The brand activations of the campaign,
themed “Greater Lagos Rising”, began at midnight with the deployment of an
array of assets, among which are digital banners, A-Frames, Static Billboards,
Digital Billboards, Gantries, Branded BRT Buses, and Ventricular to strategic
locations in the state.
By 4 am, the campaign focus shifted from
the air to the sea, which emphasises the place of Lagos as a State of Aquatic
Splendour. The unveiling of a Laser Branding of the Lagos Lagoon along the
Third Mainland Bridge delighted many Lagosians on that route in the early hours
of the day, while amplification on the social media enabled millions of the
citizens to behold the wonder of the day.
Then followed from 4:30 am about 1,000
energetic young Lagosians in Campaign Mascots who took strategic locations in
the State to alert Lagosians about the break of the re-election campaign of the
Numbers One and Two Citizens of the State. They were found not only on the
Third Mainland Bridge, but also at Oshodi, Lekki, Ikorodu, Ojota and Abule
Egba.
At 6:30am, a Sea Show featuring hundreds of
Lagos citizens in the riverine communities rolled out branded canoes to
commemorate the start of the re-election campaign of Governor Sanwo-Olu and his
Deputy.
A multi-dimensional Road Show comprising
Power Bikers, Activation Rigs and Mobile Advertising Vans also commenced from Ikeja
through Ikorodu Road to Lagos Island at 9 am. And by 1 pm, the campaign jingles
hit the airwaves through major radio stations.
A media conference to unveil the Brand
Campaign took place in Ikeja, the state capital, by 11 am, while TV campaigns
broke by 7 pm.
Lagos State Commissioner for Information
and Strategy, Mr Gbenga Omotoso urged Lagosians to brace up for “an exciting
campaign season like never seen before! A government that has delivered on its
promises, we have many reasons to campaign boldly”.
On the rationale for A GREATER LAGOS
RISING! as the campaign theme, the Commissioner recalled how Lagos managed and
navigated through the challenges of the first three years of the Sanwo-Olu
administration, which anchored its campaign thrust on GREATER LAGOS! while
seeking to be elected in 2019. The records of the administration propelled the
Governor and his Deputy to put their hats in the ring again, the commissioner
said.
Expanding on the storied journey of the
triumph of the human spirit over challenges as typified by Governor Sanwo-Olu,
Omotoso announced: “With all sense of humility, Mr. Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu
has sent us here to say, ‘I am running on records. Get ready for more’”!
Just a month in office, the administration
had faced its litmus test with Lagos witnessing torrential rainfall which
impacted negatively on the state of roads, causing traffic snarls and attendant
hardship on the citizens. The response of the Sanwo-Olu administration was to
launch the #FixingLagosRoads Campaign, an intensive road rehabilitation
campaign. Then came the tragic pipeline explosion at NNPC in Ijagemo, as a
result of the activities of pipeline vandals. Governor Sanwo-Olu mobilised help
for the helpless.
There were also the commercial motorcycle
(okada) menace, which got critics railing at the government. But Governor
Sanwo-Olu rode the storm. “The move was a containment strategy to keep their
activities manageable for the already over-stretched security agencies. Again,
respite came the way of the citizens who applauded the bold move by the
Sanwo-Olu administration”, the commissioner reminisced.
He recalled the setback that Covid-19
pandemic could have caused to Lagos but for a courageous and brave Governor and
Deputy Governor. In the end, Lagos emerged the global example for the medical
world on how to fight the pandemic.
#ENDSARS also almost grounded the state
with critical infrastructure massively destroyed. But the Lagos of Sanwo-Olu
came out stronger. “Within a few weeks, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu launched
the Rebuild Lagos initiative aimed at rebuilding all that was destroyed during
the protest”. Omotoso said.
He said that A GREATER LAGOS RISING! is not
only appropriate for a state that achieved so much in spite of all odds, but
also a “thematic continuum of what we promised in 2019”.
“We promised our people A GREATER LAGOS. What
do we see around us? Abundant evidence of a new city rising from the womb of
time. We do not make a false claim of having reached the zenith of our journey.
Our contextual usage of the word is as an adjective that suggests an upward
slop, an increase and an upward movement. These are the signs discerning minds
can see all around the City of Lagos today,” the Commissioner said.