Godfatherism has benefitted Lagos —Derin Phillips

Derin Phillips, a real estate expert, speaks with BOLA BADMUS in reaction to a recent comment made by Kaduna State governor, Malam Nasir el-Rufai, on godfatherism in Lagos and expectations from the Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu administration in the state.

What is your take on the issue of godfatherism which was brought to the front burner some few days back?

When we talk of godfatherism, especially in politics, we are talking of someone who has probably seen it all by virtue of his experience to mentor younger ones, put them through and help them up in the ladder of politics. But unfortunately, more often than not, when we talk of godfatherism in Nigerian politics, we look at it from the negative perspective more than the positive because of the uniqueness of the average Nigerian.

Continuity has plagued the Nigerian nation for long. We have suffered from lack of it in governance and that contributes in no small measure to what we are going through presently in our nation, especially in terms of abandoned projects that litter the landscape, all at the taxpayers’ expense.

I’m not afraid of gang up against me ― Amosun

Godfatherism has its positive and negative sides and the negative side is the misuse of that power, which comes with high responsibility. When you use such powers to control your godson and you are not putting the greater good of the people into consideration, then it is negative godfatherism.

In most cases, godfathers in this category don’t last long; they get shoved aside along the way and they become irrelevant in the scheme of things. This is because in as much as you try to control people, you must ensure that their welfare is well catered for. Otherwise, you will only be shooting yourself in the foot.

There have been so many fuses about the supposed godfather of Lagos politics, Senator Bola Tinubu who happens to be National Leader of APC. What kind of godfather do you think he is?

I would say Senator Tinubu has exhibited the positive traits of godfatherism in Lagos State. The term godfather, when it comes to Tinubu, has always been used in the negative, but as far as I am concerned, that is far from the truth. My mother, Teju Phillips, was a commissioner under Tinubu when he was governor of Lagos State. I remembered going to the State House, Alausa and I have had the privilege of seeing him at close range. There was even a time during his tenure and even that of Raji Fashola, when they had this concept of one-day governor. I was, as a young person, always imagining myself as governor of Lagos for just one day.

Fundamentally, although no man is perfect, but I have come to discover that Senator Tinubu is always interested in the greater good of the people of Lagos State. If anyone is looking for the outcome of his work, just take a look at Lagos today and you will find his footprints in almost every facet of the developmental strides in Lagos State. And this is why I think he is a very important figure, leader and politician, not only in Lagos, but across Nigeria.

Governor Nasir el-Rufai of Kaduna State recently claimed to have retired four godfathers in his state and even spoke on how the people of Lagos State can retire their godfather, apparently referring to Senator Tinubu. What is your reaction to this development?

The first question Governor el-Rufai should find answer to is: Are the people of Lagos State ready to retire the godfather of Lagos politics or are they complaining? I think the people have answered his ilk with the massive votes they gave to the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the last governorship election where, for the first time since 1999, the APC defeated the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) with over half a million votes.

Are the people benefitting from the godfather? Are Lagosians better off than Kaduna or worse off? Is Lagos State thriving or not? Is Lagos developing or not? While I agree that there is always room for improvement, I make bold to say that Lagos is working: Lagos is a work in progress and it is not in any way comparable to Kaduna.

Immigration to Lagos,, according to statistics is about 850,000 people every month. Lagos is developing and I know for sure that the incoming governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, who has been part and parcel of the Lagos Master Plan, would take the state to greater heights than it is now.

You can see the array of people who have gone through the ‘Tinubu School of Politics’ and where they are in the scheme of things in the state and in the country today. The best way to measure your performance is what you have done for the welfare and greater good of the people and not any other parameter.

Comparing Lagos with other states in the country, Lagos has been on an upscale developmental progression. What do you think is responsible for this?

Things don’t just happen per chance. You have to initiate; you have to plan and follow up on those plans before things can start falling in shape and also ensure that you put in control measures and see to the monitoring of those plans you have made. You also have to ensure that there is consistency and that is what has been done with Lagos.

When you have someone coming into the office of governor, which is so powerful, each occupant would probably want to come in with his own plan, irrespective of the previous government. But in the case of Lagos, there is a master plan which is enforced and which is also being reviewed according to the dictates of the times.

I think we need a master plan for Nigeria as well. Where do we want to be in 20, 30 years from now? We also need institutions and checks and balances that will ensure that we don’t derail from the master plan and that we are progressively moving in the right direction. There is no harm in laying a structure that will ensure that we make progress in our developmental strides as a nation. Yes, people might fear that it could lead to dictatorship, but when you put in place checks and balances mechanisms, we won’t get to that point.

Donald Duke is Senator Tinubu’s contemporary. Is it not strange that all governors that served during same time are no more relevant today and their legacies are more or less forgotten?

I think most people are selfish. I think Nigerians are also very forgetful people; they forget easily. Maybe due to the pressure of surviving in this country, people quickly forget things. Maybe what we should do is to set up a record or fact-checking organ for Nigeria; one that would take each governor, see where they started off from and where they were ending at the expiration of their tenure. It would be very obvious to all who has worked and who has not worked.

What are your expectations from Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu?

I was fortunate to follow his campaign train for the election and when you study somebody at close range, you will be able to know more about the person. Sanwo-Olu has a perfect blend of the corporate world and the public service experience he is bringing into governance and I think they are very good combinations. Not many people have the privilege of both private and public service experience to bring to bear on governance. He is also a man of the people. He has over 20 years of public service experience. He is part of the team that developed the Lagos Master Plan and has also operated at the highest level in the corporate world. I think all of these are going to come into play in the way he would administer Lagos.

Dealing with a state as complex as Lagos, which is wearing the toga of a mega city, comes with different challenges but I have no doubt that he is equal to the task. He would be challenged with how to satisfy the diverse people of diverse interests. But, like I said, I have no doubt that he and his team are going to do justice to whatever challenges come to the fore. And because they are not coming in as a novice, which is also a plus for him and his team, he has been trained and grilled in the system. He knows the system in and out. He has been part of the system since the days of Senator Tinubu, even up to the immediate past administration.