The sprawling megacity of Lagos, with over 20 million residents, is the cultural and economic heart of Nigeria. For over two decades, the state has embarked on audacious infrastructure renewal projects that are capital intensive. The execution of ongoing projects alone, let alone the challenges of urban sustainability in the context of Lagos make governing the state a herculean task. In this article, Deputy Governor Obafemi Hamzat unfolds the agenda of the Babajide Sanwo-Olu administration.
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Sanwo-Olu’s development agenda for Lagos
At the outset, the perception of many Lagosians about the Babajide Sanwo-Olu administration was not entirely a positive one. Based on the performance of his predecessors in office since 1999, Lagosians were not convinced that he could step onto their shoes.
Given the mountain of work in all sectors in Lagos somehow Governor Sanwo-Olu’s gentle mien did not fit into the mold of a performer in the eyes of some residents.
But, almost one year after, the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in Lagos has once again proved critics wrong.
Since the inception of the administration, Governor Sanwo-Olu has been working quietly in several sectors; to continue from where his immediate processor in office, Akinwinmi Ambode stopped, and also to initiate new policies to up the ante in the development of Lagos.
Deputy Governor Obafemi Hamzat recently unfolded some of the blueprints of the administration, sector by sector, in an interview with the editorial team of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).
In the education sector, for instance, Dr. Hamzat said the administration has embarked on a policy reform, which is dubbed ‘Eko Excel’, the state is re-engineering its teaching methods and also adopting a holistic approach to tackling challenges in the sector, to bring out the best in the pupils.
He said: “We started with 300 schools. What that means is that all the primary school teachers will have a tablet that allows them to concentrate on teaching so that they do not need to do all the teachers note that needs to be done and schedule of work.
We have trained them in knowing the essence of teaching. Just changing the essence of teaching and even how they talk to the children/address them. Even if a child does something wrong, there are ways of correcting them.
“Around the world, the focus has always been on the provision of equipment for the classrooms and to have a great classroom for learning but those things don’t teach children as it does not mean the children will come out well. You might have a great classroom but it does not make anything.
So over time, what the state government has done is to focus on the teachers as they are the common denominators. It means we must concentrate on the teachers. They are the common denominator.
“After six years the children will go but the teachers remain over and over again. So we realise that the best thing to do is to concentrate on the teachers, their welfare, skills, their training and the way they approach it. That is what Eko Excel is doing.”
The deputy governor said it is too early to assess the impact of the scheme. He added: “In two to three years’ time, we would see how the teaching method has changed. We would see how it has affected the culture of our education, the children and everything.
We would also be able to gather information better through the equipment that will help us to geo-reference. So, we can know, for instance, in class 4A in Agidingbi Primary School, 20 students came to class or 21 children came at 9 am. – so why are they coming to school late? Is it that they are living far from school?
“All this information will help us to plan well. Also, it has helped us in monitoring the time the teachers resume work.
Also, if a teacher is coming late to school, why is it so? For example, a teacher teaching in Ikorodu and living in Oworonshoki, so why can’t we just move the teacher to around the place he or she lives for convenience and good delivery on the job.
“We are also finding out that some schools have only seven children while in some schools they have up to 60. So it tells us that in some cases, maybe we are building in the wrong places.
So, maybe we need to build more classes in such areas because, in some local governments, the number of children in school is extremely small compared to some others.”
Another component of Eko Excel, the deputy governor said, would address malnutrition among school children. He said primary education is the foundation of development and that it is important to fix it.
He said studies show that 52 per cent of children under five years of age in the northern part of the country are malnourished. He said in the south the percentage is about 20.
Hamzat said while it is necessary to build roads, provide amenities and other things that it is equally important to take care of the younger population by addressing malnutrition among children between the ages of zero to five because, as doctors have told us, this is the time the brain develops.
He said: “So we have a committee on nutrition and also a department on nutrition but what is surprising is that study shows that it is not the children of the poor that are mostly malnourished. The children of the rich and middle class can actually be malnourished as well if they are not eating right because as children they like to eat anything.
“If we can reduce that number, it would be a fantastic achievement even though it is not something that people like to talk about but the impact will be good because we would now build children that are healthy and intelligent thereby the future of our country will be secured.”
On the health, he said the Lagos State Government has increased the budget to the sector by almost 70 per cent and are planning to build new hospitals across the state.
He said: “We want to make sure that every part of Lagos is covered in terms of healthcare delivery services. For instance, we are planning to build a General Hospital in Ojo; that axis doesn’t seem to have any at the moment. We are also planning to build a spinal injury hospital somewhere in Gbagada.
