APC Governorship Aspirant
The entry of seasoned strategist and board room expert into the race for Lagos governorship unnerves politicians and residents of the commercial city
In the last one week, Jide Sanwoolu, technocrat and man of the moment has featured very prominently as a highly favored aspirant in the race for the governorship race in Lagos State. To say that Lagos State is currently under a tumultuous political situation on account of Sanwoolu’s entry will be considered by many people as gross understatement. This 53-year-old man who is confidently heading for the Aluasa Government House, despite the presence of a tenant who is seeking re-election will definitely ruffled more feathers in the days to come.
But the question among most Lagosians is: who is Jide Sanwoolu?
A former Special Adviser to Mr. Femi Pedro as Deputy Governor of Lagos State as well as Special Adviser to former Governor Bola Tinubu before becoming a full Commissioner for Establishment in 2007, Mr. Jide Sanwoolu, is believed by political watchers as the new governor of Lagos State come 2019. His confidence in running for governor on the platform of the ruling All Progressives Party (APC) is also disquieting.
For those who may not know, the governorship aspirant is highly connected. He is also dancing to the music of those who decide the political direction of Lagos State. But he is also bringing his personal assets to the table.
According to Dele Momodu’s The Boss Newspaper, Sanwoolu is widely regarded as a public sector expert in human resources and policy formation a power sector consultant per excellence, astute banker, compelling public speaker and an inspirational leader. Apart from a robust public sector service experience spanning over many years during which he was Honorable Commissioner for Commerce and Industry, Honorable Commissioner for Budget and Planning and Honorable Commissioner for
Establishments and Training, Lagos State, at different times, this dynamic and intriguing man of the moment also has an enviable background in the private sector and close to ten years of exemplary
banking experience during which, he contributed immensely to the growth and development of Lead Bank Plc, United Bank for Africa, UBA and First Atlantic Bank (now First City Monument Bank) in various critical capacities.
He has distinguished himself as a boardroom guru and has since become a widely appreciated force in both the private and public sectors, serving as Board member, Department for International Development, DFID/DEEPEN Fund; Member of the Board,
Audit Committee of Caverton Offshore Services Group, PLC and as Director, Light Level Nigeria Limited, the foremost digital signage company in Nigeria.
He also serves as Chairman for a number of thriving organizations, including Baywatch Group Limited – a multifaceted company with interests in construction, property development and human capital development – where he served as Chairman/CEO since July 2011, First Class Group Limited, a cooling, power and maintenance solutions
provider recognized widely for providing critical support for all major
telecommunications company in the area of specialized cooling. Power cap Consulting, a leading power consulting boutique with vast experience in power privatization exercise and Beryl Shelter, an estate management firm that specializes in research, marketing
intelligence and sales of high-end properties. He also has links with Wow! Interiors, an interior design service and luxury furniture retail store for high end corporate and residential clients.
As Treasurer at Lead Bank Plc between 1994 and 1997, Babajide managed the liquid asset of the bank and general funding requirements on a daily basis while at United Bank for Africa, UBA, he was Senior Manager (Head, Foreign Money Market) managing the bank’s
liquidity position vis a vis portability. He was also responsible for articulating and implementing the bank’s strategy in Investment Banking activities and Issuing House and
Portfolio Management.
Subsequently, he rose to the position of Deputy General Manager (Divisional Head) at First Inland Bank Plc, where he was Corporate Financial Advisor to several multinational companies. He also supervised the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE) privatization projects, including the concession of the National Arts Theatre, and the Lagos International Trade Fair Complex, the acquisition of Ikoyi Hotels Limited as well as the Federal Government Debt Conversion Programme.
His meteoric rise within the system of the Lagos State government is particularly exemplary; a testament to his unique leadership abilities and exceptional contributions to good governance within the State.
Babajide’s appointment, in 2003, as Special Adviser on Corporate Matters to the Deputy Governor, took the government circles by storm. However, the consequent recognition which he quickly gained, coupled with his outstanding performance earned him the same
job title and description again, this time, with the Executive Governor himself after only one year.
Working directly with the Governor, he was responsible for creating an environment that fosters private sector participation and was instrumental to the present situation where members of the private sector see themselves as stakeholders in the governance of the
State. He also formulated policies and programmes to improve the relationship between government and the Organized Private Sector (OPS).
In conjunction with other agencies of government, Babajide was able to initiate, identify, promote and structure new projects and programmes in areas like the Environment, Transportation, Commerce, Finance and Infrastructure while also preparing and tracking the Internally Generated Revenue from various agencies.
