Bitterness is like cancer, it eats upon the host. When it morphs into anger, it burns like wild fire. Were Governor Akinwunmi Ambode aware of this fact, he would take urgent steps to douse the flames of dissent and apprehension blazing within the hearts and social circuits of prominent citizenry of Lagos State. Following his inauguration of a planning committee for Lagos State’s 50th anniversary in 2017, tempers have begun to flare among Lagosians over Ambode’s appointment of Nobel Laurete, Professor Wole Soyinka, as the Chairman of the event’s planning committee.
Lagos will be 50 next year and ahead of the celebration, the governor appointed the Nobel Laureate alongside Rasheed Gbadamosi to head the planning committee. The governor inaugurated the committee at the Lagos House in Ikeja on Wednesday, February 10. Other members of the committee include Hon. Habeeb Fasinro, Chief Olawale Cole, Sarah Boulos, Abimbola obafunwa, Prof. Senapon Bakare, Chika Balogun, Folarin Coker, Prof. Ademola Abass, Bolanle Austen-Peters and Olufunmilayo Balogun as secretary.
Prominent segments of Lagos high society are unhappy with Governor Ambode for appointing Soyinka as chairman of the planning committee. According to them, Soyinka is not a Lagosian, he is from Ogun state and when Ogun celebrated its 40 anniversary recently, no Lagosian was appointed to be part of the event’s planning committee. Bolanle Austen-Peters is not from Lagos as well. According to them, there are many Lagosians who are capable of planning such events.