We are also getting people to help us design as we have been made to understand that a lot of our General Hospitals needs to be redesigned.
“For example, you go to UCH, Ibadan at night without air conditioner (AC) you feel cold because of the architectural design. It is designed so that air can pass through… that is cross ventilation. We have gotten people that design hospitals for the tropics.”
Hamzat said the government is not just interested in building new structures, but building ones that are easier to maintain and allows for ventilation.
He added: “Part of the challenge in most hospitals is that you go for the treatment of one ailment and later get infected with another thing.
So these are the questions we asked our medical team. We are not medical doctors but we know these things happen. So, we are redesigning our hospitals.”
On the hardship imposed on residents by the ban on commercial motorcycle and tricycle operators, otherwise known as Okada and Keke by the government, Dr. Hamzat said the underlying motive behind the policy is to reduce accidents on the roads and thereby preserve the lives of Lagosians.
He said: “The most important thing for us is that people must be alive before they can do anything. When life is lost, then there is really nothing else. It’s the dead end.
So for us what is important is how do we secure this society? There are details and information that the government sometimes has that you can’t even share with citizens because they won’t be able to sleep if you divulge such information.”
The deputy governor said critics of the policy have been insisting that alternatives ought to have been put in place before the ban came into effect.
He said: “But, I disagree because it will have been too late if we delayed further; if we failed to secure the lives of our children we will be very irresponsible. That is why it was restricted in certain areas where we saw the upsurge.”
On the menace of members of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) on Lagos roads, the deputy governor said the challenge is that it is a national union recognised by law.
He said like the Association of Academic Union of Universities (ASUU), there are many things that members of the union do that the state government does not support, “but as a union recognised by law in our country, we will keep engaging them in dialogue.”
He said: “Whether we like it or not, they have some roles that they play in the transportation sector because you know what, the transportation sector is not something that private people go into without subsidy from government all over the world.
But they are doing it without such assistance, so we must find a way to make it better for them and for us as a people. The engagement must continue for us to have a peaceful society.”
The deputy governor spoke extensively on the traffic gridlock in Lagos, attributing it, for the most part, to the breakdown of vehicles, which impede the free flow of traffic.
The Lagos number two citizen also attributed the traffic gridlock to ongoing road constructions in various parts of the city. He said: “For instance, at Ojota, we are replacing the whole stretch of Ikorodu Road with concrete. At Apapa-Oshodi Expressway, we are also doing concrete.
The problem is that on that corridor, we are doing 300 metres every day but it takes 14 days to execute it properly.
So, because it takes 14 days, no vehicle can pass within those number days. It means that for a long time, that corridor would continue to experience traffic while the project is ongoing. a challenge about there.
“In fact, it is one of the reasons that we are talking to the company that maybe we should use reinforced bitumen rather than concrete, particularly as the construction work approaches Oworonshoki.”
Alaka, he added, is also experiencing a similar traffic gridlock because of the expansion project also ongoing there, it is a problem.
Because a lot of these things are happening, there will be (gridlock). “But, I think it is better to do it once and in another six or seven months, everybody will be okay,” he added.
Hamzat said the administration is taking advantage of the body of water that surrounds Lagos, by developing water transport. He said 14 boats were recently purchased and are being used to convey people in a most comfortable way.
He urged many residents along the coastal line to take advantage of the waterways to get to their destinations, and thereby reduce pressure on the roads.
His words: “We need the water not just to farm but also for transportation. The Lagos State Government just procured those 14 new boats. The beauty of it is that all those boats were built in Nigeria. Of course, we brought the engine, but we have been able to build that capacity to build boats.”
Hamzat said Lagos deserves a special status because of the nature of the responsibilities it is shouldering within the Nigerian federation. He said the state is pursuing it through a bill on the floor of the Senate initiated by Senator Oluremi Tinubu.
He said: “We are pushing it; maybe we are going about it in a different way. It might not be in the newspapers. It is by talking to everybody that is involved in the process. It is really going on but in a different way. If something is not working in a particular way, you try another approach.”
On the perceived heavy borrowing in Lagos and the debt profile, he said there is no way the government can meet up with the huge infrastructural deficit without borrowing. He said: “There is a musician in Epe in the 1970s; he is dead now.
His name is Ligali Mukaiva; he was not educated, but he said something profound that has stuck to my memory since. I was in primary school then.
The man sang a song that any businessman that doesn’t use other people’s money will not succeed. So, the reality is, where do you get resources to build for today?
