Hamzat: the logical choice
Lagos, the most populous state in Nigeria and the fifth largest economy in Africa, is warming up for a new dawn. Like many other coordinate sub-national units across the federation,
Lagos, the most populous state in Nigeria and the fifth largest economy in Africa, is warming up for a new dawn.
Like many other coordinate sub-national units across the federation, a democratic change of leadership is imminent. When Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu bows out next year after two terms of meritorious eight years, the city state will pass into another safe hand in the spirit of progressive continuity.
The logical choice, by consensus, is Dr. Kadri Obafemi Hamzat, who has been learning the ropes in the past seven years as deputy governor of the Centre of Excellence.
Not only is the consummate administrator, astute politician and long-standing public servant fulfilling his destiny, his candidature on the platform of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) is reshaping greater public expectation about good governance.
No doubt, APC parades aspirants with intimidating credentials. But no one, according to party stakeholders, is more qualified to succeed Sanwo-Olu than his brilliant, affable, and loyal deputy, who, in the last 24 years, has been part of the stability, expansion and implementation of the development blueprint that is now responsible for the advantageous position of the state in 21st-century Nigeria.
Self-confident, knowledgeable, experienced and versatile, on his palm is the geography of Lagos. He has likened himself to a cook who knows the kitchen, which means that his administration would be a guarantor of public welfare. Even, civil servants are enthusiastic that a likeable personality, a listener and someone who also cares like the 'BOS of Lagos' is coming on board.
Bubbling with ambition, Hamzat eyed the front seat on two occasions but without success. The coast was not clear. He never rocked the boat but maintained fidelity to the party and the political structure that has the wherewithal to install.
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The wisdom of elders ordered his steps. Under that gerontocratic guidance, he temporarily stepped back so that he could swiftly move forward much later to a glorious fate.
The 2019 pairing of loyal and dependable disciples of the political icon, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, resulted in a big bond of trust that gave birth to the current succession strategy and plan.
Future aspirants have a lot to learn from Hamzat's strategies of patience, perseverance, focus, resilience and resolve. He passed through the political furnace with dignity. In 2015, the former Works Commissioner competed with the former Permanent Secretary, Akinwunmi Ambode, scoring over 1,200 votes at the primary. He accepted defeat with humility and hoped for a brighter chance in the future.
The baptism of fire extended to 2019, when he also vied but was persuaded by the party leadership to step down for Sanwo-Olu.
By 2027, he will make history as the longest-serving deputy governor of Lagos State, unlike his predecessors in the office: Dr. Idiat Adebule, Mrs. Joke Orelope-Adefulire, Princess Sarah Sosan, Prince Abiodun Ogunleye, Otunba Olufemi Pedro, Senator Kofo Akerele-Bucknor, Mrs. Sinatu Aderoju Ojikutu, Mrs. Latifat Okunnu and Alhaji Rafiu Jafojo.
Hamzat was discovered abroad by the talent hunter, President Tinubu, who, as governor then, encouraged him to return home for service. The attraction was his intellectual capacity. Analysts believe that Hamzat rose to political fame, leaning on his solid background, the formidable family connection that became an added advantage as he climbed the hierarchical ladder in the corridors of power. Brilliant, gifted, versatile, and serious-minded, he has the knack for details and objectivity as a scholar, technocrat, politician and public officer. On all assignments, including the ones that involved complex politicking, he has always delivered. He is meticulous, firm, and there is no room for frivolities.
While Lagos city politics is partly designed for the projection of the children of
aristocrats and legends, what has sustained Hamzat is proper conduct; the power of ideas and incisive wit, patriotism, broad knowledge, skills, sagacity, experience, self-confidence and capacity to add value.
Hamzat has earned the respect of his four predecessors - Asiwaju Tinubu, Babatunde Fashola (SAN), Ambode, and Sanwo-Olu, whose feats he is now expected to build upon. Today, he is the political firstborn of the highest leadership cadre, the Governance Advisory Council (GAC) of the Lagos State All Progressives Congress (APC). He is not a candidate on the platforms of the rival partisan caucuses - Justice Forum and Mandate Group. He is a candidate Lagosians will take seriously.
Hamzat's candidacy satisfies the expectations of diverse Lagosians; those who want a technocrat and those who root for a politician. Since 2002, when he joined the Tinubu administration as Commissioner for Science and Technology after a brief stint at Oando, he has been a key player in the state's politics and governance. Since putting his hand on the plough, he has not looked back. Hamzat's feat has surpassed that of his illustrious father, the late Oba Olatunji Hamzat, a Second Republic House of Assembly member and Transport Commissioner, Alliance for Democracy (AD) National Vice Chairman (Southwest), Leader of Justice Forum and GAC, held in esteem by all and sundry.
Pa Hamzat groomed many actors who rose to stardom. An example is Dr. Muiz Banire, who was a commissioner for 12 years before serving as the APC National Legal Adviser and chairman of an important board. In his memoir, the eminent politician also supported his sons' foray into politics based on their qualifications and ability to make meaningful contributions to society.
In the book, 'Reflections of A Public Man,' Pa Hamzat made a reference to his promising son, Obafemi, with fondness, stating that "Dr. K. O. Hamzat has a Ph.D in Agricultural Engineering and still carries out his professional pursuits in the Unites States."
Ultimately, the agric engineer became the man of the future. So powerful and influential was the patriarch that once the Leader, Asiwaju Tinubu, stood up at the GAC brainstorming session to announce his son as the running mate to Sanwo-Olu ahead of the 2019 poll, that elders, who still wanted to plead the case of Ambode for a second term dropped the idea.
