Babajide Sanwo-Olu

Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu[1] (born 25 June 1965)[2][3][4] is a Nigerian politician who has served as the governor of Lagos State since 2019.[5]

Babajide Sanwo-Olu
Portrait of Babajide Sanwo-Olu
15th Governor of Lagos State
Assumed office
29 May 2019
DeputyObafemi Hamzat
Preceded byAkinwunmi Ambode
Personal details
Born
Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu[1]

(1965-06-25) 25 June 1965[2][3][4]
Lagos, Nigeria
Political partyAll Progressives Congress
SpouseIbijoke Carrena
Alma mater
OccupationPolitician
Website

He became governor under the platform of the All Progressives Congress after contesting and unexpectedly winning the APC gubernatorial primaries against incumbent governor Akinwunmi Ambode in October 2018.[6][7] He is a graduate of the University of Lagos, London Business School, Lagos Business School and the John F. Kennedy School of Government. Before his gubernatorial ambition, he was the managing director and CEO of Lagos State Property Development Corporation (LSPDC).[8][9][10]

Education

Sanwo-Olu briefly attended Government Demonstration School, Gbaja Surulere before moving to Ijebu-Ife Grammar School, Ogun State to complete his secondary education.[11] He has a BSc in Surveying and an MBA from the University of Lagos.[12] He is an alumnus of the John F. Kennedy School of Government, the London Business School and the Lagos Business School.[13]

He is an associate member of the Chartered Institute of Personnel Management (CIPM) and fellow of the Nigeria Institute of Training and Development (NITAD).[14]

Career

Banking

Sanwo-Olu was the treasurer at the former Lead Merchant Bank from 1994 to 1997 after which he moved to the United Bank for Africa as the head of foreign money market. He then proceeded to First Inland Bank, Plc (now First City Monument Bank) as a deputy general manager and divisional head. He was the chairman of Baywatch Group Limited and First Class Group Limited.[15]

Public service

Sanwo-Olu began his political career in 2003, when he was appointed a Special Adviser on Corporate Matters to the then deputy governor of Lagos State, Femi Pedro. He was later made the acting Commissioner for Economic Planning and Budget until 2007, when he was appointed as the Commissioner for Commerce and Industry by then Governor, Bola Tinubu. After the General Elections of 2007, Sanwo-Olu was appointed Commissioner for Establishments, Training and Pensions by Governor Babatunde Fashola. Sanwo-Olu was made Managing Director/CEO of the Lagos State Development and Property Corporation (LSDPC) by Governor Akinwunmi Ambode in 2016.[8][16]

Some of his notable public sector achievements include the supervision of the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE) privatization projects.[17] He set up and was the Pioneer Board Chairman of Lagos Security Trust Fund. The LAGBUS System and the Control & Command Centre in Alausa Ikeja were subsequently established under his directives.

Politics

On 16 September 2018, Sanwo-Olu formally declared his intention to run for the office of the governor of Lagos State under the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) making him a major contender to the incumbent governor Akinwunmi Ambode.[17]

His declaration attracted endorsements from major stakeholders in Lagos State politics; including the Governor’s Advisory Council of the Lagos chapter of the All Progressives Congress[18] and members of the Lagos State House of Assembly,[19] which led to withdrawal of Dr. Obafemi Hamzat,[20] a governorship aspirant on the platform of the All Progressives Congress in Lagos from the gubernatorial race.