“I remember during Asiwaju Tinubu’s government when they took a bond of 15 billion. The opposition said Oh; he has mortgaged the lives of the young people.
That loan has been paid. During BRF government, we took 375 billion bonds, that bond has been paid. Without that, we cannot build the Lekki Link Bridge.”
He said Lagos gets only N8 billion or N9 billion monthly from federal allocation. “By the time you pay salaries, you only have N1 billion left. What can you do with N1 billion? So, the reality is, how do you source the find for infrastructural development?” he said.
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President honours Gens. Yar’Adua, Williams, Igbokwe, media moguls, activists, other heros
With a call on Nigerians to unite in the fight against terrorism, banditry and kidnapping, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu reflected on the nation’s 27 years of uninterrupted democracy.
He said such joint efforts had become imperative because the battle against insecurity cannot be left to the government alone.
The President listed some deserving individuals, including the late Gen. Shehu Musa Yar’Adua, Gen. Ishola Williams, media executives, rights crusaders and others for national honours.
In his Democracy Day broadcast this morning, the President urged citizens to avoid ethnic profiling and blame games in the face of security challenges.
He assured that the country would emerge stronger and more united after overcoming terrorism.
He said: “At a time like this, let us not assign blame or point fingers. Crime has no ethnicity.
“We must stand united and be assured that the enemies of our nation shall soon be history.
“We will triumph over terror and continue to build a more prosperous nation.”
The President spoke against the backdrop of recent abductions in Oyo and Borno states.
He described the incidents as a painful reminder that democracy cannot thrive without security.
Expressing optimism that the abducted children would regain their freedom, Tinubu stressed that his administration had responded decisively by declaring a security emergency and approving the recruitment of more than 50,000 police officers and thousands of military personnel.
Besides, he said the government allocated N5.41 trillion to defence and security in the 2026 Budget, describing it as the largest security vote ever.
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“Democracy without security is a mirage,” he said, noting that the allocation represents the biggest defence and security budget in Nigeria’s history.
Tinubu said the country had moved beyond conventional military training exercises with international partners to precision targeting of terrorist networks, citing the degradation of an ISWAP command centre in Arege, Borno State, as evidence of progress.
Reflecting on the democratic journey, Tinubu said the country had enjoyed its longest uninterrupted period of civilian rule, spanning 27 years since the return to democratic governance in 1999.
He noted that despite its imperfections, Nigeria’s democracy remained resilient because citizens had consistently chosen leaders through the ballot box, resolved disputes through legal institutions and ensured peaceful transitions of power.
Ahead of the forthcoming governorship elections in Ekiti and Osun states, the President urged stakeholders to safeguard the integrity of the electoral process.
He called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), security agencies and political parties to ensure peaceful and credible polls, warning that democracy suffers whenever citizens lose confidence in elections.
The Ekiti governorship election will be held on June 20, while the Osun poll is scheduled for August 15.
Tinubu challenged the National Assembly, the Judiciary, the media and civil society organisations to continue serving as guardians of democratic governance.
“Criticise me, disagree with me, but never stop believing in Nigeria,” he said.
On youths, the President urged them to see the country as their future and contribute actively to national development rather than seeking opportunities elsewhere.
He said: “Nigeria is your home and your future. Build here, code here, work here, and vote here. Every great nation was built by those who stayed to solve problems, not by those who abandoned ship.”
The President also commended members of the armed forces, police, intelligence agencies, traditional rulers, religious leaders and community heads for their roles in promoting peace and national cohesion.
The President paid glowing tribute to Nigerians who endured imprisonment, exile, persecution and death during the struggle for democracy, describing them as heroes whose sacrifices made the current democratic dispensation possible.
He saluted the late winner of the annulled June 12, 1993 presidential election, Chief Moshood Kashimawo Abiola, and his deceased spouse, Alhaja Kudirat Abiola, alongside other democracy vanguards.
Former President Muhammadu Buhari in 2018 signed an Executive Order proclaiming June 12, the date of the historic election won by Abiola but annulled by the military, as Democracy Day. It has since been observed as a public holiday.
Those listed for national recognition include Chief Gani Fawehinmi, Chief Bola Ige, Chief Alfred Rewane, Senator Abraham Adesanya, Chief Anthony Enahoro, Alhaji Balarabe Musa, Commodore Dan Suleiman, Dr. Beko Ransome-Kuti, Chief Frank Kokori, Chief Arthur Nwankwo, Mr. Chima Ubani and Gen. Yar’Adua.