He was also responsible for the preparation and publication of the Lagos State Economic Empowerment and Development Strategy (LASEEDS).
While still serving in this capacity, Babajide was appointed acting Honorable Commissioner, Economic Planning and Budget, owing to his hard work and attention to details. He became responsible for the preparation of the annual budget for the State Government and the processing of the annual budget of the different parastatals; a duty
he performed judiciously.
It was no surprise therefore, when in 2007, he became the Honorable Commissioner for Commerce and Industry until the end of that administration. At the start of the next administration, Babajide was again appointed Honorable Commissioner, this time, for Establishments, Training and Pensions. His stirring team-playing ability was evident in the critical roles he played within the government in partnership with several units and offices. For instance, in conjunction with the Head of Service, he was responsible for timely review of salaries, wages and allowances while he also articulated the state government’s Conditions of Service. As a
security awareness expert, he helped set up the Lagos State Security Trust Fund and subsequently became a board member for over four years.
Although he holds an MBA and a B.Sc. in Surveying from the University of Lagos, his quest for knowledge has taken him to several courses and trainings in several continents of the world, including Europe, USA, Asia and Africa. He is an alumnus of the prestigious Kennedy School of Government, USA; the London Business School as well as the Lagos
Business School, LBS.
Babajide is also an associate member of The Chartered Institute of Personnel Management (CIPM) and fellow of The Nigerian Institute of Training and Development (NITAD).
A man of admirable social skills, he also spends some time for leisure and social activities amidst his demanding itinerary, as he is a member of the Ikoyi Club, the Island Club, as well as the Clear Essence Health Club. His laudable achievements have not gone unnoticed. He has received several awards in recognition of his tremendous contributions to society. They include the Symbol of Excellence award from the Civic Enlightenment Association of Nigeria, a Gold mentor award from the National Association of Nigeria Nurses & Midwives (NANNM), a
Platinum award from the Lagos State Public Service Club and the 2009 Best in Human Capital Development award from the Industrial Training Fund (ITF). He has also received several merit awards from the Association of National Accountants of Nigeria, Chartered
Institute of Personnel Management in Nigeria (CIPMN) amongst others.
He is happily married to Dr Mrs Ibijoke Sanwo-Olu and they are blessed with children.
Why I want to unseat Ambode – Sanwo-Olu; submits APC nomination form
A Lagos state aspirant in the governorship race of Lagos State, Jide Sanwo-Olu, has said his participation is about the Lagos of his dream and not due to the endorsement of party leader, Bola Tinubu.
He said this while addressing journalists at the National Secretariat of the All Progressives Congress (APC) on Wednesday after submitting his nomination form.
Mr Sanwo-Olu is believed to have the support of Mr Tinubu following amidst differences between the latter and the Lagos government.
But Mr Sanwo-Olu would neither confirm or deny the speculation of his endorsement when pressed by journalists on Wednesday.
“There is no doubt that things would be said here and there. A man that is standing in front of you, fully grown-man with several years of experience. Like I said, it is about the Lagos of our dream, it is about the Lagos we want to take to the next level,” he said.
“I think it has nothing to do with our leader and there is no denial that he’s our national leader. And he takes back position not only in the state but in the national and you know he has interest in the well-being and improvement in Nigeria’s dream.
“So, by extension, Lagos is a dream that he is pertinent about and we will continue to refer to him as our leader. But the most important thing is, I am in front of you, this is who I am, this is what I have come to express to you and Lagos, certainly will be a better place to live for all us.”
Mr Sanwo-Olu revealed he would be making a formal declaration when he returns to Lagos.
“I will be making a formal declaration speech when I get back to Lagos State but I just want to show you that I am here today.”
Speaking on why he wanted to run for Lagos State governor, he said he believes he has what it takes to contribute more to the state.
“Why am I in the race? I’m sure I am 53 years old but more importantly, in the last almost 30 years, I had spent 16 years out of it in private sector and 11 in the public service. Of course, I have been three-time commissioner, I have been two-time special adviser, I have been director in the biggest corporations in the state. I have served over three governors.
“So, I have wide range of experience and I have a dream to obviously contribute a lot more. As a Lagosian and son of the soil, I will just be able to let our people get to where they know that governance is all about people, it is about what we expect, it is about what will go back to them, improve the course of life, course of security and there are lot of other things we are going to be rolling out.
“But why especially is to give my number of years’ experience, the pedigree from the private sector and from the public sector and I think it is appropriate for me now when people of Not-too-young are with us and put that aspiration in place.”
Asked why his entrance into the race was raising a lot of discussion, he said it was because of how the people see him, as he is one of those who redefined Lagos State.
“But the truth about the matter is, what has been generated is a reflection of how people have come to understand the person I am. A whole lot of us have to redefine the Lagos project.
“There are so many firsts that you can begin to attribute to my name in the eleven years that I have had to do with public service. Like I said, I had served three different governors, I have servedin two different ministries, two different times at governor’s office, heading the biggest agencies of government.
“You know, the blueprint we had been looking at since 1999, some of us put it together. So, it is not an offence, no doubt about that, it is politics and this era we are into right now.
“And for me as a 53-year-old man, it is now, when I did preach to my kids that whatever you believe in, stay on the course. If I cannot also do what I preach, then, I will begin to regret when I am 75 and I would say I didn’t do what I need to do.”
Asked about his reported endorsement by 57 local government chairmen in the state, he said he was not aware of the endorsement but that if he gets back to Lagos and there is a meeting called by the party’s leadership, he will definitely be in attendance.
“I am in Abuja now, certainly I don’t know what is happening in Lagos now, to be fair to me. You are in the media, you have access to information I don’t even have. So, when I get to Lagos, if there is a meeting the leadership has called, certainly I will attend the meeting because certainly, I really don’t know the meeting you are talking about.
“But in terms of endorsement, it is a work in progress. People have been asking questions, people are yet to know the kind of person I am. Soon, whoever emerges is the best, it will be very preemptive of me to stand before you and say I have been supported by 57 people, that means I am going to sleep. Mandate Group is my people, we are in the same family and we will continue to work together.
“At the end of the day, it is Lagosians that will elect us and we are not going to be restricted, we will get to everybody that we need to get to. We will not take anybody for granted.”
Mr Sanwo-Olu submitted his nomination at about the same time an ally to Mr Amode also submitted that of the Lagos governor, who is also seeking re-election.
Although Mr Ambode is a close ally of Mr Tinubu who helped him become governor, sources in both camps have told PREMIUM TIMES that differences currently exist between them, mainly due to some the Lagos governor’s actions including his handling of the waste crisis in the state.
KENNY MARTINS INTERVIEW
What is legacy initiative international all about?
It bis about saying that enough is enough. It about saying that this a country of about 2m people made up of Christian and muslems. This is a country that prays to God more than any other country in the worl, then where have gotten it wrong?
WE HAVE GOTTEN IT WRONG BECAUSE WE HAVE NEGLATED God. To talk of governance and power, we have left God out of the equation. Out of over 67 years of independent, we have tried every other option except God. We have tried regional govet, pre-1966. We had regional leaders, it didn’t work for us. We tried military govt for about two decades, it didn’t work. Currently we have tried a full blown democracy, I want to ask everybody if it is working.
I asy somewhere before that if anybody says all is well with Nigeria, I dare to say that all is not well with the person. Then what is the solution?
We therefore believe that for this country to return back to normal, all the leaders in the Christian and moslem faith must seat down o a table to identify what is wrong with his country.
We are not going to run govt of theocracy or molers. We are just saying that we would run our politics and parties but that neither the christain or muslem leaders would participate in paticant politics. We want them to serve as the good conscience of this country. They should seat together to determine who is best from all the candidates all the political parties have brought out, from the federal level down to the local govt level, select the best candidate for the people to vote between. We can call them and interrogate them, give them the template of what Nigeria expects from them, when they have sign into it. Then those names date we have adopted would be prayed for in all the pulpits and mosgues in this country, party affiliation notwithstanding. With that, we believe that Nigerian will vote for the best for the first time. If they fail to perform, this people would also rise up to tell them they have not performed, even if they run from one party or the order. Hence we get rid of money politics where candidate will spend billions as in the case of Ekiti state. It is time we put stop to politics of money. I am saying this because Nigeria still remains a country where our yesterday is better than today. We are always yenning for yesterday because our today is so chaotic, our heart palpitates about what today stands for and we are scared of tomorrow. Nigeria is the only country that have no tomorrow, the is fear everywhere about tomorrow. So we believe that with this system entrenched decamping and politics of money will become a thing of the past and new leaders would emerge, who would face real consequences for not performing or deviating. And that consequence would be withdrawal of the mandate of the people for non performance.
Do you think money can be separated from politics?
Yes they spend money. How much did Obama have? They spend money because people donate to them. But here you must have stolen or the state would provide you with it so you don’t owe anything to the people because they didn’t fund you. So when these leaders emerge from legacy international through interrogation by the people, the people can now support them. Those that raise money for them to run for the election would now be controlling them; this is what has created the anomalies in the Nigerian politics.
