Thirty-eight persons recently passed the screening of the House of Assembly to form the State Executive Council in Lagos State. Their nomination fulfilled the promise of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu to create his cabinet within 100 days. The list shows an administration that is ready to serve, given the pedigrees of nominees.
Lagos has grown enormously with a population hitting almost 23 million people and still counting. The growth naturally comes with many challenges in the management of waste, rise in the number of patients at various government hospitals and primary health centres, more pressure on the existing infrastructure-roads, schools and housing. Lagos, therefore, cannot be administered in 2019 using a 1979 template.
The state has benefitted from its population growth-more revenue generation; and physical development in different sectors, making it a state on the move. At the last count Lagos hit close to N30 billion mark every month in internally generated revenue (IGR), making it the most economically viable state in Nigeria and the fifth-largest economy in Africa. However, the State government has argued that this feat is still a far cry from what is required to run a megacity such as Lagos. For example, the budgetary allocation of the police department in New York City is $5.6 billion, when compared to the budget of the entire Lagos state, which stands at $2.4 billion.
Sanwo-Olu’s campaign premised on the need to address these challenges, to proffer short and long-term solutions to them. He outlined Project T.H.E.M.E.S as an operational framework to solve the problems and sustain the profile of Lagos as the centre of excellence.
Sanwo-Olu chose a team of capable homegrown professionals. His words: “We took our time to pick the best hands for the tough job Lagosians have elected us to do. The nominees for the thirty-eight Commissioner and Special Adviser positions include women and men who have made their mark and at the zenith of their professional callings.”
Infusion of technocracy and political know-how
Analysis of the nominees showed there is a clear departure from the tradition of putting forward only politicians or only technocrats for the state’s Executive Council. A private sector professional himself and having traversed the nook and cranny of the political space in Lagos, Sanwo-Olu understood the arduous task before his government. He went for politicians, professionals in politics and technocrats to drive the critical areas of the public sector for more significant impact.
It, therefore, came as no surprise that Mr Tunji Bello, the immediate past Secretary to the State Government, who had served three previous administrations, is in Sanwo-Olu’s cabinet. Aside from being an influential figure in Lagos politics, Bello, a lawyer and journalist, possesses vast skill on environmental issues and policies to help the administration have clear direction in this area.
Gbolahan Lawal is a seasoned development expert and social entrepreneur from the security background. Lawal has a deep understanding of political economy for integrated development, especially in low and medium-income economies. He has proven his mettle in previous administrations as Commissioner for Housing and in the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives.
Wale Ahmed, a medical doctor turned politician, has a firm grounding in the politics of Lagos State. He is to help create the political balancing required in today’s democratic governance. There are other experienced politicians in the new cabinet.
Fair representation of women
Since the beginning of the Fourth Republic, Lagos has set the pace for gender balance. The state produced the first woman Deputy Governor. Lagos State sustained the tradition of reserving one of the two topmost leadership positions for women. However, the emergence of Dr Obafemi Hamzat as Sanwo-Olu’s running mate and now deputy raised concern among womenfolk, giving rise to the insinuation that Sanwo-Olu was nursing an agenda to upset the progress made in the State in the area of women representation in governance. He allayed those fears.
The Governor surprised the womenfolk with his first appointment, picking Mrs Folashade Jaji, as the Secretary to the State Government. He followed with the nomination of 13 women to the cabinet. Women make up 32 per cent of the Executive Council. Again, Lagos remains the first and till date the only State that has moved closer to the 35 percent affirmative action goal.
The Governor gunned for higher service delivery with the selection of seasoned and highly resourceful women. A first-rate engineering project manager, Mrs Aramide Monsurat Adeyoye is a University of Lagos-trained Civil Engineer. She cut her professional teeth at Julius Berger Nigeria Plc in 1988 and rose through the ranks to become the multinational engineering firm’s Project Coordinator in the West region.
Mrs Adetoke Benson-Awoyinka is a public-spirited legal practitioner with 30 years post-call experience in Nigeria and the United States. Benson-Adeyinka was among the highly skilled team of the Governor’s transition committee.
Ms Ajibola Ponnle is an accomplished consultant, accountant and entrepreneur, with experience in transformational and result-oriented leadership in start-ups, volunteer/member-led organisations and multinational firms. Mrs Lola Akande and Mrs Yetunde Arobieke are seasoned politicians who will bring their wealth of experience to the new drive to deliver a greater Lagos.
Other women with excellent track records in public and private sector include Mrs Uzamat Akinbile-Yusuf, Ms Ruth Bisola Olusanya, Princess Aderemi Adebowale and Ms Adekemi Ajayi. Also, on the list are Mrs Bolaji Dada, Mrs Folashade Adefisayo, Mrs Shulamite Olufunke Adebolu and Mrs Sholape Hammond.
Key roles for the millennials
Sanwo-Olu nominated four young people under the age of 37 years for the cabinet. Olatunbosun Alake, a 35-year-old Product Development and Data Management Executive and three other young administrators will infuse youthful vigour into governance by bringing to bear their experiences.
Ethnic diversity
Lagos continues to blaze the trail in ethnoreligious diversity. The State in 1999 under former Governor Asiwaju Bola Tinubu appointed non-Yoruba professionals into the Executive Council. Lagos State has sustained the practice. Governor Sanwo-Olu unequivocally promised to reflect ethnic representation in his cabinet. In keeping to his word, erstwhile spokesperson for the APC in Lagos State, Mr Joe Igbokwe and an active grassroots politician Architect Kabiru Ahmed made it into the cabinet of Lagos State.
The 38-person team would bring dynamism to governance as they would support equally adroit game-changers in Gov. Babajide Sanwo-Olu and his deputy, Dr Obafemi Hamzat.
GBOYEGA AKOSILE
Gboyega Akosile is Deputy Chief Press Secretary to Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu
