As Sanwo-Olu lists job description for ‘Greater Lagos’ cabinet

Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State governor, last Tuesday, inaugurated his cabinet and organised for them a 4-day retreat to enable the team to key into the focus of his administration, writes BOLA BADMUS.

PNULTIMATE Tuesday Lagos State governor, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu, administered the oath of office on his commissioners and special advisers at the Government Secretariat, Alausa, Ikeja. The ceremony was witnessed by the state deputy governor, Dr Obafemi Hamzat; Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Honourable Mudashiru Obasa, represented by the Chief Whip of the House, Rotimi Abiru; Head of Service (HoS), Hakeem Muri-Okunola; Chief Judge of Lagos State, Justice Kazeem Alogba; Chairman, All Progressives Congress (APC) and Alhaji Tunde Balogun, among several other indiginitaries.

The 35 cabinet members of the Sanwo-Olu administration included 22 commissioners and 13 special advisers. The three other nominees who were rejected by the state lawmakers were Obafemi George, Prince Olarewanju Sanusi and Adekemi Bembe.

Speaking after swearing the new members of his cabinet, Governor Sanwo-Olu congratulated them for the opportunity to serve the people of Lagos. He described them as men and women who “understand the challenges of our state, grasp the grand vision of this new administration and are sensitive to the yearnings of our people, the citizens of Lagos State whom we must ultimately serve to realise the vision for a greater Lagos, having possessed the needed technical and politically skilled for the job.”

This was just as he charged them to imbibe the culture of transparency, accountability, fairness and value for money as they prepared for the challenges ahead. The governor added: “I, therefore, implore you to earnestly commit yourselves to the agenda and vision of this administration.

“Be prepared to pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, and support or oppose whomever you must, in order to accomplish our grand ambition of building one of the great cities of the 21st Century, a beacon of social, commercial and political excellence for the rest of our dear nation.

“The challenges we face as a mega city,  whether in the areas of security, waste management, transportation or environmental sustainability, are not peculiar to us. But they are the undesired consequences of an ambitious and growing economy providing opportunities for people to realise their dreams. But they must surely be addressed before they undermine our achievements and hinder our progress. This is the task we have been called upon to undertake in the next four years on behalf of our people who are relying on us to support their dreams and aspirations.”

• My govt resolved to achieve food security ― Buhari

The governor therefore charged the commissioners and special advisers to show commitment, diligence and exemplary leadership as the necessary virtues needed to achieve the greatness desired for the state and to deliver the prosperity the people deserved. He also assured the residents of Lagos of his administration’s commitment to serve selflessly and fulfill all promises made. He however sought for their support and cooperation as he declared, “Together, we shall make Lagos greater.”

Governor Sanwo-Olu had, shortly after he was sworn in on May 29 as the sixth democratically-elected governor of the  State, promised to walk the talk and make the state greater and better than he met it. Apparently considering the socio-economic status of Lagos, Sanwo-Olu had stated that the challenges confronting the state were huge and had the power to consume it. But he was quick to assure that his administration would tilt towards the legacies of his predecessors.

“As your governor, I know full well who I am because I know where I am from. More importantly, I know where I am headed. I have been a part of this progressive journey since its very inception. I know first-hand the concerted efforts that went into planning so many of the innovations we now see and enjoy,” Sanwo-Olu had said.

“When we speak of a Greater Lagos, we speak not empty words. It is a deep and profound assertion we mean. We intend to make history by making for ourselves and our children a better future,” he promised, urging for people’s support to enable his administration achieve its targeted goal, which has been encapsulated into ‘Themes’, the six pillars upon which lays his administration.

‘Themes’ is basically formulated along strategic areas, namely, traffic management and transportation, health and environment, education and technology, Making Lagos an ideal 21st Century state in terms of the economy, entertainment, tourism, security and governance.

The governor said the six pillars of development “represent our response to the yearnings of the people. They constituted the foundation that must be restored for future generations. And should we fulfill our promise and deliver on the pillars, we are most confident that we will have succeeded in setting Lagos on a new trajectory of economic growth and development that will be unprecedented in our entire history”.

Looking at the array of the commissioners and special advisers, as well as the other  appointments the governor had earlier made, vis-à-vis the Chief of Staff (CoS), Tayo Ayinde; Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Mrs Folashade Jaji; Deputy Chief Press Secretary (DCPS), Mr  Gboyega Akosile, who has now been confirmed as the Chief Press Secretary (CPS) and permanent secretaries, among others, it is no the current administration in the state appears   set to hit the ground running.

Some of them, like the governor himself, had served in past administrations in the state and distinguished themselves. They include Mr Tunji Bello, the immediate past SSG, who is now in charge of the Ministry of Water Resources and Environment; Mr. Gbolahan Lawal, a former commissioner, who has been posted to Ministry of Transportation, another key focus of the administration.

Ayinde, the Chief of Staff to the governor, once served as the Chief Security Detail to former Governor Bola Tinubu. He holds a Master’s Degree (MBA) in Financial Management from the Lagos State University,  and also attended the University of Toronto, Rotman School of Management, where he underwent a study in Strategic Thinking Approach, among others.

A supporter of universal human values and All Progressives Congress (APC) for the less privileged, Ayinde got involved politics in 2009 and was the Director General of the Independent Campaign Group, the campaign machinery of Sanwo-Olu and Dr Hamzat. He later became the chairman of the inauguration committee after the victory of the APC candidate in the governorship election on March 9.

With the new cabinet set for the task ahead, following the conclusion of a four-day retreat, which took place at the Eko Hotel, Victoria Island, Governor Sanwo-Olu made public what he expected of his team.

“Let me emphasise that this is not just our goal: it is what the people expect from us and we cannot afford to disappoint them,” he stressed.

According to him, the people are impatient to feel the positive impacts of the administration which professed to have a foundation to build upon, saying that the blueprint for a new Lagos and the Development Plan (2012 to 2025) are still relevant as strategic reference materials for a systematic implementation of medium and long-term policies, in line with the overall vision for the state.

This was just as he noted that among the tasks needed to be accomplished to achieve accelerated trajectory of growth and development of the state are unlocking the perennial Lagos traffic and the fast decaying road infrastructure, such as Lagos-Badagry Expressway, Oshodi-Apapa gridlock; waste disposal and management; affordable healthcare service; dwindling educational standard; wealth creation through employment opportunities, particularly for the teeming youths; rising cases of cultism, crimes and general insecurity that pervades across the length and breadth of the state.

The governor was therefore in zinc with the expectation of the people of the state who are eagerly waiting to reap the dividends of democracy from a new government that has promised them a lot and has gone a long way to give an assurance that it has assembled capable hands to deliver on its promises.