A party stalwart later stated: "Pleading Ambode's case at that time would have been injurious to Pa Hamzat, who occupied a pre-eminent position at the meeting and whose son, Femi, had been tipped for deputy governor."
On the day he would be inaugurated as governor, KOH, as Dr. Hamzat is fondly called by admirers, may shed tears. It would be tears of joy. He will look around and see the GAC members seated, but his fathers will not be around to witness the glorious dawn. Besides, Hamzat will be the first deputy governor to succeed his boss in the history of democracy in Lagos. That will be a golden chapter in the state's political account.
Dr. Hamzat was a member of the cabinet of Babatunde Fashola for eight years. But he has also acquired 'federal experience,' serving between 2015 and 2019 as Special Adviser to the former Power, Works and Housing Minister before returning to Lagos to become deputy governor.
As a public officer, there is no baggage on his shoulder. Rather, there are testimonies about the value he puts in every task assigned to him, in his performance and profile as a workaholic, a man of honour and integrity, and believer in the cult of efficiency. Like his father, he avoids scandals, and he is never at the centre of controversy.
Endowed with adequate verbal facility, Hamzat is highly rated as a consummate debater and lover of facts and statistics. His contributions during the weekly state executive council meetings are robust and lucid. More important is the accurate testimony about his ability to move beyond theories and translate ideas into action. Whenever the history of infrastructural development in Lagos is written, the Hamzats will deserve more than honourable mention; the father being the commissioner when the train project was first initiated by former Governor Lateef Jakande, and the son being the Works Commissioner who still tackles infrastructural deficits in the state.
As deputy governor, Hamzat is perceived as a strong pillar behind the Sanwo-Olu administration. There is no governor/deputy governor friction or rift in the last seven years. The collaborative effort has fostered an enduring peace in government, strong commitment to effective leadership and total dedication to the ruling party.
While deputy governors in many states are idle, relegated to the background or treated as spare tyres, Hamzat has enjoyed visibility in an atmosphere that gave form and content to a 'two-man governor'. He has been described as a partner in progress and natural inheritor of the mounting burden of leadership in a state that shoulders enormous national and sub-regional responsibilities. As the future governor peeps into the future with much more optimism and clarity of thoughts, he should know that if he enters office with dark hairs, he will most likely leave with grey hairs. There is much work work to be done.
The Sanwo-Olu/Hamzat administration has received commendation for the effective implementation of the THEMES Plus agenda that has made Lagos a reference point in infrastructural development and good governance. The tempo of achievements should be sustained beyond 2027.
Hamzat should peep into the future with much more optimism and clarity of thoughts. To make a difference, he should plan ahead and tap into the wisdom of the right people. He should know that only a governor of infrastructural development would be treasured and remembered by Lagosians.
His rivals on the opposition platforms are not yet known. Hamzat and Lagos APC should come up with captivating manifestoes they will honestly fulfil after his inauguration.
Campaigns should be well planned and inclusive, door-to-door mobilisation of voters should be total and the candidate and the party should not sleep on guard.
It should be borne in mind that the next Lagos helmsman is a man of strong personality who cannot be tossed around, manipulated or intimidated. But he is also conscious of the fact that humility should not be a casualty of power.
The deputy governor was born on September 19, 1964 in Lagos to the late Oba Hamzat, the Olu of Afowowa Sogaade. His mother was the late Alhaja Kehinde Hamzat, who was from Iga Egbe on Lagos Island.
Dr. Hamzat attended Odu Abore Memorial Primary School, Mushin, Lagos State and Olivet Baptist High School, Oyo State. He attended the University of Ibadan (UI) where he graduated with a B.Sc. in Agricultural Engineering (1986) and a Masters in Agricultural Engineering (1988). In 1992, he graduated from Cranfield University, England, with a Ph.D in System Process Engineering, becoming the first student in the department to complete his doctorate within three years. He is also an alumnus of the Harvard Kennedy School Executive Education Programme.
An accomplished academic and a technocrat of proven ability, Dr. Hamzat's career has seen him work in both the private and public sectors with experience in organisations, such as RTP Consulting Services, City of New York, Columbia University, Merrill Lynch Inc, Morgan Stanley and Oando Plc., as Chief Information Officer (CIO) and Group Head, IT Strategy of Oando Plc, Lagos.
Hamzat was Commissioner for Science and Technology during the tenure of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu in August 2005.
He was reappointed Commissioner for Science and Technology by Governor Fashola in 2007 because of his comprehensive roll-out plan of designed initiatives that permanently changed the face of data and record-keeping in the state.
Hamzat introduced and championed the automation of government processes, which changed and improved the way Public Servants carried out their operations and eradicated ghost workers through the implementation of enterprise resource planning.
In 2011, he was appointed Commissioner for Works and Infrastructure, a position he held till May 2015.
As commissioner, he was responsible for many civil and construction works in the state. His achievements include the completion of the Lekki-Ikoyi Bridge linking Admiralty Way to Bourdillon Road, Nigeria's first cable-stayed bridge, and the construction of the Lekki Expressway with the upgrade, expansion and maintenance of approximately 50 kilometres of the Lekki-Epe Expressway (Phase I), and construction of Yaya Abatan road, Cemetry Road in Ajeromi Ifelodun, Expansion of the Lagos Badagry expressway with a rail (blue line) and other infrastructure across the state.
Hamzat has served as a consultant to Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) on public infrastructure, such as Architectural designs, structural designs, quantity surveying, mechanical and engineering devices.
His scope of assignment also extended to quality control of civil engineering and building projects, planning, designing and implementation of infrastructure programme as well as rehabilitation and maintenance of roads and bridges and research and development.
As a family man, his marriage to Oluremi is blessed with promising children.
