₦airaland Forum

Femi Ote$ @realFemiOtedola

Yesterday, I hosted dinner in honour of @DrObafemiHamzat, the incoming Governor of Lagos State.

A man of the highest integrity, with whom I shared a bunk bed at boarding school 49 years ago.

My experience of his character over the years has been defined by his honesty, sincerity, fairness and strong moral principles… F.Ote💲

Source

Previous thread

Nigerian Billionaires Dine With Dr Obafemi Hamzat
https://www.nairaland.com/8768103/nigerian-billionaires-dine-dr-obafemi

God bless Lagos State incoming governor.

He might/will win.

Cos he a grassroot politician, he has the youth, elders and billionaires and who is who in Lagos politics behind him.

Hazmat don't have any opposition in Lagos state.

His own election will be so easy

He looks smart, hope he delivers and make Lagos better

Incoming Gomina. Obafemi Hamzat is doing well

Whaooo, successful bunk mates. This is how I want to celebrate my friends in future

helinues:
Hazmat don't have any opposition in Lagos state.

His own election will be so easy

I agree with you, I think there is something divine about that man.

When e reach your turn, don't support your childhood friends.

Kudos Ote$$

Naptu2 is a data boyz , he will never post Tinubu achievements as Governor of Lagos.

Everyone for his own self.... Well lagosian will decide.

Very very tight settings

Where una wan put Chinedu... Lagos people?
Someone said...na him go dey make sure entertainment dey every election till he gets tired of contesting 😵‍💫😵‍💫, na true?

This is how I will celebrate my bunkies from my alma mater - the best federal university in Nigeria!

Modified:

Chai! I didn't know this is egbon naptu2 thread. Make I edit sharp sharp! Lolss.

A Nigerian business man said a Nigerian politician is a man of integrity!

odinga1of:
He might/will win.

Cos he a grassroot politician, he has the youth, elders and billionaires and who is who in Lagos politics behind him.

Are they behind him to continue the wrecking ball of Tinubu’s a-looter master plan for Lagos?

The plan has grown the state budget 100 times to N4.2 trillion over the past 27 years, from squeezing out higher IGR through greater tax burden on people.

Do you know why Tinubu, Fashola, Ambode and Sanwo Olu have failed to achieve a tiny fraction of what UPN progressive governor Jakande did in just 4 years of comparative chicken change? Is it not ironic that Buhari jailed Jakande for corruption in 1984 but handed over to the worst rogue politician four decades later?

Splashme:
The first civilian governor of Lagos State, Alhaji Lateef Jakande, on Tuesday, said that the cancellation of the Lagos metroline project in 1985 was a major mistake and disservice to many Nigerians.

Jakande spoke in Lagos during the launch of a book which chronicled his life in politics and journalism.

The book, entitled, ‘Jakande: Leadership in Action’ is written by Dr. Bola Olaosebikan, who told the audience at the event that the All Progressives Congress presidential candidate, Maj. Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), was not responsible for the cancellation of the project.

Jakande said, “Reflecting on the metroline project, I think it is a major disservice to many Nigerians. Imagine how many people would have benefitted. It would have made life easier and changed the face of transport in Lagos. Whoever cancelled it or gave the advice towards its cancellation didn’t do right.”

The former governor asked Nigerians not to vote for unserious leaders in the coming polls, saying the elections presented Nigerians with a good opportunity that should not be squandered.

Expressing the hope that Nigeria would soon overcome its developmental challenges, Jakande said hope would be actualised faster if credible people emerged as leaders in the next dispensation.

He said, “This book comes at a very auspicious time in Nigeria’s history as we need leaders who can act. We need leaders who would not compromise the standards of good governance. God has blessed this nation the most in Africa, although we have not reached where we should be; with the right leaders, Nigeria would overcome its challenges.”


http://www.punchng.com/news/cancelling-metroline-a-major-mistake-jakande/

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eluquenson:
REVISITING SOME OF THE LATEEF JAKANDE'S GOVERNMENT ACHIEVEMENTS FROM OCTOBER 1979 TO DECEMBER 1983 (FOUR YEARS AND 3 MONTHS) IN LAGOS STATE

* His government built the current Lagos State Secretariat which houses all the state ministries as well as the popular round house hitherto occupied by all subsequent governors of the state.

* His government built the Lagos State House of Assembly complex.

* His government built the Lagos State Television

* His government built the Lagos Radio

* His government built Lagos State University

* His government established General Hospital in zones all over the state with assurance of free health care.

