Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has described his deputy, Dr. Obafemi Hamzat, as a loyal and dependable partner, recounting how he stepped down from the 2018 governorship race to become his running mate.
Sanwo-Olu spoke while highlighting Hamzat’s contributions to his administration, describing their seven-year working relationship as one characterised by trust, unity of purpose and shared commitment to the development of Lagos State.
Recounting the events leading to the 2019 governorship election, the governor said Hamzat had initially aspired to become governor after 13 years of public service under former governors Bola Tinubu and Babatunde Fashola.
According to him, party leaders subsequently asked Hamzat to step aside for him, a decision he said reflected the deputy governor’s uncommon sense of loyalty and political maturity.
Sanwo-Olu said Hamzat shook his hand and, five weeks later, agreed to run alongside him as deputy governor, adding that he had never forgotten the gesture.
Reflecting on their working relationship, the governor said he had spent 2,711 days working closely with Hamzat, giving him firsthand knowledge of his character beyond what could be gleaned from his curriculum vitae.
He cited the COVID-19 pandemic, the construction and operation of the Lagos Blue and Red rail lines, and the opening of the Lekki Deep Sea Port among major milestones during which Hamzat played significant roles.
According to Sanwo-Olu, his deputy was actively involved in critical decisions and provided technical input, particularly on major infrastructure projects, long before their eventual completion.
He also praised Hamzat for redefining the role of a deputy governor, recalling that he had pledged from the first day in office to become the best deputy governor in Lagos history.
The governor said Hamzat had fulfilled that commitment, maintaining that their administration had operated with one direction and a common voice throughout their seven years in office.
Drawing an analogy with a relay race, Sanwo-Olu said Lagos had sustained a tradition of leadership succession in which successive administrations built on the foundations laid by their predecessors.
He traced the state’s leadership transition over the past 27 years from Tinubu to Fashola, Akinwunmi Ambode and himself, describing the process as a continuous journey of governance and development.
Sanwo-Olu further highlighted Hamzat’s professional and public service credentials, noting that he supervised the construction of the Lekki-Ikoyi Link Bridge under Fashola, contributed to the digitisation of government under Tinubu and holds a doctorate in engineering.
He also noted that Hamzat’s father served under the administration of the late former governor, Alhaji Lateef Jakande, describing public service as a longstanding family tradition.
Addressing criticisms that Lagos had continued to draw its leadership from the same political circle, Sanwo-Olu argued that the state had invested in developing experienced leaders through successive administrations.
He maintained that the ongoing major infrastructure projects and Lagos State’s development master plan extending to 2052 made continuity in governance important.
According to him, Hamzat’s emergence was not based on newly conceived campaign promises but on experience and participation in the state’s development journey.
Sanwo-Olu concluded by presenting Hamzat as a leader already familiar with the demands of governing Lagos, urging residents to embrace the administration’s proposed continuity agenda under the slogan, The Lagos PROMISE.