Tinubu also announced national honours for many journalists, activists, lawyers, politicians and civil society leaders who suffered persecution, detention, exile and other hardships during the struggle against military rule.
Many military officers who were persecuted during the pro-democracy struggle were also honoured.
They are Ayoka Lawani, Tunde Fagbenle, Oladele Alake, Olatunji Bello, Louis Odion, Segun Babatope, Sam Omatseye, Ademola Osinubi, Bola Bolawole, Lade Bonuola, Femi Kusa, Osa Director, Richard Akinnola, George Mbah, Niran Malaolu, Gbemiga Ogunleye, Jenkins Alumona, Muyiwa Adekeye, Babajide Kolade-Otitoju, Ike Okonta and Ben Charles-Obi (posthumous).
Activists on the list are Debo Adeniran, Ayo Opadokun, Ralph Obiora, Ose Osayande, Sylvester Odion-Akhaine and Arthur Nwankwo (posthumous).
Others are Osagie Obayuwana, Joe Okei-Odumakin, Titus Mann, Joe Igbokwe, Maj.-Gen. Ishola Williams (retd) and Femi Aborisade.
The President equally recognised many military officers, including Maj.-Gen. M.A. Garba, Brig.-Gen. Lawal Jaafaru Isa, Col. Umar Farouk Ahmed, Col. Sambo Dasuki, Col. Lawan Gwadabe, Brig. Jonathan Ndam Temlong, Col. Musa Shehu, Maj.-Gen. Chris Eze, Maj.-Gen. Harris Dzarma, Col. Isa Jibrin, Maj.-Gen. Joseph Oshanupin, Col. Olusegun Oloruntoba, Lt.-Col. Happy Kefas Bulus, Col. J. Okai, Col. Emmanuel Ndubueze, Lt.-Col. Yakubu Muazu and Brig. Yahaya Abubakar, who is the Etsu Nupe.
The President added: “Among the architects of modern democratic Nigeria, we honour General Shehu Musa Yar’Adua for his vision of national partnership.
“In recognition of his contributions, the Federal Government has approved the revitalisation and renaming of the completed Institute of Petroleum Studies, Kaduna, as the General Shehu Musa Yar’Adua University of Geological Sciences and Engineering Technology.”
Tinubu said the full honours list would be released in the coming days.
According to him, the greatest tribute Nigerians can pay to the heroes is to build a nation where freedom is protected, justice is upheld, opportunities are expanded, and government remains accountable to the people.
June 12, he believes, demonstrates the possibility of a united Nigerian nation, noting that while the heroes of that struggle secured political freedom, the responsibility of the present generation is to secure economic freedom.
‘Reforms necessary’
He defended the economic reforms undertaken by his administration, arguing that they were necessary to rescue the country from severe fiscal strain and economic uncertainty.
The President said the reforms had restored stability and credibility to economic management, increased federation revenues, improved fiscal transparency and attracted fresh investments into agriculture, manufacturing, energy, technology, mining, transportation and the creative sector.
He added that domestic refining capacity had expanded significantly, enhancing energy security and reducing dependence on imported petroleum products.
‘We’ll deliver on electricity supply’
On electricity, Tinubu said his administration inherited a sector plagued by inadequate generation, weak transmission infrastructure, huge distribution losses, a metering deficit exceeding four million customers and massive legacy debts.
He noted that the Electricity Act signed by his administration had empowered states to generate, transmit and distribute electricity, while the Presidential Power Sector Task Force had been mandated to tackle the metering gap and raise a N4 trillion bond to settle verified debts in the sector.
The President said the Rural Electrification Agency (REA), with support from the World Bank and the African Development Bank (AfDB), was extending off-grid and mini-grid electricity projects to underserved communities, educational institutions, markets and hospitals across the country.
“Electricity is a democratic dividend we owe every Nigerian. We intend to deliver it,” he said.
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Highlighting ongoing projects, the President said they were creating jobs, improving connectivity and opening new opportunities for enterprise.
He said the National Agricultural Development Fund (NADF) was deploying 10,000 tractors over five years, while over 1,000 small and medium enterprises had been certified for export.
He added that non-oil exports grew by 21 per cent in the past year.
Despite the progress, the President acknowledged that many Nigerians continued to face economic hardship.
He assured citizens that the government remained focused on reducing inflation, increasing food production, creating jobs, improving living standards and ensuring that the benefits of economic reforms reached every household.
“We are moving from uncertainty to stability. The next phase is about accelerating growth and ensuring the benefits are felt in every home, every community and every region. We believe that democracy must be felt in the pocket,” he said.