* His government established Teacher Training College and the College of Education.

* His government built low cost houses in Ijaiye, Dolphin, Oke-Afa, Ije, Abesan, Iponri, Ipaja, Abule Nla, Epe, Amuwo-Odofin, Anikantamo, Surulere, Iba, Ikorodu, Badagry, Isheri/Olowu, Orisigun etc.

* His government established the Water Management Board and Waste Disposal Board on the 18th of August, 1980.

* His government constructed the Adiyan Water Works to increase water supply in the state to 18.16 million litres per day.

* His government modernized and expanded the Iju Water Works which was first commissioned in 1915. This increased daily capacity from 159 million to 204 million litres per day.

* His government purchased and commissioned the giant car crusher equipment. The equipment was designed specifically to crush derelict vehicles in Lagos State. It had the capacity to crush 45 vehicles per day.

* His government constructed, rehabilitated and resurfaced Epe/Ijebu-Ode Road, Oba Akran Avenue, Toyin Street, Town Planning Way, Alimosho-Idimu-Egbe Road, Idimu-Iba-LASU Road, the new secretariat road and several others.

* His government constructed Victoria Island/Epe Road and thereby creating an ‘oil rig’ for Lagos State.

* His government established Asphalt Plant for the Department of Public Works.

* His government established Electricity Board for Rural Electrification with provision of street lights.

* His government modernized, expanded and commissioned Onikan Stadium in 1982.

* His government established a singular school system and ensured genuine free education in Lagos State and the beneficiaries of this policy are in different positions of eminence in the country and around the world.

* His government raised the primary schools in Lagos State to 812 with 533,001 pupils (against 605 primary schools with 434,545 pupils he met in 1979) and secondary schools to 223 with 167,629 students (against 105 schools with 107,835 students in 1979).

* His government constructed 11, 729 classrooms with the maximum of 40 children per class between March and August 1980, by 1983, he had constructed over 22,000 classrooms.

* In July 1983, two commercial passenger boats christened "Baba Kekere and Itafaji" to run the Mile 2 - Marina (CMS) route via the lagoons were inaugurated by his government to mark the official launch of the Lagos State ferry services.

* His government took over the ownership and financing of Lagos State Printing Corporation in July 1980

* His government established the first State Traffic Management Authority (Road Marshals).

* His government established small scale Industries Credit Scheme which preceded the EKO bank.

*His government established LASACO Insurance.

*His government expanded existing market and built new ones.

*His government established Traditional Medicine Board.

WHO SAYS 4 YEARS IN OFFICE IS NOT ENOUGH FOR MEANINGFUL ACHIEVEMENTS?

IT'S A FACT THAT 90% OF GOVERNORS IN NIGERIA SINCE 1999 WITH REVENUES AT THEIR DISPOSAL CANNOT BOAST OF A QUARTER OF THESE ACHIEVEMENTS EVEN WITHIN THEIR EIGHT YEARS IN OFFICE.

Hemanwel:
This is how I will celebrate my bunkies from my alma mater. The best federal university in Nigeria!

Modified:

Chai! I didn't know this is egbon naptu2 thread. Make I edit sharp sharp! Lolss.

In this case, however, it is more of 'I dey support my classmate' than anything else.

IN Nigeria, once classmate dey run, all the classmates, unless they are fully commited to an opposing politican, go support their classmate, and even those who are not supporting the guy openly, will wish him good luck codedly.

If election in Lagos is allowed to be free and fair, Chinedu will beat this man woefully. This is because obi beat tinubu who had not only governed Lagos for good 8 years, but also believed by Yorubas to have built Lagos woefully.

Asmanthinket:
If election in Lagos is allowed to be free and fair, Chinedu will beat this man woefully. This is because obi beat tinubu who had not only governed Lagos for good 8 years, but also believed by Yorubas to have built Lagos woefully.

All d madness u people did in Lagos in d last election will never b allowed again

U turned all catholic churches to polling unit n all other bullshits, u were let go cos Tinubu was busy fighting other battles but this time we will show u who d boss is

nairalanda1:
In this case, however, it is more of 'I dey support my classmate' than anything else.

IN Nigeria, once classmate dey run, all the classmates, unless they are fully commited to an opposing politican, go support their classmate, and even those who are not supporting the guy openly, will wish him good luck codedly.

It happens everywhere on earth..

Most politicians you see together today have been together for long!

Padi padi democracy.