He won the Lagos gubernatorial primaries of the All Progressives Congress on 2 October 2018. At the APC flag-off campaign rally held on 8 January 2019, governor of Lagos, Akinwunmi Ambode, and 63 political parties lent their support for the candidacy of Sanwo-Olu.[21] In a landslide victory over his opponent Jimi Agbaje, Sanwo-Olu was elected to the Office of Governor of Lagos State at the 2019 Lagos State gubernatorial election held on 9 March 2019.[22] He was sworn in as the 15th Governor of Lagos State at the Tafawa Balewa Square (TBS) Lagos Island on Wednesday 29 May 2019.[23]

He has been working on different development activities, one of which is road construction across major areas in Lagos state. Recently, Sanwo-olu asked that the statue of Fela Kuti that was erected by Akinwunmi Ambode be removed from Allen Avenue in Ikeja, to ease the situation of traffic in that area. However, the statue is said to be relocated to a more convenient area in the State.[24] He commissioned the Oshodi - Abule-Egba BRT Lane amongst other projects in 2020.[25]

He was reelected governor under the umbrella of All Progressives Congress (APC) during the 2023 Lagos State gubernatorial election held on 18 March[26] defeating Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour of the Labour Party (LP) who came first runner up and AbdulAzeez Olajide ‘Jandor’ Adediran of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) who came second runner up in a deeply violent and hate speech[27] charged election which fueled ethnic tensions [28][29]

The re-election of Governor Sanwo-Olu was contested by both Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour of the Labour Party (LP) and Dr. Olajide Adediran of the People’s Democratic Party, PDP. They respectively alleged that Sanwo-olu's deputy, Obafemi Hamzat was not qualified to contest the election because he earlier renounced his Nigerian citizenship and that Sanwo-olu presented a forged high school certificate. [30]

On Monday, 25th September 2023, the Lagos State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal threw out both Jandor's and Rhodes-Vivour's petitions and affirmed Sanwo-Olu and Hamzat as duly elected governor and deputy governor of Lagos state.[31]

Awards
Gov. Sanwaolu at the 2021 AMA Award

Sanwo-Olu has obtained a variety of awards in his career, some of which include:[16]

  • Platinum award from the Lagos State Public Service Club.
  • 2009 Best in Human Capital Development award from the Industrial Training Fund (ITF).
  • Merit award from the Association of National Accountants of Nigeria.
  • Merit award from the Chartered Institute of Personnel Management in Nigeria (CIPMN).
  • Merit Award from the Association of Professional Women Engineers of Nigeria (APWEN).
  • LSDPC Impactful Leadership and Recognition Award.
  • Media Nite-Out Award for Best Governor of the Year (2020).[32]

Personal life

Sanwo-Olu is married to Ibijoke Sanwo-Olu.[33]

See also
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Babajide Sanwo-Olu.

