Fashola Receives U.S Diplomats, Urges Deeper Global Cooperation

By Press Release
August 18, 2013 22:55:54pm GM
Lagos State Governor, Mr Babatunde Fashola (SAN) on Saturday received the Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary for African Affairs, Ms Eunice Reddick and Director of African Affairs at the White House, Ms Leanne Erdberg on a courtesy visit, underscoring the need for deeper understanding and cooperation in an increasingly global world.

The Governor who spoke when he received the team led by the US Consul General at the Lagos State Consulate, Mr Jeffrey Hawkins at Lagos House, Ikeja said the call has become imperative because what happens in any part of the world now will affect every part of the world for good or for bad.

“Therefore our understanding of one another and that even if we can communicate, we are probably in many respects not operating at the same wavelength. It helps us to further know that there may be a need for forbearance here and forbearance there. Also to understand that historically some parts of the world are farther ahead in the way that the modern forms of government have aced in those parts and therefore some experience and expertise have been built there”.

“So when we look at the African continent today, it is also to recognize that it is a new African continent. There was a lot of originality here several thousands of years ago, but there wasn’t governance as we know in this structure, it was governance by monarchies and they worked for all they were worth at the time”

“So, perhaps as we therefore engage, it is to understand that for some it is still a sprint and for others it has become a walk and that in any event my understanding also is that the cycle of renaissance would continue and as they do economic dynamic, political dynamics and so on would continue to change”, he reiterated.

Governor Fashola explained that ultimately the world would be a better world by how much of interdependence the people builds on and achieve and how much of tolerance and understanding of the peculiar and local solutions they have.

While commending the US Consul General at the Lagos State Consulate, Mr Jeffrey Hawkins, the Governor said he has seen an increasing attempt by him to understand local peculiarities as a way of measuring the expectations he has of Nigerians who are also desirous continuously of keeping the healthy relationship the country has at least with the US Consulate in Lagos and which have been so far so good, a very good working relationship.

The Governor also used the occasion to clarify the notion about compliance with job rules in the state, stressing that Saturdays are official work free days but that because some work has piled up and that a week was spent in mourning the only way to catch it up was to put in some extra shift which necessitated the Executive Council meeting.

“They’ve all agreed to come and do that over the weekend so that we can get back to nearly normal hours although they are never normal here. So also note that otherwise we don’t work on Saturdays here except in some departments where we provide weekend services like vehicle registration and land permit for people who leave home early and never really get service”, he said.

Speaking on behalf of the visitors, US Consul General at the Lagos State Consulate, Mr Jeffrey Hawkins said the group is in Nigeria this week to participate in the latest edition of the US- Nigeria Bi-National Working Commission and the Working Group on Security.

He explained that the team has had a couple of days of very rich discussions in Abuja focused on security and primarily on the North but a theme that ran through so many of the discussions was on governance.

“The delegation also had the opportunity to meet with a group of Governors on Wednesday night and we were in Port Harcourt yesterday and met another Governor there and as someone who has a reputation for excellence in governance we wanted to also come and get your views on the future of the country and on the way forward and above all on the ways in which sub-national governments can move this country forward and we are looking forward to the discussions”, the diplomat stated.

The Governor was joined by the Deputy Governor, Hon (Mrs) Adejoke Orelope- Adefulire, some members of the State Executive Council including the State Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr Lateef Ibirogba, Secretary to the State Government, Dr (Mrs) Oluranti Adebule, Economic Planning and Budget, Mr Ben Akabueze and Youth, Sports and Social Development, Mr Enitan Oshodi, Education, Mrs Olayinka Oladunjoye and Special Adviser on Political and Legislative Powers, Mr Muslim Folami while others on the entourage of Mr Jeffrey Hawkins include Chief of the Political/Economic Section, Mr Rolf Olson and Nigeria Team Leader for Bureau of Conflict Stabilisation and Operations, Ms Caitlin Conarty.

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