Young Professionals from all walks of life today engaged the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate, Lagos state, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode, in an interactive session tagged “Akinwunmi Ambode – An Evening with Young Professionals”.

The session was moderated by Tolu Ogunlesi, a writer and social commentator, and the Lagos governorship hopeful maximized it to intimate his audience with his largely novel plans aimed at the continuity of good governance in Lagos state.

Ambode fielded questions from young minds as touching virtually all aspects of governance, the questions which he thankfully responded to with precision, poise and productive plans.

He highlighted his plans to further stabilize and expand the economy of the state in such a way that the primal responsibility of government, that is, the welfare and prosperity of the people, is achieved in his tenure as an elected governor of the state.

He said, “We are looking forward to a prosperous Lagos, where no one will be left behind”.

He moved on to state how he intends to apply transformative reforms that will upscale governance in each sector of the state.

On sustaining the economy amidst the present dwindling oil prices, Ambode stated thus, “Lagos has always contributed two-third of her general monthly revenue from her IGR. Through my experience as a former Accountant-General, our government will aim at even doubling the IGR by opening Lagos for bigger and broader business bases.
He added, “the influx of more businesses means an expansion of our tax collection base with more focus on easing the process of collection. The combination of these two will help mitigate any external allocation downfall and make this state thrive independently”.

As regards job creation, Ambode pledged interventionist reforms that will ensure practical engagement of the youths aimed at creation of wealth in the polity.

“My government will create an enabling environment that allows enterprise to thrive. In addition to that, we will create a 25 billion Employment Trust Fund in partnership with the private sector to serve as a buffer for our talented youths and graduates.”

He stressed that the ripple effect of such proactive reform will involve job creation, crime reduction and prosperity for the youths.

In addition to the introduction of technology and an improvement on the current administration’s Security Trust Fund, the APC gubernatorial candidate said that his government will also ensure steady security by focusing on education and human capital development to save the youths from the allure of crime.

He also stated that development will be rapid if the communities are empowered for efficient functionality.
“My 13-year experience in the Local Government system has shown me that the best way to upscale governance is by giving government back to the communities and the Local Government areas”, he noted.

He challenged them as young professionals to contribute their quota in making good governance achievable. “We want young professionals like you to become Councillors and Local Government heads; this will help in monitoring how our communities work”

He mentioned tourism and hospitality as untapped gold mines where his government looks to maximize its potential too.
“For example, in the first two years of our tenure, we will explore the aquatic splendor of Lagos, and also create monuments and iconic structures, that will make this state the tourism hub of Africa. Asides from the economic diversity, this will help recreating our great state and help project our heritage”

He discussed similarly novel ideas as regards many other sectors where the objective remains to achieve a continuation of excellence.

On a final note, Mr. Ambode promised the young professionals of a new-outlook Lagos, where safety and prosperity and opportunities will be a mainstay.

“I am one of you and there will be no distancing. I promise you a Lagos that will keep working even at a more excellent rate; a Lagos where there will be efficiency of mobility and connectivity through ultra-modern transport systems and well planned infrastructure, all of which will give our state a true Mega-city acclaim”, he said.

He thanked them for keeping faith with his gubernatorial intention and for believing in his cause.