A group of youths from Badagry, Lagos State have said that the reason they deviated from their political norm and voted en mass for the Action Congress of Nigeria was to attract development to the town and its neighbouring communities.
This, they explained, was as a result of the present state of underdevelopment and neglect which the community had experienced for many years.
The group which was led by a former Peoples Democratic Party’s House of Assembly candidate, Mr Kamarudeen Ajape, defected to the ACN in the wake of the April poll. Their defection was believed to have swelled the number of ACN members in the former PDP stronghold.
Ajape, who noted that the people changed their political direction for obvious quest for development, said that in the past, Badagry was mainly in support of the PDP.
He added, “Our initial belief was that if we support mainstream politics it would attract development to us but we tried it and we have since realised that this is not really gainful as we think.
“The party at the centre to which we belonged disappointed us by pushing us aside when it comes to distribution of amenities from the Federal Government. We were not given any consideration at all and that was why we decided to defect. We want commensurate development to apply to us; that is our yearning as a people.
“Badagry as a town with immense tourist potential should be developed so as to attract tourists and investors globally. Unfortunately, the potentials that abound in the community have not been tapped. We lack social infrastructure and we want industrial estates.”
Also, the former Commissioner for Agriculture and Co-operative in the state, Mr. Ishola Fagbenro, who spoke to our correspondent on the telephone on Friday explained that the people of Badagry jettisoned the PDP as a result of the outstanding performance of Governor Babatunde Fashola.
According to him, Lagos has continued to witness unprecedented transformation since the emergence of the incumbent administration in 2007.
He said, “We voted for ACN in Badagry because of our ever working and reliable governor for the good performance and for the development he has brought about in the state as a whole since he assumed office.”
Pointing out that Badagry had not benefited from government presence and allocation of wealth; he said the community took a decisive position to turn the tide in their favour through their support for the present administration.
Fagbenro said, “The people want development for the area, they want job opportunity for their children as well as youth empowerment programmes.”
Visit link:
‘Badagry voted for ACN to attract govt attention’