Fashola Tasks Editors On Setting Agenda For Political Discussions

Lagos State Governor Babatunde Fashola yesterday urged editors in the country to always set agenda for political discussions that would guide future election campaigns.

Fashola, while receiving the Guild of Editors in his Alausa office, said future elections would be more peaceful and free of tension, if they are actually focused on national burning issues.

The governor added that with issues oriented campaigns and elections, even the children would freely participate in future election campaigns and town hall meetings.

Reminiscing on the last general elections, Fashola said year 2014 and last few months were quite eventful for the country, giving the election threats and tension that engulfed the whole country.

He said though the country was turned back from the brink, almost at the precipice, “I wish it will not happen again.”

According to Fashola: “Though there is no nation without conflicts, but I think in all that has happened, one thing was missing in this election; we didn’t see our children there.

“One question i’ve continued to ask myself is that if this is about the future, why do not our children come to the campaigns or the town hall meetings? We don’t we have sessions where school-children on excursion begin to get involved? How many parents can allow the children to come, given the atmosphere that we’ve created? Yet, we say this is about tomorrow?

“This is one of the issues we all must reflect on, and I hope that it will manifest itself even in your relations. You (editors) know better than all of us; what the issues are. And we expect that you will tackle, as well as confine the candidates who are seeking to lead and see who best articulate the issues,” he said.