Pointing to Right Direction…Why Babajide Sanwo-Olu May Be Most Successful Lagos Governor in Recent Times
Biographies and autobiographies are always quick to mention the mountains and valleys heroes had to traverse to enter into history books. Try as one might, one is hardpressed to encounter any such celebrated tome whose protagonist did not walk alone in the height of gloom or glory. When the winds and dusts have settled at the end of Sanwo-Olu’s dispensation, historians will do well to remember that the man was humility incarnate, constantly heeding the nods and says of his elders, and unwilling to take all glory to himself.
Not even a year into his regime, to say that Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu is handling himself well is to undermine transparent fact. From even the most recent of events, Governor Sanwo-Olu has proved himself to be a most progressive individual, piling one unanticipated change onto the back of another, inadvertently building on successes that will soon cast former governments in a juvenile, blasé light.
Not so surprisingly, Governor SanwoOlu’s cycles of success ply unconventional roads, for which the governor is greatly esteemed. Described as a good listener, Governor Sanwo-Olu bears the reputation of one with an open, sincere mind; he is forever open to seeing things from others’ perspective and hearing their proffered solutions.
One of such people, the very experienced Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, is reported as being a repository of tips for the Lagos governor. An old hand at it himself, Tinubu allegedly inhabits the role of kind godfather and friend, lending inestimable caution and counsel to whatever is on hand.
This approach has served Governor Sanwo-Olu well, to say the least. But because it is the road less travelled by his predecessors, especially the immediate past governor, Akinwunmi Ambode, there are those who oppose the alleged TinubuSanwo-Olu chain of command, opining at length that Sanwo-Olu has a taken a kindergarten role in the state of affairs, leaping at the whims and fancy of Tinubu.
To put it bluntly, it takes much more than a craggy caveman personality, a sour disposition, and a protuberant midsection bearing heavily on gravitational forces to preside over any people of note. Insight and foresight and oversight have been distinguished as much better companions to remarkable administration and governance. These, regardless of the tireless and depressing observations of naysayers, have been demonstrated in the leadership style of Governor Sanwo-Olu.
When the winds and dust settle at the end of Sanwo-Olu’s dispensation, historians will do well to remember that the man was humility incarnate, constantly heeding the nods and says of his elders, and unwilling to take all glory to himself.