As we pledged at PMParrot, we are here again with a beautiful presentation on another prominent gubernatorial candidate.
The other time, we had the candidate of the African Democratic Alliance (ADC), in Oyo State, Senator Olufemi Lanlehin.
This time around, we are here, in conjuction with unbanlifeng.com, with the profile of the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Lagos State, Mr Babatunde Olusola Sanwo-Olu. Enjoy reading:
‘Politics is perhaps the only profession for which no preparation is thought necessary.’ These words of famous Scottish poet, Robert Louis Stevenson, were flatly faulted by the grand swift emergence and sagacity with which Babajide Sanwo-olu has burst into the Lagos political landscape.
Like they say, luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity. His rich curriculum vitae of the APC governorship candidate in the 2019 election have clearly shown that the oracle of Lagos has once again picked right, as his new anointed, Babajide Sanwo-olu knows Lagos so much like the back of his palm.
‘He will win,’ many have since chorused about the very jovial fellow,as majority has predicted victory for the APC Candiate. If you recall, his appointment as the Acting Commissioner for Economic Planning and Budget, less than a year after he joined the trail-blazing administration of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu as Special Adviser on Corporate Matters in 2004, took the entire Lagos political circuit unawares.
Civil servants wondered then who the upwardly-mobile chap that impressed this head-hunter of a governor in such a short time was. Politicians were also curious to unravel this whiz kid. Babajide Olusola Sanwo-olu took the public interest in his personality and his skills immediately set in his stride.
He chose to prove his mettle on the job by rolling up his sleeves and bringing his expertise in finance and management, notched in over two decades, in the private sector to play. The results were fantastic, testimonial and very convincing.
In government-speaking, the budget Commissioner was the “headmaster” who wielded the big stick against non-compliance with budgetary limits and held the votes of charge that gave life to expenditures. The new man on the block slipped into the role as if it was a customized suit. Ministries, departments, parastatals and agencies met a friendly enforcer and creative provider of solutions to the challenging task of managing the economic development of Africa’s fastest growing economic hub. Lagos.
Tracking and providing intelligent analysis of Internally Generated Revenues, (IGR), by the various government agencies and parastatals, including the Board of Internal Revenue, (BIR), for executive consideration and policymaking, as well as preparation and publication of the Lagos State Economic Empowerment and Development Strategy, (LASEEDS), are some of his commendable contributions.
The opportunity gave him a helicopter view of the economic challenges facing the over 12 million residents of Lagos state, and turned him into a passionate executor of the Lagos State Economic Development Strategy. Providentially, only God knew then that, someday. He would respond to the call of the people to apply these solutions to a population that has now grown to a staggering and unimaginable 24 million residents. ‘Give me a place to stand, and I will move the earth,’ the legendary words of Archimedes, the ancient scientist who discovered the lever, turned out to be prophetic and guiding words for the enigmatic Jide Sanwo-Olu at the ministry.
His deft and prudent management as the fulcrum on which governance oscillates, made him shine for all to see and he quickly established his reputation for quick thinking and fast execution. The consensus that he was an asset to the administration was the most logical rationale for his deployment to ministries in need of critical management during the second term of the Tinubu administration. If you are still in doubt, take this count:
2006: Appointed the Commissioner for Commerce and Industry, with the specific responsibility and mandate to engage his primary constituency, the private sector to partner with the government, with a view to create jobs, ensure industrial harmony and boost more investments in the state.
2007: Appointed the Commissioner for Establishment, Training and Pensions. His pioneering records include the scaling up of collective bargaining as a platform for wages reviews, timely payment of salaries and pensions and the introduction of the Civil Service Framework in collaboration with the Head of Service. Perhaps the most record-breaking event was the establishment of the Lagos State Pensions Commission.
The vibrant energy and hands-on style of Sanwo-Olu explain why he had his hands full during the Babatunde Raji Fashola administration, which he served diligently and officiously between 2007 and 2011. One does not need to wonder why Sanwo-olu was involved in the establishment of the Lagos State Security Trust Fund, the New Projects Initiation & Promotions Committee, the Lekki Free Trade Zone, and chaired the Consultants Board. These interventions must have given him the institutional memory and laid the solid foundation to understand why and how the present sundry agencies of the Lagos State government were formed and how to manage them to give the yearning Lagosians the best possible values.
His appointment as the Managing Director of the Lagos State Development Property Corporation, LSDPC, by His Excellency, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode, remains a remarkable feat, demonstrating that the three helmsmen of Lagos State in the last 19 years of democracy ditto: Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, Babatunde Raji Fashola, SAN and Akinwunmi Ambode, have found him worthy to be called upon to add value to governance in the state.
His most recent impeccable record of diligent public service is, of course, the LSDPC. Notably, his regal perch as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) at the Lagos State Development Property Corporation, (LSDPC), turned the fortunes of the corporation around with increased innovation and efficiency, thereby justifying his 2016 appointment. Babajide Sanwo-olu’s business process re-engineering acumen enabled his task of reducing the housing deficit in Lagos State.
As a result, several housing projects commenced in the Victoria Island/Lekki axis within few months of his resumption, while similar projects, Courtland Villa, Igbokusu Lekki and Bayview Estate, Elegushi Lekki, to mention a few, were executed in quick succession, under the Joint Venture and Private Public Partnership, (PPP), model operational in the State.
One of the flagship interventions of the LSDPC under Sanwo-Olu’s watch was the re-commencement of work on the abandoned 122-unit Lekki Apartments, which is currently nearing completion. While his role at the LSDPC has been adjudged admirable and widely applauded by stakeholders across the State, Babajide has proven to be an administrator with a Midas touch. Despite the very deserving, merited and overwhelming accolades attracted by his strings of successes at LSDPC, and previous duty posts, Babajide has never shifted his focus from the bigger picture of delivering greater value to the people of Lagos State.
