge and his integrity in government as evidence that he would be fully accountable to Lagosians in the next 4 years.

Speaking to the wife of the convener of the event, Mrs Poju-Oyemade in a post event interview, he went on to talk about Project THEME, his 5 key pillars agenda to drive a greater Lagos. Traffic Management and Transportation, Health and Environment, Education and Technology, Making Lagos a 21st century economy with improvements in power, food security, housing, etc; and growth in the Entertainment and Tourism sector as things he would focus on as governor.

In a post event message on social media, he thanked the conveners of the platform and Lagosians for the opportunity to present his plans for a greater Lagos. He talked about how excited he was and how important it was for Lagos to continue to take the lead like this. He went further using the hashtag #JideSanwoOluDebates and #ThePlatformDebates to reiterate some of the things he said at the debate.

A few hours after the debate, with over 50 thousands votes across 4 polls by newspaper platforms like Punch Newspapers, The Nation Newspapers, Budgitng, a government accountability bureau and popular individuals on twitter like @segalink, BabaJide Sanwo-Olu was leading the debate performance polls with the closest other contestant being Babajide Gbadamosi of the ADP.

BIG STORY

UPDATE: Uncover Negligence, Deliberate Actions Behind Ibadan Stampede — Tinubu To Security Agencies

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President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has ordered an investigation into the incident at the children’s funfair in Ibadan, which resulted in the death of 35 persons.

In a statement issued on Thursday by Bayo Onanuga, his special adviser on information and strategy, the president called for a “thorough” inquiry to determine whether negligence or deliberate actions contributed to the stampede.

“In this moment of mourning, President Tinubu stands in solidarity with the affected families and offers prayers that the Almighty God will grant peace to the souls of those who have departed in this unfortunate event,” the statement reads.

“President Tinubu has urgently directed the relevant authorities to investigate the circumstances of this tragedy thoroughly. He emphasises that it is imperative to determine whether negligence or deliberate actions contributed to this painful incident, ensuring a transparent and accountable process.”

“The President urges the Oyo State Government to take every necessary measure to prevent such a tragedy from reoccurring.

“Among the essential actions are a comprehensive review of all public events’ safety measures, strict enforcement of safety regulations, and regular safety audits of event venues.”

The president also called on event organisers to prioritise the safety of all attendees, especially children.

He noted the importance of integrating professional security, protocol, and logistics at events to ensure the safety of all participants.

“Our children’s safety and well-being remain paramount. No event should ever compromise their safety or take precedence over their lives,” he added.

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2025 Budget Proposal Scales Second Reading At National Assembly

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The 2025 appropriation bill has passed the second reading at the national assembly.

The budget cleared the second reading during plenary on Thursday following an extensive debate by legislators in the Senate and the House of Representatives.

On Wednesday, President Bola Tinubu presented a record N49.7 trillion as the proposed budget for 2025 to a joint session of the upper and lower legislative chambers.

The lawmakers, during plenary on Thursday, took turns discussing the general principles of the money bill, offering recommendations that included thorough scrutiny of the budget breakdown during engagements with heads of ministries, departments, and agencies (MDAs).

Leading the debate, Julius Ihonvbere, majority leader of the green chamber, said the budget would improve the nation’s economy and consolidate the achievements of the president.

In his debate, Kingsley Chinda, minority leader, said Tinubu’s assertion that the budget would reduce inflation from the current 34.6 percent to 15 percent is “ambitious” and not realistic.

The ranking lawmaker said the allocation of N4.91 trillion to defence and security “will not take us to the promised land.”

He added that the budget should also prioritize human capital development and environmental sustainability.

“The budget might appear very beautiful, but there is much more for us to do as a nation,” Chinda said.

‘2025 BUDGET IS INADEQUATE’

Oluwole Oke, a Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) member from Osun, stated that the budget is “grossly inadequate” and won’t sufficiently fund development projects.

Abdussamad Dasuki from Sokoto supported Oke’s position, describing the budget as inadequate.

“The budget may look robust on paper, but if you convert it to dollars, you will realize that the budget is not where we should be,” he said.

“With the challenges we have, if you convert it to dollars, the nation will be inadequately provided for. I urge the relevant committees, particularly the committee on finance, to work on this.”

Also speaking, Ismaila Dabo from Bauchi called for an increased allocation to the agricultural sector to boost food production.

“Inflation is on food items, and Nigerians are finding it difficult to cope. I urge the house to do everything possible to ensure enough allocation is reserved for agriculture,” he said.

Some lawmakers from the north-east and south-east geopolitical zones demanded more funding for their development commissions.

The lawmakers unanimously voted in support of the bill when it was put to a voice vote by Benjamin Kalu, the deputy speaker, who presided over the session.

Kalu referred the bill to the committees on appropriation for further legislative work.

He said the bill will be passed before January 30.

In November, both chambers approved the 2025-2027 medium-term expenditure framework (MTEF) and fiscal strategy paper (FSP) of the federal government.

The parliament passed the oil benchmark prices of $75, $76.2, and $75.3 for the daily crude oil production of 2.06 million, 2.10 million, and 2.35 million for the 2025-2027 fiscal years respectively.

Also, the national assembly maintained the gross domestic product (GDP) growth rate projected at 4.6 percent, 4.4 percent, and 5.5 percent for the three years in the fiscal strategy paper.

The lawmakers endorsed the projected exchange rate of N1,400/$ but said it is subject to review in early 2025 according to monetary and fiscal policies.

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JUST IN: Ooni’s Ex-Wife Naomi, 7 Others Arrested Over Children’s Funfair Stampede In Ibadan

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The Oyo State Police Command has announced the arrest of the ex-queen of the Ooni of Ife, “Naomi Silekunola”; the Principal of Islamic High School, Ibadan, “Fasasi Abdulahi”; and six others in connection with the deaths of several children during a stampede at a funfair in Ibadan, the state capital, on Wednesday.

The ex-queen was identified as the primary sponsor of the event.

Furthermore, the number of children who have died from the stampede has increased to 35, while six others are critically injured, according to a statement issued on Thursday by the State Police Public Relations Officer, “Adewale Osifeso.”

The event, which was held at the Islamic High School, Basorun, Ibadan, was intended for 5,000 children, but reportedly over 7,500 attended.

 

More to come…

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