Dr Obafemi Kadri Hamzat is a Nigerian engineer, technocrat and politician who has served as Deputy Governor of Lagos State since 2019….
Dr Obafemi Kadri Hamzat is a Nigerian engineer, technocrat and politician who has served as Deputy Governor of Lagos State since 2019.
With a long time of expertise spanning engineering, info know-how, finance and public administration, he’s in search of to steer Nigeria’s industrial capital because the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate within the 2027 governorship election.
Born on September 19, 1964, in Lagos, Hamzat has constructed a profession that mixes technical experience with public service. His political journey consists of serving as a commissioner beneath former governors Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Babatunde Fashola earlier than turning into deputy governor beneath Babajide Sanwo-Olu.
Here is what to find out about him.
Early Life and Family Background
Hamzat was born into the household of the late Oba Mufutau Olatunji Hamzat and Alhaja Kehinde Hamzat.
He started his schooling at Odu-Abore Memorial Primary School in Mushin, Lagos, earlier than continuing to Olivet Baptist High School in Oyo State for his secondary schooling.
His upbringing and schooling in Lagos and Oyo State preceded an educational {and professional} journey that might take him into engineering, know-how and public administration.
Educational Background
Hamzat studied Agricultural Engineering on the University of Ibadan, the place he obtained his bachelor’s diploma in 1986 and a grasp’s diploma in the identical self-discipline in 1988.
He later proceeded to Cranfield University within the United Kingdom, the place he earned a PhD in Process Systems Engineering in 1992.
His tutorial background in engineering has knowledgeable his profession in know-how, infrastructure and public sector administration.
Professional Career
Before becoming a member of authorities, Hamzat labored throughout academia, info know-how, engineering and finance.
His skilled expertise included engagements with RTP Consulting Services, Columbia University, Merrill Lynch and Morgan Stanley.
He additionally labored at Oando Plc, the place he served as Chief Information Officer and Group Head of IT Strategy.
His expertise within the personal sector gave him publicity to company administration, know-how methods and organisational technique earlier than his entry into Lagos State politics.
Political Career
Hamzat entered public service in 2005 when then-Governor Bola Ahmed Tinubu appointed him Commissioner for Science and Technology in Lagos State.
In that place, he was concerned in technology-driven initiatives geared toward modernising authorities operations and enhancing public service supply.
He later served as Commissioner for Works and Infrastructure beneath Governor Babatunde Fashola, a interval throughout which Lagos pursued main street and infrastructure tasks.
His motion throughout the 2 ministries positioned him on the centre of the state’s know-how and infrastructure administration.
Deputy Governor of Lagos State
In 2019, Hamzat emerged because the operating mate to Babajide Sanwo-Olu within the APC governorship election.
The pair gained the election, bringing Hamzat into workplace as deputy governor on May 29, 2019. They secured a second time period within the 2023 governorship election.
As deputy governor, Hamzat has been a part of the Sanwo-Olu administration, which has prioritised infrastructure, transportation, schooling, know-how and financial improvement.
His tenure has additionally given him expertise within the state’s government management and governance construction.
Personal Life
Hamzat is married to Mrs Oluremi Hamzat, and so they have kids.
He can be related to pursuits in schooling, youth empowerment and public service.
2027 Governorship Ambition
Hamzat’s political profile has taken a brand new dimension along with his emergence because the APC’s candidate for the 2027 Lagos State governorship election.
His candidacy positions him because the get together’s option to succeed Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, whose second time period will finish in 2027.
His marketing campaign profile on the APC’s official marketing campaign platform presents him as an engineer and technocrat with expertise in infrastructure improvement, know-how and public administration.
The 2027 contest will place his report as a former commissioner and two-term deputy governor beneath scrutiny, as voters assess his expertise, coverage priorities and plans for Lagos.
The central query for Hamzat’s candidacy can be whether or not his years in authorities and expertise within the personal sector can translate right into a compelling imaginative and prescient for the following section of Lagos State’s improvement.