What is your impression on Buhari’s regime so far?
The opinion of those in the government and my opinion don’t matter. The voter’s opinion is what matters. They felt that Jonathan wasn’t working and believed he should go. The only reason why my opinion matters is that I have for so long spoken for these people, they don’t have a voice. I resound the voice those people whom the system refused to listing to. Let the Buhari gvt check their score card comparing what they were expected of. They should be introspective. Whatever you do, you can’t hide from the people and election would always reflect the mandate of the people. What happened to Jonathan would also happen to anybody who has failed the people. So people are listening to me because I am echoing what is in their mind and I will say what nobody can say and nothing would happen.
How can you rate Buhari’s administration so far?
Have you ever seen me rate anybody? I don’t rate govts, I tell the govt to rate themselves. And the yardstick is if you have sustained the popularity on which you emerged. This is a question you can ask the people on the street. I have said it somewhere before that what determined Jonathan’s election in 2015 was corruption and what would determine the election in 2019 would be security. Because without security not would work.
Are you saying there is no more corruption in the country?
No. what I am saying is that corruption is no longer our problem. Insecurity is the biggest problem we have in the country, when paired to corruption. People are afraid to travel from one place to the other by road for so many people have been kidnapped and so many other security issues.
As a patron of legacy international, what do you have to say about the decamping from one party to the other in this country?
That is why legacy is born, enough of that. If you are performing in XYZ party and because you are not kicking back to the party leaders, they refuse to give you ticket for second tenor, leave the party to even a party without structure. The people are watching you and would give you again their mandate, irrespective of the party. And if at the other hand they give you a ticket when you are not performing, legacy would leave you and the party would lose.
Are you saying legacy international is transforming into a political party?
No we are not a political party; we are just the conscience of the nation. We are totally nonpartisan we want to be discerning, Buhari and other politician were like that before they became politicians. We need integrity and personality that is impeccable and we would back you, we don’t need money.
OUR POLITICAL PARTIES HAVE INCREASED TO 91, WHAT DO YOU HAVE TO SAY TO THIAT?
That one doesn’t matter; it is an association of people. It is not an issue. That is the liberalization of the political space. It was a battle we won. It is in the UN chatter that you can associate freely, it is in our constitutions too. But in a democratic govt, there are majorly two political parties wherein others take their root.
Do you still believe in redemption and salvation?
I believe there is something in this country that worth fighting and dying for. I legacy succeeds with the support of the people, this country can be better in the next five to fifteen years, that will make it not necessary for anybody to go abroad for education anymore. For instance, we have an idea to build five-star hospitals in each of the zones that would cost about $100M but there is no gvt that would sign the money but we spent about $2billions every year in hospitals abroad.
Some people said that legacy international has something to do with your in-law, Obasanjo, how true is this?
Legacy international is speaking for 200m people, including Obasanjo, Buhari and others. We don’t have anything against APC or anybody. We are saying let us for once chose what is good for Nigerians. We are beyond Obasanjo, because we are speaking for 200m people. Even the president does attend our meetings sometimes. Both Buhari and Obasanjo are tired and should retire. Buhari is contesting for the second term because we have not gotten it right. If we have gotten it right, he has no business conversing for second tenure, although he is my friend. It’s just because there is corruption. Is it not ashamed that the only award won by the president in the international community is that of corruption only, it means you are not working? He should have been winning awards on technology, how to get to space and how our economy is the one they are copying and duplicating around the world.
What does national assembly issues hold for our democracy?
Nothing. It was a mistake on the part of the govt to sent bill so late to the national assembly when they were closing. And when finally the tried to get themselves together, impeachment became the issue of discuss, although that’s politics. In advance democracies, America, they are times they shot down the govt house for two to three months. They have not falling. They govt should find way to fund whatever is critical till the national resumes.
What does all the allegedly rigged election conducted by this administration portray for 2019?
Nothing. 2019 would come and go. The election would come and winner would emerge and nothing would happen.
What is your advice for Nigerians because people are scared and been skeptical?
No need to be scared. Just be educated about your life, register and get your voters’ card. Go out and vote, wait for the result, even if it is twisted, the fact would still come out.
You are looking young, what is your secrete?
I have learnt to live and put my heart the grace of the nation, I just live by the day because I believe that God is in control. I can only do my best and live the rest to God. I am not scared and I have never been scared about anything. To me there is nothing serious in life. I am a good student of history, since I know that those things would take care of themselves, I have nothing to worry about.
