Lagos Government blasts London based newspaper over comments about Governor

Governor Akinwumi Ambode came under fire from a London based newspaper-The Economist, which accused him of not being able to maintain the progressive strides of former Governor Raji Fashola.

In a response to the article by the The Economist, the Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr. Steve Ayorinde said, in a statement that “The said article has since gained frenetic, orchestrated spread in both social and traditional media in Nigeria, helped in part, ostensibly, by a push from a recalcitrant legion of traducers still struggling with the reality of a new helmsman whose idea of progress in Lagos State factors in electoral promises and respect for human dignity.”

Read: Lagos governor confronts traffic offender [PHOTO]

Adding that “If we excuse the fact that the offensive article in The Economist came out last weekend just about the time that Lagos State Government added some bite to its security and traffic management efforts, what shall we call the curious ‘culling’ of the said article by some local media?”

“That The Economist sees nothing wrong in recalcitrant officers refusing to carry out a directive by their employer is as surprising as it is shameful. Shockingly still, the veil finally came off this curious article when it states that by choosing a compassionate approach to enforcement, Governor Ambode is less competent and has deviated from his predecessor’s template,” Ayorinde said.

Read: Lagos governor responds to publication that called him "full of excuses, but few solutions"

The Economist criticised Ambode’s passive method of handling traffic situation in Lagos, adding that it had further made the city less navigable.