FIFTEEN months ago, during last year’s fasting month of Ramadan, the Lagos State Deputy Governor, Obafemi Hamzat, invited selected senior journalists to his residence in Ikoyi for Iftar (breaking of the fast). On that day, he told guests that he is interested in running for the office of Governor in 2027 and sought the assistance of his friends in the media. On that occasion, he was told that he has the required qualifications and experience for the job but the decision of who becomes governor of the state rests squarely with the power brokers in Lagos politics and that he should begin to warm his way into their hearts.
The power brokers in the state’s All Progressive Congress (APC) in Lagos is led by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, ably supported by the Governance Advisory Council (GAC), which has Prince Tajudeen Olusi as its leader.
Hamzat is the son of a top political figure, the late Alhaji Mufutau Olatunji Hamzat, in Lagos State. The Lagos Deputy Governor was born into politics. Indeed, his late father held several high-ranking positions in Lagos during his lifetime. So, the younger Hamzat knew who and who could get him the ticket and he promised to do as he was advised. He is not a politician in the real sense of the word and going by the Nigerian context. There are ‘professional’ politicians and there are technocrats in politics.
Hamzat is a technocrat in love with partisan politics. The brand of politics that championed the growth and development of the masses. Politics, to him, is simply a means to an end. And that end is the emancipation of the downtrodden. Since he came back to Nigeria from his base in the United States of America in 2005 on the invitation of Bola Tinubu, Hamzat has been a part of the success of Lagos State and its economy.
Born on September 19, 1964, Hamzat comes from a civil service background. His father, Olatunji Hamzat, transitioned from banking into politics and served in the Lagos State House of Assembly and later, as Commissioner for Transportation in the early 1980s, a path that, in many ways, set the stage for his son’s eventual journey into public life.
Hamzat began his education at Odu Abore Memorial Primary School in Mushin, after which he attended Olivet Baptist High School in Oyo state. He proceeded to the University of Ibadan, earning a BSc. in Agricultural Engineering in 1986, and an MSc. In Crop Processing Engineering in 1988. In 1992, he obtained a PhD in System Process Engineering from Cranfield University in the United Kingdom, setting a record as the first student in his department to complete the programme within three years – an achievement of no small feat by any standards.
Hamzat built a diverse professional career, working with RTP Consulting Services, Columbia University, Merrill Lynch, Morgan Stanley, and Oando Plc – experiences that shaped his reputation as a technocrat with global exposure. A chance meeting with the then Governor of Lagos State, Bola Tinubu, changed his trajectory as the man known as the Jagaban wanted him to be part of his team in his bid at turning Lagos and its economy around for good.
Hamzat joined Tinubu’s cabinet in 2005 as a Commissioner for Science and Technology. In that role, he automated government processes, introducing enterprise resource planning systems that improved administrative efficiency and eliminated ghost workers. He was the face behind the Oracle Payment System still in use in Lagos till date. When Babatunde Fashola became Governor in 2007, he retained Hamzat as a Commissioner.
In 2011, Fashola appointed him the Commissioner for Works and Infrastructure, during which he oversaw major civil engineering projects, including the completion of the Lekki-Ikoyi Link Bridge, Nigeria’s first cable-stayed bridge, and the expansion of the Lekki-Epe expressway, covering about 50 kilometres in its first phase. He also supervised numerous road construction and rehabilitation projects across the state, including Yaya Abatan and Cemetery Roads in Ajeromi-Ifelodun.
Hamzat began nursing his governorship ambition in 2015, when his name was listed as a possible successor to Raji Fashola. Although Fashola’s number one candidate for the office then was Supo Shasore, Tinubu did not look in the direction of either of them, as Akinwunmi Ambode was his preferred choice. At the December 2014 APC primaries, Ambode secured 3,735 votes, defeating Hamzat, who came second with 1,201 votes. Ganiyu Solomon placed third with 272 votes, followed by Adeyemi Ikuforiji with 182 votes, while Shasore finished fifth with 121 votes.
Ahead of the 2019 election, Hamzat once again sought the governorship ticket of the APC, but his ambition was yet again deferred. He was the candidate to beat. In fact, the man who eventually became the Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, had lobbied to be made the Chief of Staff once Hamzat clinched the ticket. But few days to the APC primaries, he was told to step down for Sanwo-Olu. A good party man that he is, he did step down and was compensated with the deputy governorship slot.
In the last seven years, Hamzat has been a loyal and trustworthy deputy to Sanwo-Olu. The rapport and understanding between them has been unprecedented. In Lagos State politics, and since the return to democratic rule in 1999, Hamzat has been the longest serving Deputy Governor. There has always been this cat-and-mouse relationship between Governors and their Deputies in the state.
