Lagos slams Economist over ‘reckless, slanderous article’

By Tope Musowo
Lagos

Lagos state government has described the article published in the latest edition of the Economist Magazine as “reckless and slanderous,” noting that the issues were ill-conceived.
Reacting on behalf of the state government, the Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr. Steve Ayorinde, said the government deemed it fit to write a rebuttal to the article titled: “Paralysed:
Why Nigeria’s Largest City is Even Less Navigable than Usual,” as it contained series of bias judgements in it.
Ayorinde wondered why the article, published just about the time the Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode, read the riot act to traffic offenders on the readiness of his administration to carry out comprehensive enforcement efforts on traffic management, was latched on by traditional and social media.

Attributing it to the handiwork of fifth columnists, he said the article failed to take into account the bigger picture of an emerging reform policy, designed to address the larger concerns in the management of security, traffic and the environment.
“If we were to conclude hastily, like the article did, we would have described the magazine’s effort in the same words it once famously used as an unpleasant nose-to-stranger’s-armpit experience.”
He said what the governor did instead was to enjoin the officers to look at other options to apprehend traffic offenders by adopting the ticketing system backed by the same type of technology used in licensing and tracking vehicles instead of impounding the vehicles as first option.

“That The Economist sees nothing wrong in recalcitrant officers refusing
to carry out a directive by their employer is as surprising as it is shameful. Shockingly still, the veil finally came off this curious article when it states that by choosing a compassionate approach to enforcement, Governor Ambode is less competent and has deviated from his predecessor’s template.
“But what legacy has The Economist bequeathed to former Governor Babatunde Fashola? “Cars were terrified into order by a state traffic agency, LASTMA, whose bribe-hungry officers flagged down offending drivers.”