Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has thrown his weight behind Deputy Governor Obafemi Hamzat’s ambition to succeed him in 2027, describing him as probably the most ready candidate to maintain the state’s improvement agenda….
Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has thrown his weight behind Deputy Governor Obafemi Hamzat’s ambition to succeed him in 2027, describing him as probably the most ready candidate to maintain the state’s improvement agenda.
Sanwo-Olu stated Hamzat’s seven years as his deputy, alongside his earlier expertise in successive Lagos administrations, had outfitted him with the data and expertise required to steer Africa’s most populous metropolis.
The governor made the remarks whereas endorsing Hamzat at a political gathering in Lagos on Friday, the place he urged celebration members to help the deputy governor’s aspiration.
Sanwo-Olu stated Lagos couldn’t afford to experiment with its management at a time when a number of main infrastructure tasks had been ongoing and required continuity.
“This is not the time to experiment with Lagos. This is the time to consolidate,” he stated.
He described Hamzat as a reliable associate who had remained loyal and dedicated all through their seven years in workplace.
Recounting how Hamzat stepped down from the 2018 governorship race following appeals from celebration leaders to permit him to emerge because the candidate, Sanwo-Olu stated his deputy had demonstrated unusual political maturity by subsequently agreeing to run alongside him.
He stated the choice had remained a defining second of their relationship.
“For seven years, there has not been one day, not one, when I have had to wonder whose side my deputy was on,” the governor stated.
Sanwo-Olu recalled working with Hamzat in the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, the October 2020 disaster and the supply of main infrastructure tasks, together with the Blue and Red rail strains.
He stated Hamzat was concerned not solely within the public commissioning of tasks but in addition within the planning, engineering discussions and engagement with contractors behind their supply.
The governor additionally highlighted Hamzat’s earlier roles in Lagos administrations, together with his service as Commissioner for Science and Technology beneath former Governor Bola Tinubu and Commissioner for Works and Infrastructure beneath former Governor Babatunde Fashola.
He credited Hamzat with contributing to the computerisation of presidency operations, the removing of ghost staff from the state payroll and the event of main highway infrastructure.
Sanwo-Olu additional recalled Hamzat’s expertise within the Federal Government, the place he labored alongside Fashola on the Ministry of Works.
Describing Lagos governance as a relay race, the governor stated successive administrations had constructed on the work of their predecessors since 1999.
He cited the transitions from Tinubu to Fashola, from Fashola to Akinwunmi Ambode and from Ambode to his personal administration as examples of a system that had sustained improvement by continuity.
According to him, Hamzat has had a singular alternative to arrange for the subsequent stage of management by working carefully with him for seven years.
Sanwo-Olu listed ongoing tasks requiring continuity, together with the second phases of the Blue and Red rail strains, the Fourth Mainland Bridge, the proposed Lekki International Airport, the Omu Creek mission, meals hubs and logistics parks.
He stated the tasks had been a part of a long-term improvement plan extending to 2052.
The governor, who stated he had about seven months left in workplace, described a peaceable switch of energy as probably the most essential legacies of his administration.
He urged Hamzat to finish ongoing tasks, stay attentive to residents’ considerations and protect the event framework established by successive governments.
Sanwo-Olu additionally urged APC members to take Hamzat’s marketing campaign to communities throughout the state, recalling that greater than 657,000 celebration members voted for him in the course of the celebration’s governorship major on May 21.
He challenged Lagos residents to look at Hamzat’s manifesto and assess his capability to ship on its guarantees.
The governor additionally expressed confidence within the proposed partnership between Hamzat and his working mate, Princess Damilola Senayo-James, saying it could carry higher illustration for younger individuals, girls and residents of Lagos West, significantly Badagry.
