Lagos State Governor, Akinwunmi Ambode on Monday commended the efforts of the United States of America in ensuring peaceful transition following the last general elections in the country.
The Governor said this when he received the United States Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr James Entwistle, who paid him a courtesy visit at the Lagos House, Ikeja.
“I want to say that the relationship we’ve had with the United States has been longstanding and you’ve always been a friend indeed, we just quickly want to recommit ourselves to that relationship so much that the security of every American that comes into Lagos is of utmost importance to me; you’ll see that in the last four months what we’ve been trying to do is to recommit ourselves to security and judicial sector reforms,” Ambode said.
He said the establishment of the Office of Overseas Affairs and Investment, which would directly be administered by his office, is geared towards making the state more investor-friendly and safer.
“Under my control, the ease of doing business in Lagos is of major concern. Beyond the fact that we want to improve infrastructure to allow Lagos to become globally competitive, we want to make sure that everybody that comes here must be able to work safely, live safely and must be able to do everything they want in a peaceful manner,” he said.
Ambode also welcomed the cooperation of the United States towards ensuring a more secured Lagos as well as deepening the democratic system. He said that the country as a whole can learn from the relationship between the executive and the legislative arm of government to deepen its democratic institutions.
Speaking earlier, Ambassador James Entwistle reaffirmed the commitment of the United States to ensure that the excellent relationship between the City of Lagos and the United States is extended for the mutual benefit of both.