Anyway, how a successful Nigerian billionaire would choose to brand their surname with the sign of a foreign currency like an upcoming Chicago hood rapper - is beyond what I can comprehend. Don't mind me, I'm just a salty Otenaira. Ote kobo sef.

Kobo sign, anyone?

This guy wan stylishly Dey in power for 16 years…
Deputy 8 yrs now as governor he go wan spend 8 yrs. Greedy asf. Na wetin Shuabu been wan do for Edo be that, but…

Who wan be governor again

Nawttiboi007:
This guy wan stylishly Dey in power for 16 years…
Deputy 8 yrs now as governor he go wan spend 8 yrs. Greedy asf. Na wetin Shuabu been wan do for Edo be that, but…

Like George Bush The First. Vice president for 8 years, president for 4 years and his son was president for 8 years.

Asmanthinket:
If election in Lagos is allowed to be free and fair, Chinedu will beat this man woefully. This is because obi beat tinubu who had not only governed Lagos for good 8 years, but also believed by Yorubas to have built Lagos woefully.

am happy everyone knows ur intentions, thank Gof for social media

Make they no go hype to man till the Lord of lagos reason his matter...

ajalawole:
Everyone for his own self.... Well lagosian will decide.

dey play. It has been decided whether sian likes it or not

So you think sey if him never approve .., those associates go near am abi… una never even sabi this game at all 😅😂

Kingpele:
Make they no go hype to man till the Lord of lagos reason his matter...

Kingpele:
Make they no go hype to man till the Lord of lagos reason his matter...

His father made the god of lagos senator in 1993, this is a payback. You know Asiwaju is the only leader that made leaders not some clowns

This is my post from April 9th.

This is from my memory of two very old interviews. My memory isn't 100% (because the interviews took place a long time ago) and I remember Hamzat's interview better than I remember Tinubu's interview.


Dr Obafemi Hamzat granted an interview to a radio station just after he became deputy governor. That's when a confusion in my head was cleared up.

They asked him questions about everything imaginable. I remember that they also focused on flooding, because it was the Rainy Season. Dr Hamzat told them what he did to fight flooding during the Fashola Era (remember that he was commissioner of works and he was involved in designing the drainages). He spoke very well about the specifics of governance.

He also spoke about how he came to work for the Lagos State Government.

He was head of IT at several major banks in New York and the Lagos State Government was considering adopting several IT systems (payroll management, etc) and he was in his bank's team that met with Governor Bola Tinubu in New York in 2001. After the meeting Tinubu asked him, "Which Hamzat"? Let me explain that question.


Dr Hamzat's father was a lawmaker during the Second Republic (Jakande Era). He was still active in politics during the Third Republic (NRC vs SDP). He was one of the people that convinced Bola Tinubu to leave Mobil and get involved in politics. In fact, he was one of Tinubu's political mentors in the early 1990s. That's why Tinubu asked, "Which Hamzat"?

When he found out who he was, Tinubu put a lot of pressure on Hamzat to return to Lagos and work for him, but Hamzat resisted. He was making a lot of money on Wall Street, why would he leave that and return to Lagos?

Eventually Hamzat realised that, as a foreigner, there was a limit to how high he could rise on Wall Street, so he returned to Nigeria and became head of IT at OANDO.

Tinubu eventually had his way because Hamzat became the commissioner for science and technology in Tinubu's cabinet.

I have previously told you that the payroll system was archaic when Tinubu became governor. Ghost workers cost the government a lot of money. Tinubu was determined to digitalise all their processes and remove ghost workers. He was also determined to automate their payments systems to eliminate leakages. He leveraged on Obafemi Hamzat's experience and connections in the US and on the experience and connections of one of his classmates at Chicago State University (a Nigerian) who worked at Oracle to adopt software to manage their payroll and payment systems. Dr Hamzat oversaw the adoption of the systems.

Dr Hamzat continued as commissioner for science and technology in Governor Fashola's cabinet, then he took over from Rauf Aregbesola as commissioner for works and housing. Many roads and bridges, including the Lekki-Ikoyi Link Bridge and the Okota-Isolo Link Bridge, as well as housing estates (Lagos HOMS) were built during his tenure.

Dr Hamzat followed his boss (Fashola) in 2015 and he became special adviser to the minister of works and housing.

He wanted to become governor in 2019 and he had a lot of support, but he was convinced to step down and support Babajide Sanwo-Olu in exchange for the deputy governorship position.