Excerpt: Lagos Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu says Abuja politicians oppose special status for Lagos, calling for improved VAT revenue allocation and federal support.
Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu says politicians in Abuja are reluctant to support the state’s demand for special status, despite its historical significance and contribution to Nigeria’s economy.
Speaking at the Financial Times Africa Summit in London at the weekend, Sanwo-Olu acknowledged the federal government’s support for Lagos through infrastructure projects and reforms but said more could be done to address the state’s peculiar needs.
Asked whether President Bola Tinubu, a former Lagos governor, was doing enough for the state, Sanwo-Olu said discussions with the federal government were ongoing.
“It’s an ongoing conversation. I cannot pretend that the current federal government is not helping out,” he said.
“So, the federal government is helping us. Lagos used to be the capital of the country and the administrative head until when Abuja came up. So, they are helping but it could be a bit more.”
The governor said Lagos deserved special consideration because it previously served as Nigeria’s capital and remains the country’s commercial hub.
He added that efforts to secure special status for the state had faced resistance from politicians in Abuja, despite Lagos accommodating people from different ethnic groups across the country.
“We have talked about Lagos being given a special status but constitutionally, the politicians in Abuja will never let that happen. So, we are having conversations,” he said.
“We are one of 36 states but they just need to look at us very differently because indeed, every single ethnic national have a place in Lagos.”
Sanwo-Olu said the issue required political negotiations but expressed optimism that the federal government was listening to the state’s concerns.
He also called for greater consideration for Lagos in the distribution of value-added tax revenue, arguing that a significant share of the national pool was collected from the state.
“You know it is a political environment but they are listening to us. It takes a while for some of those changes to happen,” he said.
“Also, a lot of the VAT that is distributed nationally gets collected from Lagos. We are having some discussions about ensuring that Lagos still continues to earn more on value added taxation.”
On infrastructure, Sanwo-Olu cited the Lagos section of the coastal road and the proposed Sokoto-Badagry superhighway as examples of federal government support.
He said the 70-kilometre Lagos section of the coastal road was largely completed, describing the project as an important link between Lagos and other parts of the country.
“The coastal road which is one place where we thought it was impossible which is now 700km, the 70km coming out of Lagos is largely completed,” he said.
The governor also highlighted the proposed Sokoto-Badagry superhighway, saying its planned network of 250 dams could support irrigation and agricultural production, helping to increase food supplies to Lagos.
Sanwo-Olu further identified electricity sector reforms under Tinubu’s administration as an area of progress, saying they had enabled states to play a more active role in power generation and distribution.
He said Lagos had established its electricity regulatory commission and signed about 22 public-private partnership agreements aimed at increasing power generation capacity by 2,000 megawatts within three years.
On security, the governor said discussions on state policing were ongoing, expressing hope that a constitutional amendment would enable states to play a greater role in maintaining security.
He said the proposed reform could improve public security and create a better economic environment.
