Gubernatorial candidate of Labour Party (LP) in Lagos State, Gbadebo Rhodes Vivour has described government’s approach to several public policies as draconian.
Addressing a press conference at his campaign head office in Lekki, Vivour said a government without empathy was dictatorship and had no place in a democracy.
He spoke against the backdrop of the auctioning of 130 cars for violating traffic rules by the Lagos State government.
“As much as we do not want a society where people can flagrantly disregard traffic rules, the punishment, however, must be commensurate to the offence. It is inhumane asking people to pay fines worth more than four times the minimum wage and then auction their cars because they are unable to pay the humongous, allotted fines. A rational government would rather sentence such individuals to community service rather than jail them or auction their cars. The greatest violators of traffic rules are, in fact, government officials and the so-called elite who drive through BRT lanes, bully people off the roads with their unruly orderlies, convoys and disturb public peace with the noise of their sirens.
“More so, the poor state of the roads, unnecessary traffic congestion, poor traffic management and robberies, occasioned by poor governance and poor leadership are part of the issues responsible for the flouting of some of the traffic rules. When government leads by example, society would follow suit.”
Vivour also spoke about plans by the Ministry of Environment to shut down Ladipo Market, describing it as yet another evidence of the current administration’s high-handed public policies.
“This market in question pays hundreds of millions yearly mostly as illegal taxes and levies that are unaccounted for. With all the levies paid by these businessmen and women, why has there been no investment in the infrastructure where they operate their businesses? Why isn’t the government coming up with a policy to educate, orientate and work with the leadership of these markets to provide an enabling environment for the waste generated to be properly managed? Why is there first resort to an issue to ban or shut down the livelihoods of people?
“It is even more worrying that there is a pattern to this harassment by the Lagos State government, especially when elections are around the corner.
These specific markets dominated by people from a certain part of the country are targeted and it is disgraceful.”
On the proposed “Obedient rally” slated for October 1 that was challenged in court, He said it was unfortunate that senior lawyers would be attempting to usurp the fundamental rights of citizens.