Lagos and the Challenges of Governance
Decades of slavery in America shattered the promise of a new world and blighted the soul of a rising nation. The secession of the states from the Southern hemisphere such as South Carolina, Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Texas, Virginia, Arkansas, Tennessee, and North Carolina) in 1860–61 in chronological order, and the ensuing outbreak of armed hostilities, were the consequence of years of accentuated sectional friction over slavery.
In 1858, two years before he became President of the United States, the Republican Party candidate for the Senatorial seat, Abraham Lincoln, in debates with the Democratic Party Senator Stephen Douglas, from Illinois spoke on the evils of slavery. He made it very clear why slavery should not spread in America. He lost the election to his Democratic Party rival, but that did not change his stand on the evil of slavery.
With America facing an uncertain future, yet convinced of the righteousness of his stand against slavery, Lincoln rallied Americans in one of his campaign stump speeches quoting, “uneasy lies the head that wears the crown’’, a line from William Shakespeare’s King Henry IV. Lincoln charged Americans to give him the crown to lead a country that would soon become the leader of the free world and he will bear the uneasiness that comes with the crown.
To govern Lagos, the most cosmopolitan city-state and the 6th largest economy in Africa, is not a tea party. Like Abraham Lincoln, the All Progressives Congress candidate for the position of the Governor of the state, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, is asking Lagosians to give him the crown to lead Lagos at a time the people want government to respond better to the existential challenges that confront them daily.
Abraham Lincoln changed the world with his ideas and actions. Lincoln became very famous as President of the United States till date, for his actions that stopped the slavery trade and civil war.
As a charismatic leader, Lincoln with his power of example, changed the world using his powerful moral authority. He spoke out against the evils of slavery, and as President, he made it abundantly clear that his roles in the war were strongly influenced by his goal of ending slavery as a practice that violated American democratic values.
Like Lincoln, anyone that desires to lead Lagos as Governor must be a man or woman that can dream big and have the capacity to turn his big idea into reality. To be the governor of Lagos is not a job for the faint-hearted, and it has been my considered view that any man or woman that puts himself or herself forward to lead a state with over 20 million diverse people of different persuasions and inclinations, an economy bigger than many countries in Africa and Europe allied with other socio-gravitational pulls that make governing a mega city-state quite challenging must come prepared. The aspiring Governor of Lagos State must come with a mentality to lead a country. A governor of Lagos must think like someone running a country.
Despite the sustained progress it has made since 1999 with 3 governors – Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, SAN and the current Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode, who have all made commendable impacts on the governance of the state, it would still appear that whatever progress we have seen is a mere drop in an ocean.
Lagos is fortunate to already have a comprehensive development plan authored by different administrations. It was re-energised to a 2012-2025 development blue print by the administration of Fashola having factored new realities. As a financial hub of Nigeria and most prosperous state, Lagos is the home to 60% Nigeria’s industrial base including trade and foreign investment. The state also controls more than 40% of all labour emoluments in Nigeria. The state’s development blue print is a bold initiative to harness and mobilise all the economic potentials as well as investment that will make the state one of the competitive and leading economies in the world.
At the state infrastructure summit which held in October 2017, Governor Ambode put the cost of fixing the infrastructure deficit in Lagos at about $50b dollars for the next 20 years. To power the economy of the state with electricity requires about 10,000mw alone. The state is currently working on a 3000 mw power project that will ring-fence it from the national malady electricity has become.
To sustain the ongoing development trajectory and improve on the existing development plan demands some level of competence and capable hands to take the mantle of leadership from Governor Ambode, who without doubt, has had a very impressive run even when the problems of waste management and poor maintenance of the roads seem to have counted very much against him.
With the observable governance challenges, Lagos remains a place of dreams where dreams are realized everyday- its pulsating energy, the burst of creativity of her people, the enterprising spirit, and rambunctiousness of the dwellers all make the commercial capital of Nigeria and West Africa a melting pot.
Converting the governance challenges that currently confront Lagos into opportunities whilst expanding socio-economic opportunities for shared prosperity for all will, however, demand competence and know-how on the part of those who seek to govern. Lagos with its multifarious governance issues is not a place for a loafer who is only interested in the paraphernalia of office without accepting the responsibilities that come with the high office of the Governor. A governor of Lagos that is faced with the daunting burden to provide security, transportation, healthcare, education and housing for an ever-expanding population must be one with superior brain power.