Governor Bola Tinubu started with Mrs. Kofoworola Bucknor-Akerele, but the relationship did not last long. She lasted in office for only three years before she was forced to resign with the foresight of an impeachment by the Lagos State House of Assembly. Femi Pedro, who took over from him, was also forced to resign as he was hell-bent on taking over from Tinubu. Abiodun Ogunleye was sworn-in as the new Deputy Governor of the state but was in the saddle for just 17 days. Sarah Adebisi Sosan, Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire, and Oluranti Idiat Adebule all served as deputy governors for four years each.
Hamzat’s road to the number one office in Lagos was made simple after President Tinubu endorsed him as his preferred candidate for the office. Olusi’s led GAC also followed suit, and soon enough, other contenders dropped out of the race with many endorsing his candidature.
Now that he is transiting from Deputy Governor to Governor, Hamzat has the job cut out for himself. Few hours after party members elected him as the party’s flag bearer, he unveiled his manifesto to APC members. He promised to pursue job creation, educational development, and service delivery after his inauguration on May 29, next year. Hear him: “My manifesto is ready. A roadmap that draws heavily on my party’s manifesto, it offers Lagos specific interventions for the next four years.
It is a product of broad consultations with all stakeholders. Therefore, to firmly establish Lagos as Africa’s undisputed commercial capital, I will, upon election, focus my energies on four main areas over the next four years. First, service delivery: freeing up more money for services and maintaining the biggest infrastructure investment programme in West Africa, with continuing focus on rail, road, and water transportation to link our suburbs and decongest our streets.
Second, job creation: policies to fast track the creation of jobs for our youths and support for our brightest entrepreneurs, and industrialize our state. Third, knowledge and skills: Enhancing our schools and teaching for our young minds such that we build a workforce and an economy that will enable Lagos to compete in an increasingly competitive international marketplace. Fourth, health and well-being: ensuring that our people have access to basic health services, water, and can live in a safe environment, reassured by a security system that works.”
Perhaps, it is safe to describe him as a governor-in-waiting. Opposition political parties in Lagos have not been able to produce a candidate that can match his pedigree and exposure.
Notwithstanding his overwhelming endorsement, it is time for Hamzat to subsume his manifesto into the overall development template put together for the state by the then Tinubu- administration. Although the template was reviewed in 2022, which gave birth to the Lagos State Development Plan 2052 that aims to make Lagos Africa’s model mega city and global economic hub by 2052, the target of the plan is to accelerate economic growth 10 times over the next 30 years by creating high-paying jobs.
It also has over 400 initiatives across healthcare, education, infrastructure, housing, and other areas that will be implemented in four phases from 2022 to 2052. One of the key programmes that Hmazat must deliver would be the fourth Mainland Bridge. With Lagos state’s population growing on a daily basis due to the high influx of Nigerians across states and global visitors, his administration cannot toy with the delivery of that project. The Purple Rail line, alongside the Green Rail line, should come on stream under his governance. There are six rail lines planned for the entire Lagos. Two, the Blue and Red lines are already functional. Hamzat should endeavour to add at least two to the existing structure.
Hamzat would also have to ensure that the state enjoys 24-hours power supply. That is a must if he intends to be taken seriously. Though much ground has already been covered in the objective by the state government to get Lagos state off the epileptic National grid, Lagos, as the commercial nerve centre of the nation, should prioritise the provision of 24-hour power supply to residents of the state.
Again, Health care facilities across the states must be expanded and new facilities built. With a population of over 20 million residences, the number of beds in all the State’s General Hospitals and the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH) is still far below average. Each of the state’s senatorial zone should boast of at least one 2,000-bed capacity teaching hospital. With this bare minimum, workers in the health sector should be adequately catered for, so that we can retain good hands in our teaching hospitals.
He would also need to build on the security architecture in the state by ensuring that developing communities such as Ibeju-lekki, Epe, Ikorodu, Badagry, and others are adequately covered. With State Police most likely becoming a reality, Neighourhood Watch officials should be adequately funded to serve as information-gathering teams and bridges in our communities. Security of lives and properties of Lagosians should be uppermost in his mind.
Now that his wish is gradually becoming a reality, Hamzat should have at the back of his mind that he would have to take some tough decisions along the way. As someone born in Mushin, I believe that he is up to the task. He should also constantly watch his back, as his loyalty would be tested (apologies to Raji Fashola). I wish him best of luck in the coming election.
See you next week.
- Akintunde is the Publisher and Editor-in-Chief of Glittersonline newspaper. His syndicated column, Monday Discourse, appears on News Point Nigeria newspaper on Monday.