CELEBRATING THE FASHOLA YEARS
Campaign promises are easy to make. Most times they are also made on the spur of the moment. Unscrupulous politicians deftly working on the yearnings of campaign-rally crowds make impromptu flamboyant promises of performance, just to please the voters. Very many politicians, especially in developing democracies, have mastered this ignoble art of deliberately making glib campaign promises to win votes.
When however these politicians get into office, they are unable to fulfil their campaign promises; primarily because the promises were insincere, or not well thought-out, or both. They then resort to improvisation and, embark on a cover-up show of deceit; trying to implement spontaneous half-baked projects and programmes which inevitably end in failure and socio-political disaster!
Unfortunately, in a political climate such as ours; where the citizens and voters do not yet actively and constantly monitor the performances of their elected political office holders; these officers with impunity get away with poor or non-performance of their campaign promises. They arrogantly assume that at the end of their tenure and, when they seek re-election, the voters would have forgotten or even forgiven them for their poor and unproductive period in public office.
Incredibly, these basically dishonourable politicians, resort to repeating the cycle of making the same unattainable campaign promises; hoping to again fool the electorate into voting for them. Sadly, quite a number of these politicians get away with this ploy and are voted back into office; to perpetuate this culture of political deceit in place of serving the people and, providing projects and programmes that advance the community and in turn offer the people a better and higher standard of living. In terms of political strategy they wrongly believe that they can fool the people most; if not all, of the time!
Luckily for Nigeria; as she develops and strengthens her democracy, a few notable politicians; a new fresh breed of sorts; with a committed and deep sense of socio-political responsibility and, driven by a need to faithfully serve the people have emerged. This crop of politicians have come along to put a lie to the wrongly-held and unacceptable concept that politicians in Nigeria must be sleek charlatans who exploit the expectations of the electorate; by making false promises to achieve their own narrow and selfish ends!
Governor Babatunde Raji Fashola (SAN), the incumbent Governor of Lagos State, is an outstanding example and ideal role model of this type of high political office holder Nigeria now desperately needs. His words and works attest to a politician who had thoroughly done his homework, worked out a blueprint and, persistently and passionately executed his campaign promises and much more.
On a strategic level, he has operated on the basic, simple and yet very important political tenet that campaign promises are sacred and meant to be fulfilled. Put another way, it is the duty of a politician to be honourable; to keep his word and serve his people by fulfilling his campaign promises. In Fashola’s case, he has also combined the high quality of his campaign promises with a matching quality of service delivery. It is this acute awareness of the linkage and interdependence between the quality of promises made, and the quality of service to fulfil and deliver them, that has resulted in the remarkable success of The Fashola Years in Lagos State!
Good governance is the result of a well thought-out process. It entails research to identify the needs of the people and the problems they face. Then comes the search to find lasting and sustainable solutions; which entails the preparation of a blueprint, the evolution of a working plan, the careful selection of a team and the leadership of this team towards the successful implementation of projects and programmes.
Babatunde Raji Fashola (SAN) as a serious politician and aspirant to high office was well aware of this process and, has logically followed this tested path to political success.
In his hallmark address as the Gubernatorial Candidate of the Action Congress (AC) at a World Media Conference in Ikeja, Lagos, on Wednesday 11th April 2007, he gave a broad picture of his general and grand vision for Lagos State. His vision, he boldly declared, “Is on a fast pace to continue the steady development and transformation of Lagos State.” He further pledged his determination, “To ensure that Lagos State realise, in full, their natural potentials,” and, “evolves as a world class environment that provides for and supports all residents to safe and conducive environment, in which we can all exercise our fundamental human rights and pursue our socio-economic dreams.”
For most other politicians this grandiose vision could well have been an all-encompassing tall-order. But then Babatunde Raji Fashola, is not the regular run-of-the-mill Nigerian politician. His vision was genuine and heart-felt. He was well ‘prepared’ like a good Boy Scout that he is. He knew the full implications of the great promise he had made; being an accomplished lawyer and man of character.
This address of intent brought to the fore Fashola’s Contract with the people of Lagos if he was elected. It was also an enormous challenge he had thrown to himself. He had to be an honest broker; with his performance and history waiting eagerly and dispassionately to judge him for posterity!
And so, when Babatunde Raji Fashola (SAN) walked into his Ikeja office in May 2007, to assume office as the 4th elected Governor of Lagos State; he already had a well-articulated and expansive catalogue of very progressive projects and programmes he immediately wanted to efficiently execute.