The LSDPC restructuring tagged ‘Project Eagle,’ implemented under his leadership, has become the model for public sector institutions repositioning in Nigeria, and a valid pointer to the state’s commitment to operational efficiency. The consequent outcome of the methodically-implemented re-engineering process is a visible transformation in the internal ethos and external outlook of the corporation. This produced a crop of highly-trained, mentored and motivated civil servants in the LSDPC; all of who are ever ready to create value for Lagos State and its taxpayers.
Born into the illustrious Sanwo-Olu family of Lagos Island on June 25, 1965, Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu has grown to become a symbol of integrity, hard work, diligence, selflessness and empathy that are second nature to his worthy family. He is a product of the marriage between Pa Simon Sanwo-Olu of 65, Omididun Street and Madam Omotunde Ajoke Cole of Idoluwo Street, both in Lagos. Young Babajide had the privilege of proper and quality upbringing, which has continued to guide his path through life.
A respectable example of the better of two worlds, Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu is a private sector-tested hand and a public sector reformer. His experiences straddle the two distinct, but connected pillars of every great economy. Babajide had a very enviable and impressive banking career where he rose gradually, stealthily and steadily too, to the exalted position of Deputy General Manager (DGM) at the defunct First Atlantic Bank (now part of First City Monument Bank.) Babajide served as financial advisor and investment Banker to several blue chips and multinational companies and initiated many impactful transactions that created multiple positive effects on the economy.
Beyond the interesting highlights of his banking career, he also supervised the notable Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE)-led privatization projects, such as concession of the Aluminum Smelter Company (ALSCON), National Arts Theatre, Lagos International Trade Fair Complex, acquisition of Ikoyi Hotels Limited and the Federal Government Debt Conversion Programme. Without any doubt, Babajide left the private sector with countless learning and skills that differentiated him from his colleagues when he berthed in the public service; but liquidity management and investment policy articulation could be considered his most valuable takeaways from the banking sector.
His role as a Treasurer at Lead Merchant Bank between 1994 and 1997, later Head, Foreign Money Market at United Bank for Africa, UBA, and Treasurer at First Atlantic Bank, ultimately, jointly and severally made him central to institutional survival and adroit at resources utilization. Prior to his banking career, he worked (Post – NYSC) as a Seismic Surveyor with United Geophysical Nigeria Ltd (a seismic data acquisition company) in a role which took him round the whole Niger Delta and Lake Chad region prospecting crude oil for Shell Petroleum Development Company, (SPDC),and NNPC between 1989 and 1991. Babajide also tried his young hands on a start-up business like every entrepreneurial mind and adventurous youth. He started a company with his funds, called “Dial a Plumber,” but the venture suffered within its first 18 months. In retrospect, Babajide thinks the venture failed because of a combination of factors, which creating a conducive climate for business operations, would have addressed. Although this is not to exonerate his naivety, involving in that undertaking made him understand that, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises, (SMEs,) require a considerable amount of government support and doggedness on the part of the promoters. In recognition of his multi-sectoral experience, Babajide became a highly sought-after boardroom frontrunner, whose insights and perspectives are coveted by public and private sector companies.
Between 2011 and 2016, he was chairman of Baywatch Group Limited, First Class Group Limited, Beryl Shelter Limited, and earlier, Lagos State Consultants Board. He also served on the board of Department for International Development (DFID/DEEPEN) Fund, Caverton Offshore Services Group Plc, Light Level Nigeria Limited, Lagos State Security Trust Fund and the Lagos State Tenders Board.
As an innovation and solution-driven mind, it is to his credit that the policy framework and structure that established the Lagos State Security Trust Fund was set-up as a frontal solution to the security challenges of Lagos State. He applied the same rigour of tackling security challenges in the state to untangle the chaotic public transportation problem by midwifing the setting up of Lagos Asset Management Limited (LAGBUS). Babajide is an alumnus of the prestigious Kennedy School of Government, London Business School and the Lagos Business School.
He earned a Bachelor’s degree in Surveying & Geo-Informatics and a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Lagos. His early education was at Government Demonstration School, Gbaja, Surulere and Ijebu-Ife Grammar Secondary School, Ijebu-Ife, Ogun State. Outside formal education, Babajide has attended several high-profile trainings and leadership courses at some of the leading institutions in the world, especially in Europe, USA and Asia.
He also boasts membership of the Nigerian Institute of Directors (IOD) Chartered Institute of Personnel Management (CIPM), and Fellowship of Nigeria Institute of Training and Development (NITAD). It is unexpected that Babajide’s enterprising career in the private sector, defining roles in public service and selfless contributions to the society would not have attracted international recognitions and accolades at home, but as a man attired in modesty, these awards and laurels are encouragements that keep him on the path of service to God and humanity.
Some of his laurels include but not limited to the following: ‘LSDPC Impactful Leadership and Recognition Award’, ‘Young Christian Fellowship Appreciation Award’, ‘National Association of Nigerian Nurses and Midwives Gold Mentor Appreciation Award’, ‘University of Lagos International School Parents-Teachers Association Recognition & Appreciation Award’, Nigerian Union of Teachers Excellence Award for Contribution to Uplifting of Education’ and University of Lagos Alumni Association Merit Award for Outstanding Commitment and Contributions to National Development. A devout Christian and unrepentant family-focused man, whose blissful marriage to Dr. Claudiana Ibijoke Sanwo-Olu, is blessed with lovely children, Babajide, in addition to his love for public speaking, is a member of numerous prestigious social clubs which include Ikoyi Club 1938, the Lagos Island Club, Yoruba Tennis Club and the Clear Essence Health Club.
