Hakeem Muri-Okunola, the New Go-to-Person
During President Bola Tinubu’s tenure as Governor of Lagos State, he was surrounded by several young and resourceful youths whom he groomed for leadership positions.
Four of them were highly favoured and labelled the ‘Golden Sons.’. This formidable unit with far-reaching influence at the time and their positions were Folorunsho “Folly” Coker (Personal Assistant, later Deputy Chief of Staff); Gbolahan Lawal (Aide-De-Camp), Saheed Ademola Elegushi (Special Assistant), and Hakeem Muri-Okunola (Personal Assistant).
Two of those ‘Golden Sons’ are today notable Lagos monarchs, Oba Elegushi (Ikate kingdom) and Oba Lawal (Oniru). Coker is today changing the face of Nigeria’s tourism industry as the Director General of the Nigerian Tourism Development Commission, while the last of the pack is Muri-Okunola, the immediate past Lagos State Head of Service.
The quartet remained extremely close, rose significantly into many dignified positions in life and was beholden to President Tinubu who is seen as the architect of their elevated positions. The 51-year-old Muri-Okunola, fondly called HMO by friends and associates, was said to be so meticulous while serving as the Personal Assistant to the then Governor Tinubu.
He was regarded as one of the architects of modern Lagos and an influential person in government affairs. HMO, a trained lawyer and administrator was later promoted to the position of the Head of Service by former governor Akinwumi Ambode in 2018 after a stint at the Ministry of Lands Housing and Urban Development.
HMO is back with major influence in the Presidency as the Principal Private Secretary to the President.
HMO’s appointment is seen as a vantage positioning that comes with a tremendous advantage as it enables him to share influence with the President’s Chief of Staff, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila. It is a development that reopens direct access to the President for the friends debonair HMO. Indeed, as he settles into his new responsibility, sources said Muri-Okunola is fast becoming the new go-to person in the Presidency, wielding more influence and becoming very powerful.