The House of Representatives has passed the state police bill, effectively making way for the decentralisation of the Nigerian policing architecture.
The resolution followed the voting by 289 lawmakers in favour of state police during Thursday’s plenary session presided over by the Speaker, Tajudeen Abbas.
Recall that the House committed Thursday’s plenary to voting on the State Police Bill following the spike in killings, kidnappings, and banditry in the past few months.
The session was not without its fair share of drama, as shortly after the lawmakers settled down for the business of the day, Kaduna lawmaker, Bashir Zubairu, moved a point of order, explaining that the document on the proposed state police put together by the House Committee on Constitution Review got to the lawmakers only on Thursday afternoon.
Recognised to speak by the speaker, Zubairu said, “Mr Speaker, this document was only made available to lawmakers in the chambers, and we are yet to go through it. We cannot do justice to it because we have not gone through it.”
Zubairu, a member of the African Democratic Congress, was ruled out of order, allowing the process to proceed.
While the Speaker took members through the clauses, voices shouting “Point of Order” could be heard, but the presiding officer ignored them.
Before the voting began, Abbas announced that the electronic voting system was faulty, noting that the exercise would be conducted based on attendance.
Out of the 290 members in attendance, 289 voted in favour of state police while one voted against. The Speaker abstained from voting.
The National Assembly is set to pass the constitutional amendment bill establishing state police this week, Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele has disclosed, describing the reform as long overdue in view of Nigeria’s worsening security challenges.
Speaking in an interview with journalists, the lawmaker representing Ekiti Central Senatorial District said the National Assembly had concluded consultations with key stakeholders and was ready to fast-track the amendment process.
According to him, the amendment would be separated from the broader constitutional review exercise to ensure speedy passage and transmission to the 36 state Houses of Assembly for ratification.
“A cross-section of Nigerians has made it abundantly clear that there cannot be a better time to establish state police than now. We have reached a firm conclusion that we will pass the constitutional amendment to make provision for state police, and this will come to fruition this week,” Bamidele said.
He disclosed that consultations had involved the National Assembly leadership, the Attorney-General of the Federation, the Chief of Staff to the President, the Inspector-General of Police and other critical stakeholders.
The Senate Leader also revealed that President Bola Tinubu and a majority of state governors support the proposal, expressing confidence that the required approval from two-thirds of state assemblies would be secured.
On the controversy surrounding calls for a probe into military spending amid rising insecurity, Bamidele defended the Senate’s decision to reject the motion, insisting that placing the armed forces under public scrutiny while they are actively engaged in counter-terrorism operations would be counterproductive.
He said the military was confronting an unconventional enemy and had continued to make sacrifices in the fight against terrorism despite difficult circumstances.
“We cannot put our military on trial in the middle of a war. Accountability mechanisms already exist through the Senate Committees on Defence, Army, Navy and Air Force, which carry out oversight responsibilities,” he stated.
Bamidele argued that significant progress was being made against insurgents, adding that recent attacks by terrorists reflected desperation arising from heavy losses suffered during military operations.
The Senate Leader also dismissed claims that the 10th National Assembly had become a “rubber stamp” of the Executive, saying lawmakers had consistently engaged the Presidency behind closed doors to resolve disagreements before bills reached the floor.
According to him, constructive collaboration between the legislature and the executive should not be mistaken for weakness.
“We are not a rubber stamp Senate. We simply chose to resolve disagreements privately rather than perform them publicly,” he said.
On electoral reforms, Bamidele maintained that the Electoral Act should not be amended in the heat of political contests, stressing that any review should take place after elections and without retroactive effect.
He also reaffirmed his support for the publication of legislators’ salaries and allowances, saying greater transparency would help dispel public misconceptions about lawmakers’ earnings and benefits.
Regarding anti-kidnapping legislation, Bamidele disclosed that the proposed Anti-Terrorism Bill and measures prescribing the death penalty for convicted kidnappers remain on course and would be concluded alongside related constitutional amendments.
Reflecting on the performance of the 10th Senate, he identified the controversy surrounding the suspension of a senator and allegations of gender insensitivity as one of the institution’s lowest moments.
However, he highlighted several legislative achievements, including tax reforms, the student loan scheme, and the establishment of new federal tertiary institutions across the country.
Bamidele expressed optimism that the Senate’s reforms, particularly the state police initiative and tax legislation, would strengthen national security, deepen democratic governance and provide long-term economic benefits for Nigerians.
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