Encomium
Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, SAN on Monday urged residents to remain calm and law abiding as they go about their lawful duties in the State which he assured would always guarantee their safety and security.
The Governor, while debunking the rumour making rounds that the government has directed civil servants in the State to close early following the expected announcement of the results of the Presidential and National Assembly elections held on Saturday, said the report is far from the truth, as nobody in his government has issued such directive.
Dismissing as unfounded the allegation that he directed all civil servants to vacate their offices because of a likely security breach, Fashola categorically said that such a directive did not emanate from him, urging the people to remain calm and go about their duties lawfully as there is no threat to security in the State.
The Governor who spoke in an interview with State House Correspondents at the Lagos House, Ikeja added that nothing was amiss as the State is safe, reiterating that if there was any cause for concern, he would be the first to let the people know.
While buttressing his point that nothing was amiss, Fashola stressed that the State Executive Council meeting was held on Monday with the Deputy Governor presiding because he was still busy elsewhere.
He explained that in almost eight years he has never issued directives as far as government work was concerned by social media, stating that things like work free days, issues of security have never been addressed by him or the State Government through social media.
“What has always happened is that I have made broadcast in person or I have asked the Head of Service to issue circular or I have asked the Commissioner for Information to make announcements on our State Television and Radio and that will not change”.
“At this time when there is understandably some anxiety in the air, people should note that nothing would change. They must ignore all stories emanating from our government and our office to the extent that they were issued on social media. They would be issued in the traditional way by the Head of Service or by the Commissioner for Information and broadcast through television and radio which are official government channels for communicating information”, he reiterated.
Fashola added that it is then possible for the social media to pick it up after that, telling the residents that if they hear anything on social media and not on the State Television or the State Radio and not contained in any circular by the Head of Service and or is not signed by the Commissioner for Information or any of the accredited staff like the Special Adviser on Media, they should please ignore it.
“Let me also say that it is unfortunate that some people at this time are trying to create tension. For whatever reason that may be, I think this is a period when all of us should be happy that we have crossed the first hurdle of the election, we have conducted ourselves peacefully and we are going to the next process just as I said which is now counting and collating of results and announcement and so on and so forth until the process is finally completed”, he said.
The Governor also commended Lagosians for conducting themselves peacefully for the last 72 hours or thereabout and the way residents of the State have gone out to carry out their civic responsibility.
The Governor was flanked at the press briefing by the Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr Aderemi Ibirogba and the Special Adviser on Media, Mr Hakeem Bello.
SIGNED:
HAKEEM BELLO
SPECIAL ADVISER ON MEDIA TO H.E
MARCH 30, 2015
