Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos

Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, in this interview with TheNEWS, speaks about the Asiwaju Bola Tinubu he knows. The Governor declares that Tinubu’s chances of becoming the President of Nigeria are very bright

When did you get to know Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu?

I have known Asiwaju Bola Tinubu for over two decades. Don’t forget he contested the Senatorial election and represented Lagos West in the Senate during the aborted Third Republic. Of course, his campaign then was very interesting. He campaigned around Lagos as if he was contesting for a gubernatorial position. That was when I began to take interest in his political move. Even though little was known about him at the time, everybody knew that he played active roles in the Third Republic, before it was truncated by the military junta.

I have known him since that time but I knew him more specifically and closely when I began to work with him, and that was when I became the Special Adviser on Corporate Matters to the then Deputy Governor of Lagos State, Otunba Femi Pedro. He (Tinubu) recognised my talent; I should say and very humbly too. He made me an acting Commissioner for Economic Planning and Budget and later Commissioner for Commerce and Industry in his same cabinet.

So, I should say that I got some sort of promotion under Asiwaju Bola Tinubu. I was a very young man at the time. I was in my thirties, so it was very interesting for me to have been promoted by this man at the time.

You mentioned that you have known him for over two decades, what impression of him do you have over the years looking back at the administration in the last two decades?

I will be very honest with you; there are a lot of things that I have seen about this colossus, a giant of a man. One of the things I have seen about him is his loyalty. Asiwaju is very loyal, and you would notice this; Asiwaju never departed the party that brought him to power. Even at a time when it was the only thing for people to do, he never succumbed to the pressure of dumping the Alliance for Democracy for the People’s Democratic Party, PDP. If you recall, that was a period of mega defections as political leaders would leave their party to join another party so they could be relevant. No, Asiwaju did not do that. He stayed on even though he was pounded by the federal might, he remained in the Alliance for Democracy (AD). 

 You will also remember the Federal Government’s political scheming during their second term that made all the South-West governors lose their elections, Asiwaju was the only one that remained, yet he never left the party. He remained in the Alliance for Democracy until political mergers started and they went into Action Congress (AC) and later Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), and into what we now have as the All Progressives Congress (APC). He has never departed from his political party. He has remained very loyal to the party, the party that brought him to power. And that leads me to the second point that he is a very consistent man.

Another impression that I have of him is that he is a very dogged fighter. He fought the Federal Government on many issues. He didn’t have a personal fight or grudge or quarrel with the then President, the revered Baba, Olusegun Obasanjo, a man I respect so much. His fight was purely on policy and politics. In the world of Asiwaju, you and I can disagree but we won’t be enemies. We can disagree on issues, but that doesn’t mean that we will be enemies and would not want to see each other again or start to throw stones at each other. The kind of stone that we will probably throw at each other would be the verbal stones at events. Anything outside of that, Asiwaju does not have issues with anybody.

What are we talking about? He said he wanted more local governments for Lagos State because we believed that Lagos State deserved to have more than 20 Local Governments. There were several court cases on different issues and Asiwaju will say “look, if we can’t resolve this matter amongst ourselves, let us go to court”. This leads me to another point that he is a firm believer in the rule of law and the justice system. He will not fight a physical fight rather he will take it to the court and let the court interpret the laws for us, let us settle within the ambit of the law.

You are asking me about my impression of him, right? He is a strong believer in people and that is why Asiwaju has made hundreds, if not thousands of people today, single-handedly. He has made governors, senators, representatives of people at Federal and State Assemblies, and local government chairmen. He has made several people, thousands. He allows people to demonstrate their strength of character. That’s a leader!

You know I have a financial background; one of the things I admire about him most is his financial wizardry, not just his political sagacity, but his financial wizardry. Asiwaju has what we call, the Midas touch. He knows how to turn one naira into N100 naira and then turn it to N1,000 and then into N10,000. He has demonstrated this with several policies in Lagos State and that is why Lagos has continued to be prosperous right from his days as governor.

Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu

Asiwaju is referred to as a political leader, a mentor and even “Jagaban”. What are your impressions about him as a political leader?

I would say he is a very visionary person; he is a visionary leader. He is very persistent. He is someone who keeps his eyes on the ball. He doesn’t pander so much to noise because they will remain in the realms of noise. Asiwaju doesn’t lose focus easily; he keeps his eyes on the ball. And finally, on the political turf, he is a pathfinder, a spotter of talents. He has a way of creating a path for people to follow and like the business side of him, he has a political Midas touch; he has a way of picking the best for every role and position. He is gifted and talented. He knows how to spot talents. Once he listens to you and hears you talk, he knows what he can do with you and that is why almost everyone around him is excelling, succeeding.

Asiwaju left office in 2007, after that we have had three governors: Former Governors Babatunde Raji Fashola, Akinwunmi Ambode and yourself as the incumbent Governor of Lagos State, who have all built on the legacy and the already existing foundation laid by Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, what is your assessment of that legacy, and have you been able to build on it?

His legacy to me is the birth of modern Lagos through continuity of good governance; a Lagos with a paltry sum of N600 million as the monthly Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) in 1999 to over N30billion in 2022. Lagos which was consumed by dirt pre-1999 is now being described as a megacity. It is now being compared not with other cities in Nigeria but with greater cities in Africa and the rest of the world. They are not comparing us with cities in Nigeria. Lagos is ranked alongside cities of the world. That is why I can safely say that Asiwaju is the builder of modern Lagos. Lagos has always been lucky with great leaders, but Asiwaju turned it around when he came on board with his political sagacity, economic prowess,  thirst for success, persistent behaviour and focus on what is right and what is just. He turned around the fortunes of Lagos and that is what we are enjoying today.