Without any shred of doubt, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu and his running mate, Dr. Obafemi Hamzat, with over 30 years combined public sector work experience are well-suited for the task of leading Lagos at this particular time in her development trajectory. And this is apart from their distinguished career in the private sector, where both men equally made a solid mark before their cross-over to public service, where they served as Commissioners in the administrations of Asiwaju Bola Tinubu and Mr. Babatunde Fashola, SAN. Their public service credentials in Lagos are well established.
Sanwo-Olu started his public service career in year 2004; first, as the Special Adviser on Corporate Matters to former Deputy Governor, Mr. Femi Pedro and later appointed into same role by the then Governor Tinubu before he got full cabinet role as Acting Commissioner for Economic Planning & Budget less than a year after he joined the trail blazing administration. The Tinubu administration became the pathfinder of what has been described as the progressive governance in Lagos since 1999.
He made his mark within a very short period such that civil servants and development partners were curious to know who the new kid on the block was because of his impressive performance and the impact he created. Babajide Sanwo-Olu took the public interest in his personality and his skills set in his stride. He chose to prove his mettle on the job by rolling up his sleeves and bringing his expertise in finance and management notched in over two decades in the private sector to play.
In government-speak, the Commissioner for Budget and Economic Planning was the “headmaster” who wielded the big stick against non-compliance with budgetary limits and held the votes of charge that gave life to expenditures.
The new man on the block slipped into the role as if it was a customized suit. Ministries, departments and agencies met a friendly enforcer and creative provider of solutions to the challenging task of managing the economic development of Africa’ s fastest growing economic hub.
Tracking and providing intelligent analysis of Internally Generated Revenues (IGR) by the various government agencies and parastatals, including the Board of Internal Revenue (BIR), for executive consideration and policymaking; as well as preparation and publication of the Lagos State Economic Empowerment and Development Strategy (LASEEDS) are some of his commendable contributions.
The opportunity gave him a helicopter view of the economic challenges facing the 12 million residents and turned him into a passionate executor of the Lagos State Economic Development Strategy. Only God knew that someday he would respond to the call of the people to apply these solutions to a population that has now grown to estimated 24million.
Perhaps, it was his deployment to the Ministry Establishment Trainings and Pensions during the administration of Governor Fashola where he had all civil servants in the state under his purview that gave him statewide name recognition. He initiated reforms in the civil service that increased workers’ productivity, increased welfare for workers and pensioners and better revenue for the government. He was very successful that he became the darling of workers who hold him in very high esteem.
Getting difficult tasks done is second nature to Sanwo-Olu. It probably explains why he had his hands full during the Fashola administration where he served diligently between 2007 and 2011.
It was not by happenstance that SanwoOlu was involved in the establishment of the Lagos State Security Trust Fund, the New Projects Initiation & Promotions Committee, and the Lekki Free Trade Zone and chaired the Consultants Board. These interventions have given him the institutional memory to understand why and how the present agencies of the Lagos State government were formed and how to manage them to give Lagosians the best possible values.
In Sanwo-Olu and his running mate, Dr. Hamzat, Lagosians will get two able men and strategic thinkers for the price of one. While either of them can competently lead Lagos, it then becomes more exciting when two great minds are united in purpose to take governance to new heights.
Dr. Hamzat joined the cabinet of Asiwaju Tinubu in 2005 as the Commissioner of Science and Technology. It must be stressed that he made his mark with his revolutionary initiative that triggered the digitalization of Lagos State Civil and Public Service to enhance service delivery to the public.
By 2007, Hamzat who holds a Ph.D. in Process Engineering had earned his stripes having creditably performed in office. It was very easy for Governor Fashola to retain him in his cabinet as Commissioner for Science and Technology. He was later moved as Commissioner in charge of Works and Infrastructure, a role where he excelled more with landmark and groundbreaking projects that include the iconic Lekki-Ikoyi Bridge.
Lagosions can be rest assured that the quality of leadership of the state that have been used to since 1999 will only go a notch higher with Sanwo-Olu from May 29, 2019 will be when the current APC led administration will pass the baton. As a governor, he will also have the advantage of a resourceful Hamzat as co-pilot.
Like Abraham Lincoln, Sanwo-Olu wants the crown and he is prepared to bear the responsibilities that come with it.