Chief of Staff to the President, Mr Femi Gbajabiamila, has said that the purpose of government and the essence of public service is to empower individuals to pursue their God-given ambitions.
Gbajabiamila made this remark in Lagos on Saturday during the official launch of 33 buses donated to ease transportation for residents of Surulere Federal Constituency I. The initiative, tagged “Gbaja Ride,” was designed to provide intra-city transportation as part of his welfare programme.
According to the News Agency of Nigeria, the fleet includes both high-capacity and medium-sized buses and will primarily cater to school children, the elderly, and the general public.
Gbajabiamila explained that the President Bola Tinubu-led administration was actualising the purpose of governance through its Renewed Hope Agenda, with wide-reaching impacts since its inception two years ago.
“The Gbaja Ride programme we are launching today is also a product of that determination to use the instruments of government at all levels to ease the lives of our people and empower our citizens to do more and achieve greater things,” he said.
The Chief of Staff stressed the importance of efficient public transportation, especially in an urban setting like Lagos.
“Access to safe, efficient and reliable public transport services is imperative in an urban environment like ours.
“Access to these services, especially for young children in school, for older people, for the less-abled and for all those who struggle with their income, can be the difference between succeeding in school or failing because of a lack of regular attendance.
“It can be the difference between being able to get to the hospital on time to receive life-saving medical assistance or dying at home alone.
“It can be the difference between getting to a job interview on time or missing the opportunity of a lifetime,” he stated.
Gbajabiamila noted that the buses will be operated in partnership with the Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority, offering free transport to secondary school students in the Surulere axis.
“The buses we are presenting here today will be operated in partnership with the Lagos Metropolitan Transport Agency to provide free transportation to and from school for all secondary school students in the Surulere axis to ensure that our young people can get to and from school on time and in safety.
“Parents in these areas no longer have to worry about providing money for transport or fear for the well-being of their wards while they are on the way to school in the morning and back home in the afternoon,” he said.
He added that the buses will also provide discounted services for other residents, charging just 25 per cent of the usual rates, and would prioritise the elderly, pregnant women, and mothers travelling with young children.
“I have said before and I will repeat again, building a working society is a collective responsibility requiring the joint efforts of all citizens.
“We have provided these buses and our team of dedicated young men in collaboration with our partners at LAMATA will manage this programme sustainably and effectively.
“However, ensuring this programme succeeds and endures is the collective responsibility of all the drivers, the conductors and passengers who would use and benefit from this programme.
“Therefore, I urge everyone to treat their buses with the same level of care and consideration you would ordinarily give to your own vehicles,” he said.
To ensure uninterrupted service, Gbajabiamila said he had already made provisions for fuelling, maintenance, and drivers’ salaries for the next three months.
He also expressed appreciation to President Bola Tinubu for “exemplifying everything excellence” and praised Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu for supporting the initiative.
In his remarks, Rep. Fuad Laguda, who succeeded Gbajabiamila as the lawmaker representing Surulere 1 Federal Constituency, commended him for yet another impactful gesture.
“The Chief of Staff has done it again. We are proud of him and all he is doing for Surulere.
“People always ask me, as Chief of Staff’s successor at the House of Representatives, if I can wear his shoes.
“My reply has always been that I can’t wear his shoes and that nobody can. In fact, his shoes are at the museum.
“But we thank the former Speaker for creating the pathway for us to do our part for the people of Surulere,” Laguda said.
Mr Sulaiman Yusuf, Chairman of Surulere Local Government, also hailed the gesture, stating:
“Our honourable Chief of Staff has done so much for the people of Surulere. He has done so many things that we cannot begin to count.
“We are proud of him as he is a blessing to us. Surulere will never forget him for the many lives he is touching,” he said.
The event was attended by several dignitaries including the Managing Director of the Nigeria Railway Corporation, Mr Kayode Olaifa; Special Adviser to Governor Sanwo-Olu on Tourism, Mr Idris Aregbe; Lagos Commissioner for Basic and Secondary Education, Mr Jamiu Ali-Balogun; and APC chieftain, Mr Fouad Oki.
Also in attendance were members of the National Union of Road Transport Workers, school children, and supporters of the All Progressives Congress.
The ceremony concluded with Gbajabiamila and other dignitaries taking a symbolic ride on one of the newly launched buses.