How have you built on that legacy?

With all sense of humility, all my predecessors have built on the legacy of Asiwaju Tinubu because you don’t even have any choice. If the person that handed over to you has done so well, as a leader, you want to do only one thing; that is, continue from where he stopped and perform better. So, when Asiwaju handed over to Governor Babatunde Raji Fashola (SAN); he came on board and did fantastically well to the admiration of everybody. Governor Fashola handed it over to Governor Akinwunmi Ambode. Governor Ambode also did his bit and handed it over to me.

How am I building on the legacy? We are building on the legacy through what we call the THEMES developmental agenda. That is Transportation and Traffic Management, Health and Environment, Education and Technology, Making Lagos a 21st Century Economy, Entertainment and Tourism, and Security and Governance.

When you look at what we are doing, they are encapsulated in the THEMES developmental agenda and that is why we are talking about the light rail coming to fruition. We are building several roads. We are ensuring that our health infrastructure is top-notch. We are ensuring that we have a clean environment in Lagos. We are ensuring that our children go to school, not just school, they go through a complete education sector. That is why we are doing all of these. Today is not about me, it is about Asiwaju now. So, for me, we are building on the legacy laid down by Asiwaju Bola Tinubu.

Gov. Sanwo-Olu

There is a Lagos Master Plan, why are you so passionate about building on the Lagos Master Plan, which was designed during Asiwaju Tinubu’s administration?          

Because that is the way to go. There have been several plans. So, it is like a rolling plan for like 20 or 30 years. People sit down to look at this plan and they know what is best for the state. So, you cannot deviate from the plan. It is just like wanting to build a house. Once you deviate from the existing plans that were approved for you by the Ministry of Physical Planning, Land Bureau and those who give approvals, there is bound to be some sort of calamity. So, it is good for you to go back to the drawing board and look at the plan and then go with the plan.

We have a master plan in Lagos State. I have been lucky to have been part of previous governments. So, I have been part of most of these plans. Is it the integrated intermodal transportation system? I have been part of it. So, for me implementing it now shouldn’t surprise you. It is because I know that is what we worked for in Lagos that we all have known as a megacity.

Tinubu wants to be President in 2023. However, his critics are saying Lagos is not Nigeria, a complex entity. Do you think his blueprint for Lagos can help Nigeria, considering how he built Lagos to be a role model to many states not only in Nigeria but in Africa and some parts of the world?

His chances are very bright. His chances of becoming President in 2023 are as bright as the northern stars. Personally speaking, I am yet to see any contender; open or hidden that can defeat Asiwaju at the moment. The person can come out tomorrow; we are assessing. But as I speak with you in this interview, I am yet to see one.

Where would they start from? Do they want to turn back the hands of the clock and start building structures like the man has been doing in the last 15 years or thereabouts that he left office? The man has not pasted a poster since he left as governor of Lagos State, and he has remained the most relevant politician in Nigeria. Where would anybody start from? So, his chances are very bright.

This idea by some people saying Lagos is not Nigeria; you can only know a Saturday that would be good on Friday. Somebody took a state like Lagos State; turned its fortunes around and you are saying that Lagos is not like Nigeria. In answering that question very simply; Lagos is home to over 22 million people and these 22 million people came from different parts of Nigeria. No part of Nigeria is not represented in Lagos. It is only in Lagos that you have every part of this country represented. So, if a man had done so well for every Nigerian within Lagos State, I think it is only a question of doing even better if he has the presidential power.

Secondly, Asiwaju has got the intellectual and material capacity to govern Nigeria successfully and he will administer Nigeria in such a way that by the time he is leaving, everybody would be happy that he was elected.

So you think his chances for the 2023 presidential race are very bright?

Yes, very bright.

What are your birthday wishes for Tinubu at 70?

Just two things. I wish him long life and sound health so that he can continue to serve humanity. That is my wish for him.

As a former Commissioner for Economic Planning and Budget under the administration of Tinubu, what do you consider his most admirable leadership style?

Open door policy. Asiwaju is very open. He is not a one-ear leader. He listens to both sides of the story. If you talk to Asiwaju about something, he will listen to the other side. So in other words, he weighs and applies checks and balances. He keeps an open door policy and that is a very great asset of a leader. Also, Asiwaju is a detribalized Nigerian. He cares less about where you come from but cares more about what you can deliver if you’re given an opportunity. I believe Nigerians are going to enjoy him when he becomes President of this country.

What do you think younger generations and upcoming generations will learn from Asiwaju Tinubu?

Tenacity, perseverance, doggedness, truthfulness, loyalty. Those are some of the things that I think stood him out. Then finally, generosity. Asiwaju is generous to a fault even when he doesn’t have one. Unknown to people, Asiwaju wouldn’t eat alone. When we were in the cabinet, he would ensure that cabinet members must eat with him. He would call you to come and eat. He was generous with everything. So, Nigerian youth have a lot to learn from him.

• First published in Bola Ahmed Tinubu: The Man, His Vision, His Mission, a special publication of TheNEWS