References
  1. "PROFILE: Babajide Sanwo-Olu, Governor of Lagos, Nigeria [2019 — ]". Premium Times. 24 January 2021. Retrieved 10 March 2023.
  2. "Buhari salutes Sanwo-Olu at 57". The Guardian. 25 June 2022. Retrieved 10 March 2023.
  3. Olafusi, Ebunoluwa (25 June 2022). "He is a prime example of excellence' — Tinubu hails Sanwo-Olu at 57". The Cable. Retrieved 10 March 2023.
  4. "Akeredolu greets Sanwo-Olu at 57". The Guardian. 25 June 2022. Retrieved 10 March 2023.
  5. "2023 Presidency: Sanwo-Olu mobilises APC leaders, communities for Tinubu". Vanguard News. 11 February 2022. Retrieved 5 March 2022.
  6. Adekunle (3 October 2018). "Breaking: Ebri's panel declares Sanwo-Olu winner of Lagos APC primary". Vanguard. Retrieved 3 October 2018.
  7. Opejobi, Seun (2 October 2018). "Tinubu 'anointed' candidate, Sanwo-Olu defeats Ambode in Alausa". Daily Post. Retrieved 3 October 2018.
  8. Nwafor, Polycarp (12 September 2018). "Babajide Sanwo-Olu: the cool, calm, dynamic technocrat who wants to unseat Ambode". Vanguard. Retrieved 2 October 2018.
  9. Olasupo, Abisola (2 October 2018). "Ambode's deputy declares support for Sanwo-Olu". Guardian. Retrieved 3 October 2018.
  10. "Igbo group endorses Sanwo-Olu for second term". Punch Newspapers. 6 March 2023. Retrieved 7 March 2023.
  11. Staff, Daily Post (1 March 2019). "Infographic on Sanwo-Olu's biography". Daily Post Nigeria. Retrieved 2 March 2023.
  12. "PROFILE: Babajide Sanwo-Olu, Governor of Lagos, Nigeria [2019 --- ]". 24 January 2021. Retrieved 28 February 2022.
  13. Olafusi, Ebunoluwa (13 September 2018). "CLOSE-UP: Ex-UBA official, UNILAG graduate… meet Sanwo-Olu, Ambode's challenger". The Cable Nigeria. Retrieved 2 October 2018.
  14. Lawal, Nurudeen; Omotayo, Joseph (11 March 2019). "14 facts you should know about Lagos governor-elect". legit.ng. Retrieved 26 March 2019.
  15. "CLOSE-UP: Ex-UBA official, UNILAG graduate… meet Sanwo-Olu, Ambode's challenger". The Cable Newspaper. 13 September 2023.
  16. Egbas, Jude (13 September 2018). "7 Things to know about the man who could become the next Governor of Lagos". Pulse Nigeria. Retrieved 3 October 2018.
  17. Adeniji, Gbenga (17 September 2018). "Sanwo-Olu formally declares ambition, PDP reiterates offer to Ambode". Punch Nigeria Newspaper. Retrieved 3 October 2018.
  18. Adeniji, Gbenga (30 September 2018). "GAC endorses Sanwo-Olu for Lagos APC gov ticket". Punch Nigeria Newspaper. Retrieved 3 October 2018.
  19. Adeniji, Gbenga (29 September 2018). "Lagos APC primary: 36 lawmakers back Sanwo-Olu". Punch Nigeria Newspaper. Retrieved 3 October 2018.
  20. Adeniji, Gbenga (29 September 2018). "Lagos APC gov primary: Hamzat steps down for Sanwo-Olu". Punch Nigeria Newspaper. Retrieved 3 October 2018.
  21. Oyewole, Nurudeen (8 January 2019). "Gunshots at Lagos APC rally as 63 parties endorse Sanwo-Olu". Daily Trust Newspaper. Archived from the original on 9 June 2021. Retrieved 10 January 2019.
  22. "INEC result: Kano Govnorship Elections dey INCONCLUSIVE! - BBC Pidgin".
  23. Oak, TV (29 May 2019). "BREAKING: Sanwo-Olu officially takes over from Ambode". Oak TV Newstrack. Retrieved 3 June 2019.
  24. "Sanwo-Olu pulls down Fela's statue to ease traffic". Pulse NG. 14 January 2020.
  25. "Sanwo-Olu commissions Oshodi-Abule-Egba BRT corridor". The Nation Newspaper. 11 August 2020.
  26. "It's official: Sanwo-Olu re-elected Lagos governor". Premium Times. 20 March 2023.
  27. "Post Election Lagos -Dousing Ethnic Tension". Guardian Nigeria. 1 April 2023.
  28. "US observers witness violence in Lagos". Channels Newspaper. 21 March 2023.
  29. "Sanwo-Olu reelected in Lagos". Vanguard Nigeria Newspaper. 19 March 2023.
  30. "Rhodes-Vivour, Jandor file petition against Sanwo-Olu, others". The Guardian Newspaper. 12 April 2023.
  31. "Tribunal Affirms Sanwo-Olu As Lagos State Governor". Voiceof Nigeria. 25 September 2023.
  32. "Governor Sanwo-Olu others Honoured at MNA Awards". Guardian Newspaper. Lagos, Nigeria. 20 September 2021. Retrieved 5 October 2021.
  33. Opeseitan, Tunde (7 January 2020). "Ibijoke Sanwo-Olu: Celebrating a quintessential First Lady at 53". PM News Nigeria. Retrieved 29 April 2020.
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