Fashola scolds PDP over use of Gani Park

Lagos State governor,Babatunde Fashola  yesterday, berated the ruling Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, for storming the Gani Fawehinmi Park for a political rally, saying the party had always been vocal in criticising his government for building parks and gardens in the state.

Fashola, who faulted the party’s decision to stage a rally at the popular park constructed by Lagos State government in Eti- Osa local council development area, , last Friday, said the state government was able to create about 28,094 jobs between 2008 and 2013 from tree planting initiative despite accusation that the project was elitist.

Fashola at a tree-planting campaign entitled ‘Life Is Better With Trees’ said: “You will recall that the Gani Fawehinmi Park is one of the products of this Greening and Tree Planting initiative.

There was no park there until we started it in 2012. “When people rallied at that park in Ojota, to protest the anti-people policy of the subsidy removal by our opponents early in the New Year of 2012, people who went there to protest, to rally against this policy, were repelled by heavily armed security personnel.


“Our (opponents) always turn security personnel against the people they are supposed to protect instead of against those who threaten the people. But our opponents have no shame.
In their unthinking inconsistency, it was at the same Ojota Park, the same Gani Fawehinmi Park that they now chose to hold their party rally last week.

“They lie, they forget what they say, what they complain about, do not believe them, have they forgotten that the park was cosmetic, have they now forgotten that the park is elitist, or indeed are they the true elites? For me, they have shown themselves for who they are, a party that is unworthy of trust and lacking in consistency.

“For the people of Lagos, for our employees, for our artisans and welders and all of you the economic beneficiary of this policy, this is the last tree planting day that I will address you as your governor,” Fashola announced.

He said the state government institutionalised the policy by setting up the Lagos State Parks And Gardens Agency, LASPARK, to maintain and sustain the parks and gardens and trees.
He added that his “government and our party the APC remains committed to continuing this initiative, but you know now what our opponents think about this programme. (Nat'l Mirror)