Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, the former Labour Party governorship candidate in Lagos State, has challenged the popular notion that the state’s development is solely a result of the efforts of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
In a recent interview on Channels TV’s “Politics Today,” he argued that those who hold this view have a limited understanding of Lagos’s history and its past greatness.
Rhodes-Vivour stated that Lagos was once a city where residents had access to basic amenities that are now a challenge.
He recalled a time when public schools provided quality education, water was readily available from taps, and affordable housing was a reality.
He contrasted this with the present-day Lagos, where accommodation is extremely expensive and public services are strained.
According to him, a significant part of Lagos’s history and greatness has been forgotten. He mentioned areas like Isale Eko, which he said have been “completely destroyed,” now looking like a “ghetto” despite their historical significance as far back as 1910.
He further argued that much of the development seen today is driven by the private sector, with individuals and businesses thriving “in spite of the government,” not because of it.
He also raised concerns about the state’s growing debt, questioning the sustainability of the so-called development.
Rhodes-Vivour concluded by saying that President Tinubu, when he came into power as governor, met a Lagos that was already “thriving” and that the city’s greatness cannot be solely attributed to a single administration.
