Why Sanwo-Olu Shunned Fanfare on His 55th Birthday
Gboyega Akosile, Chief Press Secretary to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos explains why the governor’s birthday was turned into an memorable working day
Proverbs 22:29 states “Seest thou a man diligent in his business? He shall stand before kings; he shall not stand before mean men.” This biblical verse is the true reflection of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State, who cloced 55 this week. Without any iota of doubt, the 55th birthday of Governor Sanwo-Olu is worth celebrating considering how he has made meaningful impacts in private and public sectors, especially in the last one year of his administration as number one citizen in the Centre of Excellence.
Mr. Governor believes that an occasion of one’s birthday, especially a milestone such as the age of 55, should be a day to reflect on one’s purpose of existence in life and, this according to him, is “to serve the humanity”. Therefore the governor in his charismatic leadership and passion for the vulnerable people decided not to have an elaborate feast for families, friends, political associates and professional colleagues. Rather he has chosen the path of honour and genuine love for the needy in the society by asking people to channel the resources they intend to use for congratulatory advertisements in celebration of his birthday to taking care of the vulnerable people in the society. The governor, based on his passion for the state has also declared his intention to spend the better part of today to attend to many important state matters.
Sanwo-Olu’s gesture is going to bring relief to thousands of Lagosians, especially the vulnerable, whose lives are expected to be touched directly or indirectly by the millions of naira that could have been used for birthday messages for the governor. Sanwo-Olu’s decision is a reflection of his conviction that “the best birthday gift anyone would give him at this period is to identify those at the bottom of the pyramid wherever they reside, lift them up by putting smiles on their faces-that way, they would have lifted his heart too.”
As a man who believes in putting smiles on the faces of others; someone who is passionate and empathetic towards people around him, the governor’s decision to have a low key celebration on his major milestone deserves a lot of accolades.
Lagos State is the commercial capital of Nigeria and the Africa’s fifth largest economy, and based on its unique position as having the highest population density in Nigeria, the battle for the state usually dominates the country’s politics during election period. This is why many political parties usually battle to be in control of the state. But despite several attempts by the opposition political parties, the progressive camp, which SanwoOlu belongs to, has been in charge of the State since the return of Nigeria to democratic path in May 29, 1999.
The ruling party has provided good governance in Lagos State in the last 21 years and Governor Sanwo-Olu has been part of the State’s progressive trajectory in the past seventeen years. He was a member of the cabinet of the three previous governors. The banker, who turned politician began his political journey at 37 when he served as Special Adviser on Corporate Matters to ex-deputy governor, Otunba Femi Pedro and later Special Adviser to Governor Bola Tinubu on Corporate Matters in 2004. He was head of different ministries between 2004 and 2015 as Honourable Commissioner. Former Governor Tinubu appointed SanwoOlu as acting Commissioner for Economic Planning and Budget from 2004 to 2005, and later made him substantive Commissioner for Commerce and Industry in 2007. Also former Governor Babatunde Fashola in 2007 appointed him as Commissioner of Establishment, Training and Pensions. The incumbent governor also served as the Managing Director/CEO of the Lagos State Development and Property Corporation (LSDPC) under the immediate past governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode.
His emergence as the governor of Lagos State was historic, considering the support that heralded his emergence as the standard bearer of the All Progressives Congress (APC) during the party’s gubernatorial primaries. For the first time in Lagos politics, Sanwo-Olu defeated an incumbent governor to pick his party’s ticket. He won the March 2, 2019 governorship poll landslide, defeating 44 candidates other who contested against him.
As a man who has played active role in the growth and development of the State in line with the ‘Lagos Master Plan’, Sanwo-Olu didn’t disappoint Lagosians immediately he took over the mantle of leadership. Knowing the various challenges facing the state, Sanwo-Olu’s administration, working with a six pillars policy programme tagged T.H.E.M.E.S to deliver good governance to millions of Lagosians swung into action. T.H.E.M.E.S stands for; Traffic Management and Transportation; Health and Environment; Education and Technology; Making Lagos a 21st Century economy; Entertainment and Tourism; Security and Governance.
It is of note that when Sanwo-Olu emerged as APC governorship candidate, Lagos had literally become a dumpsite as heaps of municipal waste littered the streets. The state agency set up for waste disposal had been disengaged in a curious and controversial circumstance, leaving residents to resort to indiscriminate dumping of refuse, which became a daily eyesore, even to the government of the day. Apart from the issue of waste, there were several other issues of concern that the governor faced when assumed office. The issues of heavy traffic, bad roads, and blockage of drainage, among others were monstrous in nature.
Governor Sanwo-Olu believes that government is continuous and that was why he didn’t spend energy in his early days in office blaming previous administration. Rather than giving excuses, Sanwo-Olu hit the ground running from his day one in office. He took a lot of bold steps in the early few weeks. To him, the task of achieving the ‘Greater Lagos’ he promised Lagosians must be accomplished.
Sanwo-Olu, within a week in office announced members of his kitchen cabinet as well as key appointments in the state to set the ball of governance rolling in the Centre of Excellence.
The governor also signed the Lagos State 2019 Appropriation Bill of N873,532,460,725 into law. As promised during the electioneering, Sanwo-Olu constituted his full cabinet within his first 60 days in office.
With the cabinet fully in place, the government swung into action by working hard to ensure that the people of Lagos State start enjoying dividends of democracy. The first 100 days in office was a huge success story for a young several programmes and projects executed by administration as there were several projects displayed in the score card.