Proud Father… President Buhari’s Love for Akinwunmi Ambode

Proud Father… President Buhari’s Love for Akinwunmi Ambode

It is easier to tumble down a mountain than to make the arduous climb back up to the very top. Little wonder many expected the outgoing governor of Lagos, Akinwunmi Ambode to become a forgotten commodity after being schemed out of the customary second term for incumbents. But despite the loud prophecy of impending oblivion for the very hard-working governor, he remained unflinching in his desire to make his last weeks in office a very memorable one for Lagos citizens.

Like a boxer pummelling his opponents to a pulp Ambode has been channelling all his anger into speeding up the dividends of democracy for the people. His road projects like the 10-lane New Airport Road were quickened, healthcare delivery was given a lift with the return of Ayinke House, the popular baby factory which was relaunched as a 170-bed ultra-world-class Institute of Maternal and Child Healthcare.

Little wonder President Muhammadu Buhari rated Ambode as a man worth having as a friend. Those in the know claimed that the president tried his best to turn the tides, albeit unsuccessfully, when the Lagos APC kingmakers decided not to back Ambode for a second term. And unlike those who turned their backs on the cerebral governor after the APC governorship primaries, the president has become even closer to him on account of his tremendous achievements which litter the landscape of the Centre of Excellence, lasting monuments to a sterling legacy.

Buhari is always on hand to inaugurate any big project of Ambode and the formal commissioning of the Oshodi transport interchange was no exception.
As a visibly happy President Buhari was shown round the interchange, first of its kind in the country, insiders gathered that he could not help but beam with pride at the energetic chief executive of Lagos whom he now regards as a political son.

In fact, rumours are rife that Ambode will soon follow his predecessor Fashola onto the national stage after leaving office. He has allegedly been pencilled in for a plum job in President Buhari’s cabinet that is due for a reshuffle in a few weeks. The expected darkening of his prospects was just a temporary eclipse: his star is set to burn brighter in the coming months.

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