TUNDE ABATAN WRITES ON ‘Obafemi Hamzat 2027: The Challenge Of Victory’
“The problems of victory are more agreeable than those of defeat; but they are not less difficult” –Winston Churchill
When his hand was raised up on Thursday May 20, 2026 as the winner of the Governorship primaries of the All Progressives Congress in Lagos state with 957, 615 votes it was the climax of a political career which started 21 years earlier.
It was in 2005 that he was sworn in as a member of the Lagos State Executive Council.
What is more, the man he is likely to take over from if he emerge winner next year election was according to him, “The same man mandated by then Governor Bola Ahmed Tinubu, to take him round the Lagos State secretariat seat of Government.”
Both he, Sanwo-Olu and even his late father the grandmaster of Lagos politics hardly knew that he will meet destiny by that action.
In the course of the last two decades, Obafemi, a humble, versatile doctorate degree holder has presided over Lagos State Ministry of Science and Technology over two regimes and now occupy the position of number two in the scheme of things in Africa’s fifth largest economy.
Indeed, when he was sworn in May 29, 2019 as the Deputy Governor of the state of aquatic splendor, many remarked that for the first time in history, Lagos had two governors in one.
And indeed for the past seven years Dr Hamzat and his immediate boss and soul mate in governance, Babajide Sanwo-Olu have bonded beyond politics and worked as a team rising above petty quarrels and squabble common with Nigeria’s politics.
Today in Nigeria, a deputy governor is akin to what the late colorfully politician, Dr Ozumba Mbadiwe likened to, “repeater station of the major station and of microscopic substance “.
So much of grammar but in reality the 1999 constitution only prescribed the role of Chairman of Boundary Commission to all Deputy Governors.
How then was a versatile technocrat able to bound with his boss, equally versatile and tested Sanwo-Olu, setting aside struggle for power and relevance but acted as a team.
Anywhere you see Sanwo-Olu you must see Hamzat beside him.
How did they achieve it?
“We are like family right from the first day we met in 2005 and remained as a team player,” Says Sanwo-Olu.
Yes, when you meet and interact with Hamzat, you see intellect and serious sense of purpose and vision beneath that gentle mien that many would say could never lift a finger talk less of hurt a fly.
But beneath the outlook was brilliance packed with intelligence, humility to match Sanwo-Olu’s versatility and firm grip on the job of lifting Lagos from where both Tinubu, Fashola and Ambode has taken it in nineteen years raising IGR from bare N14.6bn in 1999 to over N807.1bn in 2026.
This they did in a state which population has more than quadrupled from its 1967 figure when it was created.
Yes, Hamzat has been in the system since 2002, he also need to double his efforts, tap the abundant talent for which Lagos is known to possess and prepare for the population explosion which today stands at over 22million people.
If eventually elected next year, Hamzat has to lift Lagos from a N4 trillion economy to be able to provide infrastructure that would make Lagos receive additional inflow of citizens as one of the fastest growing mega cities in the world.
Between Fashola and Sanwo-Olu, Lagos established two new metro lines, the Lagos Blue line and the Redline commissioned last year lifting hundreds of thousands of citizens across the city.
The government of which he is part of has already put finishing touches to kick- start the longest rail line- the 68 kilometre Green line which will run from Marina to Epe with the backing of the Federal government which has set aside N110 billion as its counterpart funding for the ambitious project designed to complement the existing rail lines.
He also has to up the states Technology brand both in business and government sector.
As a technologist himself Hamzat, has to improve teaching of technology in the state schools to prepare its youths for a megalopolis.
With over 20 Children and Maternal clinics in different parts of Lagos only an improvement can assimilate the upsurge of citizens from other parts into the country through building of more primary health care centres and equip with personnel to reduce the pressure on exisisting tertiary health institutions.
So it is also needed for technical education to raise young men and women for a digital Lagos.
In all these, Hamza cannot afford to leave the political machinery in both the Justice Forum which his late father bequeathed and the Mandate group both of which forms the eminent elders in the Governance Advisory Council.
The GAC in Lagos has contributed significantly to stabilize the polity and create the relatively peaceful and rancorous free succession system bequeathed by President Tinubu.
It is in the GAC that the political stability which has paved the way for continuity in Lagos could be found.
While Hamzat does not necessarily need to be tutored on politics of the state, yet power has a way of influencing attitudes and decisions.
In Hamzat-a home boy, Lagos has once again fallen into the hand of another competent, versatile and humble technocrat cum politician whose humility and submissiveness over the years has earned him the trust of the political establishment.
He cannot afford to fail in using the established order to pave way for his election and anticipated credible and progressive performance in the years to come.
Best of luck.
