•As LAGOS APC’s Guber Candidate
Mr. Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu, the Lagos APC’ governorship candidate, is a very lucky man. As far back as early this year, he never knew he would be hand picked by his political godfather, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, to run for Lagos governorship.
He was just one of those often referred to as The Tinubu Boys and one of those who are fiercely loyal to him. He is a member of Tinubus inner caucus. He is also a member of the Bourdillon Collective and one of the trump cards Tinubu kept close to his chest. So, Sanwo Olu has always been one of Tinubu’s favoured guys, in the scheme of things. But he never saw his emergence as a standard bearer coming.
There are other equally qualified guys, whom Tinubu could have picked for the race. He had prepared all of them to take up Leadership roles at various times. But Asiwaju has always had a softspot for the guy he simply calls Jide. And so, when news broke a few months back that the MD/CEO of LSDPC, Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu, was the guy whom the National Leader of the APC, Asiwaju Tinubu had in mind to replace the incumbent governor of Lagos, Akinwunmi Ambode, many didn’t know why. We can tell you why.
In the first instance, he is not your run off the mill politician Second, he is not among those who are visible around Asiwaju. Over the years, he had learnt to be in the background. Asiwaju had strategically positioned him all these years. And he had kept quiet. Even under the Ambode administration he had kept quiet managing the LSPDC without attracting attention to himself. The moment Asiwaju decided to replace Gov. Ambode, he knew he would have to choose someone, who would be acceptable to the old school whose pedigree dates back to his first term when he was Lagos governor. Sanwo-Olu was part of the team then.
Unknown to many, Sanwo Olu is one of the Tinubu Boys in whom he is well pleased. And he had prepared him for a possible leadership role in the nearest future. With the crisis rocking Lagos APC, Asiwaju wanted to pick a candidate who will be acceptable to members of his inner caucus and party leaders. And so, he picked Sanwo Olu who is 53.
Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu then contested and won the Guber primaries under the auspices of All Progressives Congress against the incumbent governor, Akinwunmi Ambode last October. What sort of a person is he? We can also tell you that he is a graduate of the University of Lagos, as well as the London Business School, Lagos Business School and the John F. Kennedy School of Government. Prior to his gubernatorial ambition, he was the Managing Director/CEO of Lagos State Property Development Commission (LSPDC).
Sanwo-Olu has a Bachelor of Science degree in Surveying and an MBA from the University of Lagos. He is an alumnus of John F. Kennedy School of Government, the London Business School and the Lagos Business School. He is an associate member of the Chartered Institute of Personnel Management (CIPM) and Fellow of the Nigeria Institute of Training and Development (NITAD).
Babajide Olusola 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 the
Babajide Olusola 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 acting Commissioner for Economic Planning and Budget until 2007, when he became the Commissioner for Commerce and Industry by the then Governor, Bola Tinubu. After the General Elections of 2007, Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu was appointed Commissioner for Establishments, Training and Pensions by Governor Babatunde Fashola. Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu was made Managing Director/CEO of the Lagos State Development and Property Corporation (LSDPC) by Governor Akinwunmi Ambode in 2016.
Someof his notable public sector achievements include the supervision of the Bureauof Public Enterprises (BPE) privatisation projects. He set up and was thePioneer Board Chairman of Lagos Security Trust Fund. The
LAGBUS System and theControl & Command Centre in Alausa were subsequently established under his directives.
On 16th September, 2018, Sanwo-Olu formally declared his intention to run for the office of the governor of Lagos State on the platform of the All Progressives’ Congress (APC) making him a major contender to the incumbent governor, Akinwunmi Ambode.
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 and members of the Lagos State House of Assembly, which led to withdrawal from the race by Dr. Femi Hamzat, a governorship aspirant, on the platform of the APC.
He won the Lagos gubernatorial primaries of the APC on 2nd October 2018.
Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu has obtained a variety of awards in his career, some of which include:
•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.
BabajideOlusola Sanwo-Olu is happily married with children to a Surgeon Dr IbijokeSanwo-Olu.
READ ALSO: MRS BOLANLE AMBODE BECOMES PATRON OF NCWS LAGOS STATE
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