Sanwo-Olu At 58: Reflection Of An Efficient, Resourceful and Innovative Leader
- By Metropolix ~
- June 25, 2023 --
- 0 Comment
– Gov. Babajide Sanwo-Olu
– By Adegboyega Johnson
As the chief servant of second most populous state in Nigeria on his shoulders rests the responsibility of catering for over 20 million Lagosians of diverse ethnic backgrounds and foreigners, who perceive the Centre of Excellence as greener pastures.
At 58, Babajide Olusola Aduragbemi Sanwo-Olu, governor of Lagos State, is forging ahead with patriotism, purpose, courage confidence, and the resolve to erect lasting legacies across the sectors.
Just as we all know, governance in Lagos is not a tea party. As his personal experience may have shown, it is a far cry from his previous experience as a surveyor and banker. The Lagos State Government House is not for merry making. Many Nigerians believe that it is a solution centre.
Governor Sanwo-Olu is not rolling out the drums. The nuclear family will be on its knees, thanking God for divine mercies and a meaningful opportunity to serve and make impact. There will be a sober reflection and assessment of the journey so far.
Sanwo-Olu’s preoccupation, as the chief servant, will be how to sustain the promise of a new Lagos that is rising; how to attend to the unfinished business of catering for public welfare, sustain the vision of illustrious founding fathers and predecessors, open new frontiers of development, build on the feats of the first term, renew and expand the Lagos Blueprint for Development, and lay a solid foundation for his successor to build on, in accordance with the progressive tradition.
The governor of Lagos state, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, Sunday penned down a heartfelt message, appreciating everyone that has been part of his successful journey.
In his message which he posted on his verified Twitter handle, Sanwo-Olu said that the support, constructive feedback, and resilience from Lagosians inspire him to work harder every day.
His words: “It’s my birthday, and I am filled with gratitude to God for the gift of life. I want to take this moment to express my heartfelt appreciation to everyone who has been a part of my journey.
“Firstly, I want to thank my amazing wife and family. Your love, support, and unwavering belief in me have been my pillars of strength. I am blessed to have you by my side as we navigate this incredible journey together.
“I am also thankful to acknowledge the zeal and passion that drives me to serve Lagos diligently. Every decision I make, every policy I implement, and every initiative I undertake is fueled by my dedication to the progress and well-being of every Lagosian.
“On this special day, I want to extend my gratitude to the wonderful people of Lagos. Your support, constructive feedback, and resilience inspire me to work harder every day. Together, we have achieved remarkable milestones, and I am excited for what the future holds. May we continue to prosper, may our state flourish, and may our unity remain inviolable.
“Thank you for the warm birthday wishes. Here’s to another year of service, growth, and transformation for Lagos!”
However, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has promised to continue the pace of development in the Centre of Excellence and this he has been doing since he took oath of office for another four years.
At an interactive session with newsmen at the weekend, said new infrastructural development is a sure path to catapulting Lagos State to higher pedestal among the comity of nations.
Represented by his Public Relations and New Media aide in a recent interaction, Mr Segun Fafore, said projects like the railway, includes the blue line that was inaugurated last month by President Muhammadu Buhari and undergoing testing.
He also disclosed that the red line which will soon be ready and others are testaments to the foresight of his predecessors and the governor’s determination to deliver them on time for the use of the people.
His words: “Also, development of social infrastructure like schools, improvement of classrooms, training and retraining of teachers and deployment of modern learning devises in public schools have culminated in the construction of over 1,000 schools in the state in the last three and half years. Apart from the free education at the primary and secondary schools in the state, tertiary education attracts the lowest tuition in Lagos state compared to the rest of the country. And the Sanwo-Olu administration has also founded two additional universities to expand access and increase specialised expertise. One of the universities is for education; the other is for science and technology. Speaking further on the state’s progress, Fafore revealed that apart from the manner Covid-19 was handled which helped to minimise the spread of the deadly pandemic, the healthcare sector has witnessed tremendous improvement.
“The children’s hospital under construction in Lagos Island, General hospitals under construction or those fully renovated have helped to expand access to healthcare services across the state.He maintained that the THEMES Agenda, which guides the administration’s policy framework, have been pursued diligently in the past three and half years. THEMES, the agenda for Greater Lagos, represents the six-pillar development plan of the Sanwo-Olu administration. It stands for Traffic Management and Transportation; Health and Environment; Education and Technology; Making Lagos a 21st Century Economy; Entertainment and Tourism; and Security and Governance.
“Further on transport, apart from the success recorded in the rail sector, the governor’s aide said that his administration expanded the Bus Rapid Transport (BRT) system by opening new routes. It also expanded water transportation with the construction of new jetties and deployment of more LagFerries. This has helped communities around the Lagoon like Ikorodu commute seamlessly. The launching of cheaper, cleaner LagRide, a car hailing service that has revolutionised the way Lagosians move around. In terms of technology, we are all from different parts of Lagos State and we would have seen the internet cables that are being laid across the City. And today, these things are already connected to power supply, hospitals and some homes. The essence of that is that the people who started using internet, particularly our generation, I’m not sure if anybody in this room, has at the point the person was leaving the university had the benefit of anything like that.
“So, now I’m sure that we would have forgotten what light was then. I’m not sure that any of us here can live without internet because without internet you will feel that something is wrong. And when we have quality and better speed from that sector, there must be a thousand and one things you will do. “One of the reasons for that is for us to get connected so that we can explore the opportunities, particularly the generation behind us.”He added: “In healthcare, waste management, in arts and tourism and all that the city around us has made tremendous progress. If you saw Lagos before 1999 and now; we have monitored the progress across all stages. I’m not sure there’s anybody who can deny the fact that this is a governor that is really working very hard in moving strategically with the times. He is committed to serving the state and he’s confronting many challenges”.
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