Lagos Central: Johnson pledges quarterly town halls, digital constituency dashboard

Michael Olumide Alabi

Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) senatorial candidate for Lagos Central, Ladipo Johnson, has promised to provide what he described as an effective voice for residents of the senatorial district if elected to the Senate in 2027.

Johnson made the promise on Tuesday while speaking on Frontline, a current affairs programme on Eagle 102.5 FM, Ilese-Ijebu.
Lagos Central Senatorial District comprises Apapa, Eti-Osa, Lagos Island, Lagos Mainland and Surulere. The district is currently represented in the Senate by Senator Wasiu Eshilokun Sanni of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Johnson said he decided to contest because he believes the district requires stronger legislative representation and closer engagement between its senator and constituents.

He expressed concern that some residents were not sufficiently aware of who currently represents them at the National Assembly.

“Well, unfortunately, if you speak to most people in Central, there’s Apapa, Eti-Osa, Lagos Island, Lagos Mainland, and Surulere. If you ask most of them who has been representing you for the past three-plus years, a lot of them don’t know his name,” he said.

Describing Lagos Central as a strategically important part of Lagos State and Nigeria’s economy, Johnson said the district contained major commercial centres and a large concentration of businesses.

“We pride ourselves being the centre of excellence and we in Lagos Central further believe that our Lagos Central is the heartbeat of the economy,” he said.

He argued that the level of commercial activity in the district required effective representation at the National Assembly.

“It is very difficult for some people in Lagos Central to believe that, being the centre of excellence, we really have not had a voice in the Senate for the past three-plus years,” Johnson said.

Explaining his motivation for seeking the seat, he said: “In all humility, I believe, and that is why I put myself forward, that I could be that voice in the Senate that will represent my people, our people from Central in a very effective, efficient manner.”

Five-Point Agenda
Johnson said his proposed legislative agenda would focus on five major areas: the people, productivity, infrastructure, security, the rule of law, and governance.

He stressed that he would not make promises concerning projects that fall under the executive arm of government.

“I’m looking at the people. I’m looking at productivity, infrastructure, security, and of course, governance itself,” he said.

“I am going into the legislative branch, not going in to build bridges. I’m not the executive arm of government, so I will not make those promises.”

According to him, his approach would involve legislative oversight, engagement with government agencies and the use of the Senate’s legislative and advocacy roles to attract investment and support development within the district.

“I will genuinely engage with our people in Central and talk about what we could do to ensure that we support the government, the executive arm, and that we use the legislative oversight function and the soft power of the Senate to encourage people to bring in businesses,” he said.

Focus on SMEs and Employment
Johnson identified small and medium-sized businesses as an important component of Lagos Central’s economy, particularly along the Lekki axis, Lagos Mainland and Surulere.

“Look at the Lekki axis, look at the amount of shops and small businesses, medium-sized businesses you have there, even in Mainland, even in Surulere, and they are the highest employers of labour,” he said.

He said legislative representation should also focus on ensuring that government policies do not place unnecessary burdens on businesses.

“We can get that axis taken properly again and not kill them with all sorts of levies and taxes and this and that,” he said.

Unemployment, Infrastructure, Security
Johnson listed unemployment, infrastructure deficits, flooding, security and governance among the major challenges facing Lagos Central.

He expressed particular concern about youth unemployment across Lagos Island and Eti-Osa.

“The number of young ones I have from Lagos Island, from Eti-Osa, the level of unemployment is outstanding. It’s just something that is waiting to explode,” he said.

He also linked security, the rule of law and good governance to economic development and investment.

“And the security, rule of law, governance is another thing, because those are the things that will enable the economy to begin to move, enable us to attract businesses into our senatorial district,” he added.

Promises Quarterly Town Halls
Johnson promised regular engagement with constituents if elected, saying he would organise town-hall meetings every quarter to receive feedback and report on his activities.

“I have already stated that I will pledge to be in constant touch with my people in two or three ways. One is that I have pledged that in every quarter, I will report back to them and I will hear from them through town halls, so that we’ll have a minimum of fair hearing,” he said.

He also proposed the creation of a digital dashboard through which constituents could monitor his legislative activities, bills and constituency projects.

“Secondly, I will have them create a digital dashboard, whereby the people can report to us as things are happening,” Johnson said.

He explained that constituents would be able to use their mobile phones to follow the progress of projects and legislation and provide feedback.

“They can report, and they can assess and track whether it is a constituency project or whether it is a bill before the Senate. They can track it from their phones, so they know whether their senator is sleeping or whether that thing is slow because of the minister and not the senator’s fault,” he said.

Johnson said the proposed system would also help constituents distinguish between issues within the control of their elected representative and delays caused by other arms or agencies of government.

“For those who want to see the process of government work properly, they will take that step. At least they will take the step of using a platform to report incidents that their representatives can aid with or help with, since they know they can do it from their phone,” he said.