Sanwo-Olu’s challenge of greater Lagos

Governor Babajide Olushola Sanwo-Olu was little known in public until he was propped up unexpectedly to contest for the All Progressives Congress’ (APC) governorship ticket against the then incumbent Governor Akinwunmi Ambode in the build up to the 2019 elections. Ambode had fallen out of favour obviously with party leaders in the state who had […]

Governor Babajide Olushola Sanwo-Olu was little known in public until he was propped up unexpectedly to contest for the All Progressives Congress’ (APC) governorship ticket against the then incumbent Governor Akinwunmi Ambode in the build up to the 2019 elections.

Ambode had fallen out of favour obviously with party leaders in the state who had vowed to truncate his second term ambition. And like a coup, Sanwo-Olu emerged from nowhere to become the governorship candidate of the party. He eventually won the March 9 governorship election in the state. He was seen as a man of history for displacing the incumbent governor despite the huge incumbency power and resources the latter wielded.

The displacement of Ambode, according to observers, might not be as a result of non-performance but that he stepped on toes for allegedly failing to play politics and reckon with political leaders who were said to be instrumental to his emergence in the first place among the array of other equally qualified candidates.

Among other missteps, Ambode was accused of implementing policies and programmes which alienated many party leaders.

With Ambode’s administration becoming history, all eyes are on Sanwo-Olu to take the state to the next level through pro-people, masses-friendly policies.

Sanwo-Olu actually started well by issuing an executive order on traffic management the day he took over the mantle of leadership on May 29 to ease the state of gridlock which is a major concern to many Lagosians. He also directed officers of the state Transport Management Authority (LASTMA) to work till 11:00am when the roads would have been free of traffic gridlock. As part of incentives on this, he increased the allowance of LASTMA officials.

Also, the governor, in response to widespread concerns from road users and pedestrians, embarked on palliative rehabilitation of bad portions of roads across the state with about 150 roads rehabilitated within his first 100 days in office.

But most of the roads, which were temporarily fixed, have returned to their previous state, making commuting within Lagos metropolis and different communities difficult.

The first 100 days of Sanwo-Olu have been rated with mixed feelings by Lagosians. Though the ruling APC rated the governor high in the last 100 days, the opposition carpeted him, saying he appeared unprepared for governance which was why his administration had not achieved any tangible result since taking over.

The opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) said Sanwo-Olu’s sojourn in Alausa has been marked by “failure and hopelessness.”

Spokesman of PDP Taofiq Gani said the recent celebration of the governor’s 100 days should have been avoided, insisting that the governor had nothing tangible to celebrate. In fact the PDP said in the area of traffic management where the governor showed some commitment through the issuing of the executive order, the result had not been palatable for Lagosians who spent many hours commuting from one place to another.

The party therefore concluded that the governor can best be scored 35 per cent in the first 100 days which invariably represents failure.

However, given that Sanwo-Olu has demonstrated capacity in his previous assignments as commissioner in different ministries and head of some parastatals, many Lagosians express confidence in his ability to deliver on his mandate to the people.

The expectations are therefore high and people are eager to see the governor perform excellently, even more than his predecessor. Lagosians want to see massive road construction and rehabilitation and many policies which have direct impact on them.

Comrade Adeniyi Sulaiman, the convener of Save Lagos Group (SLG), after his assessment of the governor’s performance in office so far, concluded that Ambode’s administration was far better than Sanwo-Olu’s. He scored the administration 15 per cent, saying, “Since the emergence of Sanwo-Olu, Lagosians have been wallowing in abject poverty due to loss of jobs in agencies of the state.”

There are concerns in some quarters about Sanwo-Olu jettisoning some of the policies and programmes of the Ambode administration. Some ad hoc staff of the state Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) who were employed by Ambode have been dismissed. There were also recent redeployments in the state civil service which some sources say were targeted at the former governor.

Comrade Sulaiman added that the present administration in the state was more of cosmetic than real governance, saying the governor had nothing to celebrate than political propaganda.

He noted that Sanwo-Olu’s government has abandoned all the ongoing major infrastructural projects put in place by his predecessor across the state.

But many people in government reckon that Sanwo-Olu has not done badly. As part of activities to mark the 100 days recently, he commissioned a 492-flats housing project named after the first civilian governor of the state, Lateef Jakande, in Igando. At the event, the governor punctured claims by some critics that his administration abandoned projects inherited from previous administration, saying all critical projects initiated by the last administration would be completed.

The APC leadership in the state has also defended Governor Sanwo-Olu, insisting that he had impacted positively on Lagosians.

Abiodun Salami, a spokesman for the APC told Daily Trust that the governor has proved critics wrong with what he has achieved since he assumed office, saying the state can only fare better under him.

But with more than three years to his four-year mandate, observers believe the governor has all the time he needs to improve on governance in the state and most importantly make the state more livable for Lagosians.