Lagos — Babatunde Fashola, the ex-governor of Lagos State, has criticized Nigerians for having excessive expectations from their Presidents.
Fashola mentioned in an interview with Untold Stories Nigeria that the President does not have constitutional duties in relation to certain demands made by Nigerians.
In a widely circulated snippet, the former Minister of Works and Housing emphasized that water, house rent, sanitation, and other issues are not within the President’s constitutional responsibilities.
In his words, “Are we expecting too much from the President? What constitutional role does the President have with regards to things that affect the majority of the people? Water Supply, Sanitation, getting a business permit, paying rent? Those are things that are not the responsibilities of the Nigerian President.”
In the meantime, Babatunde Fashola expressed his belief that Nigerians should be required to pay their house rents on a monthly basis.
The former Governor of Lagos State also advocated for a revision of tenancy laws in various states, with the aim of compelling landlords to collect rents on a monthly basis.
Fashola shared these thoughts during the unveiling of his book titled “Nigerian Public Discourse: The Interplay of Empirical Evidence and Hyperbole” in Lagos on Thursday.
Fashola highlighted that the practice of demanding advance rent payments for up to three years or more was placing a significant financial burden on tenants, resulting in many vacant properties.
He urged other states to emulate the tenancy bill passed by the Lagos State House of Assembly in 2011, which made it illegal to collect rent exceeding one year in advance from new tenants.
