Former presidential aide Laolu Akande has called on President Bola Tinubu to seize the upcoming cabinet reshuffle as an opportunity to replicate some of the transformative reforms he implemented as Governor of Lagos State between 1999 and 2007. Speaking on Inside Sources with Laolu Akande on Channels TV on Sunday, Akande mentioned three key areas where Tinubu’s legacy in Lagos could serve as a model for national governance.
First, Akande pointed to Tinubu’s reform of the Lagos judiciary, where the welfare of judges was significantly improved, corruption was curbed, and the Office of the Public Defender was established to ensure legal aid for those in need. He said “A reformed judiciary system where the welfare of the judges WAS significantly upgraded, then resolving the problem of corruption in the state judiciary while also updating the system with Public Defender’s Office.”
Akande went further to say the Tinubu administration established “A Local Government Administration system that takes the government to the people via the ability of the State govt to create them and bring development very close to them.” By creating additional LGAs, Tinubu decentralized power and accelerated grassroots development, a strategy that Akande believes should be implemented at the federal level.
Third, Akande lauded Tinubu’s efforts to boost Lagos State’s Internally Generated Revenue (IGR), making it less reliant on federal allocations. This financial independence empowered the state to pursue its development goals and demonstrated Tinubu’s ability to build a financially viable government.
