OPEN LETTER TO THE EXECUTIVE GOVERNOR OF LAGOS STATE,HIS EXCELLENCY, BABAJIDE SANWO OLU BY THE AFRICA ASSOCIATION OF PROFESSIONAL FREIGHT FORWARDERS AND LOGISTIC OF NIGERIA( APFFLON)

OPEN LETTER TO THE EXECUTIVE GOVERNOR OF LAGOS STATE,HIS EXCELLENCY, BABAJIDE SANWO OLU BY THE AFRICA ASSOCIATION OF PROFESSIONAL FREIGHT FORWARDERS AND LOGISTIC OF NIGERIA( APFFLON)

HIS EXCELLENCY,we at APFFLON wish to sincerely commend the giant steps you have taken in your less than 35 days in office as the Executive Governor of Lagos State.

Important steps like the Executive Order on Waste Management, The Zero Tolerance on pot holes, the riot act on traffic management, and above all,your urgent intervention in the perennial Apapa gridlock which has brought so much pains to port users and residents, these are indeed noble steps sir.

His Excellency,having acknowledged your timely intervention in these areas of importance, we also see the need to appeal to you to consider the area of insecurity on our roads,it is no longer news that hoodlums seize every opportunity to dispossess motorists of their belongings, especially when they are stuck in traffic,commuters are being  molested on daily basis even in the full glare of the public and nothing happens; therefore, it is very imperative to address the insecurity issue so as to have a safer Lagos.

We also suggest sir,that more LASTMA officials be recruited to ensure efficiency in traffic management as the number, currently,cannot effectively control Lagos traffic. In the same vein sir,we also appeal to your government to ensure that Motor Cycle riders be routinely checked to ensure they are mentally stable and drug free,and above all,professionally qualified to carry out such service so as to ensure safety of lives,most motorcycle riders are not trained to even understand road signs,and this outright ignorance has caused a lot of families their bread winners, we are of the opinion that motor cyclists should be tested and licenses issued to those qualified, that way,multiple deaths by road accidents caused by operators will be minimized drastically.

Besides,the Rapid Response Squad must rise to their responsibilities, they should as a matter of urgency, take up frontally, the insecurity challenge on our roads as molestations and robberies have become the order of the day.

His Excellency sir,we must also use this medium to bring to your knowledge,the stress and inhuman conditions patients that patronize  government hospitals are subjected to, most health workers have no modicum of regards for patients, the difficulties they go through before getting medical attention is highly demoralizing as well as unacceptable. To see doctors in these government facilities becomes very difficult due to systemic corruption, in most cases only those that offer them bribes are made to go in first for consultations  while those who have no money to offer are made to be the last set to see the doctors, some of these workers are even more powerful than the doctors as they dictate how the facilities are run;we urge you to as a matter of urgency, set up measures to address the issue of extortion and misconduct as the system has been outrightly polluted due to corruption and highhandedness,the culture of due process has been discountenanced as the entire system smacks of sheer impunity and disorderliness,no more ‘first come first serve’.

However, the training and retraining of health personnel must be a regular routine, this will ensure that patients are left in safe hands,and not savage employees.

Furthermore, we must also appeal to His Excellency,to look into the area of corporative and Thrifty,this very important area if considered, will avail our entrepreneurs the opportunity to access soft loans for their small businesses, while we make this solemn appeal to your government, the same also goes to the Local Governments because they are closer to the people.

As an advocacy group we stand firmly behind you, and believe in your abilities, we expect to see Lagos State attain its peak in the areas of security,infrastructural development, health and human capital development as we move to the NEXT LEVEL.

Congratulations once again on your election.

Yours faithfully,

Otumba Frank Ogunojemite,

National President, APFFLON.