On the back page of The Punch of Monday, April 15, 2013 was a photo of an air-conditioned pedestrian bridge at Ita-Eko, in Ogun State. This air-conditioned bridge was built by Governor Ibikunle Amosun! Is it desirable to build such a project in a state that has low tax revenue, a budget largely financed by loans and statutory allocations from federation accounts? Though times change, we as a people will not stop reflecting on the great achievements of Chief Obafemi Awolowo in the old Western Region. He did not build air-conditioned bridges; he invested in capacity building-education. Lagos State under Governor Babatunde Fashola with a huge chest of internally generated revenue has not conceived such a bridge! The examples are numerous. The Governor of Ogun State should be advised to focus on youth employment, improvement of roads and other critical infrastructure and not on such white elephants as air-conditioned bridges that do not serve any economic use to the people.
FAMAKINWA Olumide,
26, Ibitoye Street, Ajegunle, Apapa,
Lagos State,
+23481681677.