Farewell Address By His Excellency, Governor Akinwunmi Ambode, At The End Of His Administration As Governor Of Lagos State
May 28, 2019
My fellow Lagosians.
With
a heart full of gratitude, I address you today for the last time as
your governor. It has been an honour and a privilege of a lifetime to
serve you for the last four years.
It has been a remarkable
journey which has had a lasting impact on my life and I want to thank
all Lagosians for the experience of these last four years.
As in
the beginning when we visited every single corner of this state,
listening to you and asking for your votes, I have felt the power of
your support, your collective energy and the endless goodwill that has
propelled us to achieve many things.
For this administration,
policies, programmes and projects aimed at lifting more of our people
out of poverty and making every part of the State safe, accessible and
economically viable were always the priority; the driving force behind
all our decisions and plans.
A few of our policies might have
been unpopular but these were decisions taken with the best interest of
our State in mind. With the benefit of hindsight, maybe we could have
done some things differently but our intention was always clear, for the
good of Lagos.
Even in those tough times, your constructive
feedback and patience helped us surmount the challenges and enabled us
grow stronger.
As a little boy growing up in Lagos, all I wanted
was to be an accountant. This State gave me that and so much more. Our
State is a land of opportunities, a home for everyone and a place where
dreams come true. It is our duty and responsibility to ensure that we
remain a centre of opportunities and growth for everyone; a place where
people can achieve their dreams and aspirations.
From being just a
commercial centre, our State has now become a prime destination for
tourism, sports, entertainment and culture. And the future is even
brighter with more exciting prospects and possibilities. In the near
future, with God on our side, Lagos will take its rightful place in the
comity of major city-States of the world.
Fellow Lagosians, it
has been a remarkable journey. One in which we have pushed boundaries
and moved our State to another level. A journey in which we have
transformed many aspects of our State and set the ball rolling in other
sectors. But there is still a lot more to be done.
But it is a
job not for only the government; it is a responsibility for us all. In
Lagos everyone counts and we all have a part to play.
By
tomorrow, there will be a change of guard in our State. I will be
stepping down and a new Governor will be sworn in. We will have a new
Governor and a new administration with the same objective; achieving a
better Lagos.
Those who have had the privilege of serving our
dear State in different capacities especially as Governors owe their
successes to your prayers, understanding and support. The same courtesy
and cooperation that you gave to my predecessors from the first elected
Governor of the State, Alhaji Lateef Jakande to our national leader,
Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Mr. Babatunde Raji Fashola (SAN) to my
humble self, I urge you to extend same to the next administration of Mr.
Babajide Sanwo-Olu and ensure that he succeeds. It is in our best
interest to do so.
I am immensely grateful to the three arms of
Government, the Executive, the Legislature and the Judiciary for their
immense support throughout the tenure of our administration.
I
also reserve special thanks for the leadership, elders and members of
our great party, the All Progressives Congress, the Local Government
Councils and community leaders, all our Security agencies, civil society
groups and our religious leaders.
I also owe a debt of gratitude
to the President, Muhammadu Buhari, and the Vice President, Professor
Yemi Osibanjo (SAN) for their support in the last four years.
To
my wife, Bolanle and the children, who have had to endure many days and
nights without me; I thank you for your love and steadfastness. You will
continue to be my pillar of strength.
To all Lagosians; for your love, compassion, cooperation and support, I am eternally grateful. My love always.
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