DESPITE his sterling performance across major socio-economic sectors in Nigeria’s Centre of Excellence in the last two years, most citizens particularly operators of commercial vehicles and commuters will not celebrate their Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, who clocks 56 on June 25 because of the pains and frustrations they  are experiencing  each working day on most Lagos roads.

But the residents in areas close to Bus Rapid Transit, BRT, routes have cause to cheer the Governor giving the satisfaction passengers patronizing the scheme derive in getting to their respective destinations. For them, Sanwo-Olu deserves all the accolades to mark the birthday though nothing may have been lined up for such purpose due to COVID-19 pandemic.

However, for drivers of the ubiquitous commercial yellow buses popularly known as danfos, tormented daily by foot soldiers of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (Agberos) over sundry dues and charges, their prayer point remains unshaken and it is for God to touch the Governor’s heart to lighten their burden by curbing the glaring excesses of their oppressors.

Sadly, proponents of the daily extortions whereby victims are often forced to part with their earnings without receipts but payment acknowledged with markings on their vehicles, insist that NURTW as a registered trade union is at liberty to collect its dues in whatever mode and locations even ruthlessly.

This justification also explains why Agberos are law unto themselves at every bus stop across the state and dictates the amount of money imposed on drivers, tricycle operators (Keke Marwa) or even commercial motorcyclists also known as okada each day without qualms and no security agent ever cares a hoot even if the dues or levies are extorted. Those who question such extortions most times have their vehicles vandalized or beaten up.

Similarly, the traffic situation across most parts of the state at peak periods remains a nightmare despite the combined services of Lagos State Traffic Management Authority, LASTMA, officials and officers from the Police Traffic Division, due to deplorable roads, recklessness by some drivers and the volume of vehicles competing for space along major roads with unquantifiable man-hours lost each day by road users.

Apart from its negative impact on the affected individuals and the economy, such road users, both drivers and commuters, are prone to attack by robbers.

But succour is coming as the state government continues to ameliorate the worsening traffic crisis as well as hardship of commuters and motorists through implementation of well articulated inter mode of transportation system comprising the rail, water and road in the mega city.

Massive rehabilitation of existing roads and construction of new ones are visible across the state even as Sanwo-Olu administration has pursued with vigour the completion of major projects inherited from the Akinwunmi Ambode government. These include the multi-billion naira Pen Cinema fly over as well as the Oshodi-Abule Egba BRT route in addition to the launching of over 600 luxurious as well as 500 First and Last Mile buses which have brought tremendous relief to the long suffering masses in the affected areas.

The full salutary impact of government’s huge investment in the transportation sector alone may have to wait until the completion of the proposed Fourth Mainland Bridge, the Lagos Rail Mass (LRMT) Blue Line Project (Mile 2 – Marina) and the Red Line. Already, Sanwo-Olu has given firm promises for the prompt completion of the rail projects as part of overall strategy to attain the vision of Great Lagos.

It should also be noted that being an active participant in every successive administration in Lagos since 2003 he was brought on board by then Governor Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Sanwo-Olu  should not be in deficit of the human capital, expertise and funding required to berth his cherished Transformational agenda, THEMES, which is the acronym for Traffic Management and Transportation, Health and Environment, Education and Technology, Making Lagos a 21st Century Economy, Entertainment and Tourism and Governance and Security.

Sanwo-Olu’s pedigree as a technocrat in politics partly explains why the proposed ambitious Fourth Mainland Bridge is anchored on a Private Public Partnership, PPP, arrangement for the project to be delivered on target.

Also, the Governor’s acclaimed good performance as Chief Incident Commander in containing the novel COVID-19 pandemic in Lagos State, the most populous in Nigeria with over 20million citizens, which was the epicentre of the disease, remains a reference point in good governance as the calamity that would have befallen the nation is better imagined if the corona virus had been badly managed.

Another major landmark development in the Governor’s journey in the last 365 days was the protest against police brutality otherwise known as EndSARS, which erupted and stretched the security agencies to the fullest in October last year with the attendant huge losses suffered both human and destruction of properties worth billions of Naira which still haunt not only Lagos but Nigeria at large given its global and national dimensions.

Born on June 25, 1965, the Governor is the immediate past managing director and chief executive officer, CEO, of Lagos State Development and Property Corporation, LSDPC.

Sanwo- who Olu has a Bsc in Surveying and an MBA from the University of Lagos, is an alumnus of the John F. Kennedy School of Government; the London Business School and the Lagos Business School; an associate member of the Chartered Institute of Personnel Management (CIPM) and Fellow of the Nigeria Institute of Training and Development, NITAD.

He was the treasurer at former Lead Merchant Bank from 1994 to 1997 before moving to the United Bank for Africa, UBA Plc as the head of foreign money market among other top sensitive positions held before joining the public service.

His political career started in 2003, when he was appointed a Special Adviser on Corporate Matters to the then Deputy Governor of Lagos State, Femi Pedro under Tinubu administration. He served as acting Commissioner for Economic Planning and Budget until 2007, when he was appointed the Commissioner for Commerce and Industry by Tinubu.

The Governor also served as Commissioner for Establishments, Training and Pensions under former Governor Babatunde Fashola, SAN, the current Minister of Works and Housing and appointed Managing Director/CEO of the  LSDPC by Governor Akinwunmi Ambode in 2016.

In a landslide victory over his opponent, Jimi Agbaje, then governorship candidate of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Sanwo-Olu was elected at the March 9, 2019 Governorship elections and sworn in as the 15th Governor of Lagos State at the Tafawa Balewa Square (TBS) Lagos Island on Wednesday, May 29, 2019.

The Governor has been rated highly by most political analysts and the people during his mid-term scorecard despite few mistakes and the numerous challenges facing the nation’s commercial, industrial and financial hub, which has resulted in heightened advocacy that Lagos be accorded a special status as former federal capital to be eligible for special funding from the Federation Account.

Married to a medical doctor, Ibijoke, Sanwo-Olu to many, has so far demonstrated the requisite characteristics of a servant leader, a man of integrity, workaholic and with the right focus needed to accomplish the plans and programmes of the APC encapsulated in the THEMES agenda. He has the full backing of Tinubu and the Lagos State House of Assembly. So, 56 hearty cheers to the Governor, who, right from the onset of his tenure, insisted on being addressed simply as Mr and not His Excellency. Happy Birthday sir.