It was an inclusive, people-friendly package of providing up-to-date modern infrastructure as well as improved and sustainable social services; all of them dedicated to make the lives of millions of the inhabitants of Lagos State much better. In tandem there would be informed physical development to rapidly transform the capital, Lagos, into an adorable megacity of high international repute.
What specific and important promises did Fashola make in his binding contract with the people of Lagos State? In what areas of infrastructural and human development did he make these promises? What did he offer as social services to make life better? How did he go about fulfilling his lofty promises? What was his personal style, and organisational system in implementing these promises? What were the people’s response to his projects and programmes? How well did he succeed in implementing his promises?
This book is therefore a pertinent and permanent documentation of the Fashola years as Governor of Lagos State. It documents his political journey from campaign promises, theory and planning to the hardcore challenges of implementation and achieving final results. It also examines, as a visual report card, his achievements in the major areas of Security, Health, Education, Housing, Environment, Law and Order, Tourism, Infrastructure, Transportation, Agriculture, Governance and Statesmanship.
This book is about political honour. It is a meticulous model case study with appropriate captivating visual evidence; of a rare and noble politician who kept his word to the electorate. It is also a rich visual story of the same dedicated politician, Governor Babatunde Raji Fashola (SAN) who in service to his people in Lagos State; grew in administrative expertise and human resources management during his tenure of governance and, matured into an outstanding and respected statesman of national and international repute!
The Fashola Years is a unique magnificent collaboration between the man who did the work; Governor Fashola and, the man who has provided the undeniable visual evidence of the work done; Lukman Olaonipekun. Both of them, on their part, have definitely done great jobs which have elevated and strengthened the value of this documentation of good governance in Nigeria as a milestone achievement in the country’s socio-political history.
If Governor Fashola can rightly be identified and classified as a master politician cum efficient and successful civilian administrator, Lukman Olaonipekun’s photographs in this book clearly distinguish him as a growing, professionally skilled and creative young master of the important and difficult genre of documentary photography in Nigeria. It is this alluring aesthetic synergy of beautiful solid socio-political work re-presented by equally beautiful photography that makes this book a gem!
The genre of documentary photography is one of the oldest in photography in Nigeria; dating back into the 19th century. Lukman Olaonipekun’s photographs in this book further expand documentary photography into the realms of press photography and socio-political visual commentary. In this respect, his body of photographs have continued a tradition and, faithfully fulfil the social responsibility of using photographs as the true record-keepers and reflections of a very important phase of our democracy; as well as the admirable activities of a major player, in Nigeria’s history of civilian democracy.
The 300-odd photographs in this book amply testify to Olaonikpekun’s professional skills and creative ingenuity. Technically, these are photographs of people, places and events that are extremely powerful and attractive to view; because of his crafty imaginative composition of the images, his understanding of depth of field to enhance minute detail and artistic feel for colour balance and vitality. Simply put these are great enduring photographs!
The spectrum of images in the book is amaz- ingly all-encompassing. As such, it is a detailed visual study of Fashola the man; politician and the Governor; the man and administrator in deep thought and at work; the man and leader with his team; Fashola the go-getter and inquisitive governor monitoring the progress of projects including unannounced on-the-site inspection visits; examining and accessing materials; Fashola the astute problem-solver in dialogue and conflict resolution; the man and his people; a true man of the people, with them; admired and valued and he, in turn, relaxed and in great rapport with all segments of the citizens – officials, workers, market women, students and children.
To the great credit of Olaonikpekun, the human angle photographs in this book are intimate without being intrusive. As the official photographer he has successfully embedded himself seamlessly; adopting a subtle laidback approach that puts Governor Fashola at ease on all occasions without the need for him to pose or grandstand. This approach to documentary and press photography is a great art and a rare gift when fully understood by the professional photographer himself. This undoubtedly, is the key to the reality why all of Lukman Olaonikpekun’s photographs in The Fashola Years are lively and natural in telling a true visual story of successful governance in Lagos during Governor Fashola’s tenure.
The lyrically beautiful artistry of Olaonikpekun’s photographs; either as single images or collectively in this important visual testament, confirm for posterity that Olaonikpekun has mastered the high level of photographic art that enables photographs to buttress the age-old adage and, ‘effortlessly speak’ many thousands of lucid words in an accurate and compelling manner. His photographs therefore do great justice and compliment the great socio-political achievements during The Fashola Years in Lagos State of Nigeria!