By Emmanuel Acha
Enugu – The Chairman of the Southern Governors Forum, Gov. Akinwumi Ambode of Lagos State says the forum has cemented the ties between the South East and South West zones.
Ambode said this in Enugu on Friday during a visit to his Enugu State counterpart, Gov. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi en route the burial of the former Vice President, Dr. Alex Ekwueme.
He said that being a governor in a state with a huge concentration of people of the South East had made him to be part of the people from the area.
“I am more Igbo than any other person because Lagos is a cosmopolitan state. I am not too sure whether I can cross any street in Lagos without meeting an Igbo brother or sister.
“If you want to govern Lagos State properly, you have to abide by the conditions of business people and which the majority happen to be our brothers from the South East,” he said.
The governor said that he had tried to unite residents of the state irrespective of where they came from as that was the only panacea for peace.
“I have in the last 32 months tried as much as possible to maintain peace and harmony because that is the only way our economy can grow. That is why we are for a united Nigeria,” he said.
He said that his love for the people of the area made him choose to attend the burial of the elder statesman.
Ambode expressed delight in the infrastructural development in Enugu which he said had defied the economic challenges in the country.
The governor said that he was moved by the development strides embarked by successive administrations in the state irrespective of party leanings.
“Irrespective of party affiliation, development is development and progress is progress and the whole thing is more about being people-oriented.
“We give God all the glory that there are still people who can prove that there is good governance in Nigeria,” Ambode said. (NAN)
