The Governor of Lagos State, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has said that policies introduced in any state must favour larger percentage of the citizens.
Sanwo-Olu said this on Monday, when the Alumni Association of the 3rd Regular Course at Nigeria Defence Academy (NDA), led by former Senate President, David Mark, paid a courtesy visit to the State House, Alausa, Ikeja.
He said that the essence of government in any country or state was to eradicate poverty and introduce strategies that would aid business activities.
The governor said that anyone at the helm of affairs in any state must strive to ensure that policies introduced favoured larger percentage of the citizens.
Sanwo-Olu said that eradicating poverty and introducing favourable policies that would aid business activities were the dividend of democracy.
“’The real essence of governance is to take people out of poverty and create avenues for businesses to thrive. That is what government is all about,” he said.
The governor said that his administration would continuously tow the line of providing avenues that assist businesses to thrive in Lagos State.
“’I have decided to always ensure the greatest good is for the greatest number of people; that is the real dividend of democracy. We will ensure that in Lagos always.
“’Lagos has been so many things to several peoples and we will ensure that to bake the state so that it becomes the melting pot for all.
“’We will ensure it becomes a home for all and a place that everyone can feel happy to have contributed their quota to its development,” Sanwo-Olu said.
The governor commended the effort of statesmen to eradicate poverty across the country through Alumni, saying that giving back to the society was crucial to development of any state.
“Your effort is bringing succour to those that really need it. That further indicates that the foundation that you helped built several years ago, you have continued to ensure its survival. We thank God for you for believing in the narrative called Nigeria.
“Nigeria will continue to remember all of you for the good things that you have done for the development of this country. Your action has afforded us the reason to reflect and think of what people will say after we leave the public stage,” he said.
Earlier, Mark, who led other members including former Administrator of Lagos, retiredBrig-Gen. Raji Rasaki, Tunji Olurin, and others, said that the alumni had embraced assisting widows and indigent children across the country.
“’Once you develop individual, one is developing the nation.
“We help to develop the widows and children of military personnel and the public as well. We do this in terms of providing for them as much as we can,” he said.
