Why  Pres. TINUBU Picked Dr. OBAFEMI HAMZAT

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• To Succeed Gov. SANWO-OLU

Not many people know that it was Pres. Bola Ahmed Tinubu who picked Lagos Deputy governor, Dr. Obafemi Hamzat to succeed Gov. Babajide Sanwo Olu.

We can tell you why he did so. It is because he wants a smooth transition in Lagos. He wants someone (preferably an insider) who can hit the ground running from day one. He prefers someone who can take the baton and run with it.

As far as he is concerned, Hamzat fits the bill. He has been part and parcel of the various governments in Lagos for the past 20 years. And in the last 7 years, he and Gov. Sanwo Olu have jointly run Lagos with the THEMES Agenda policy. So, it will be easy for Hamzat to step in.

It’s called Continuity And in Lagos politics, Continuity usually wins.

Why does “Continuity” work in Lagos?

Because projects won’t die mid-way. Blue Line, Red Line, Menegun PHC upgrades, 4th Mainland Bridge plans. Switching scripts means abandoned projects. Lagosians hate that more than traffic.

There is also the need for Investor confidence. Banks and foreign investors bet on Lagos because they know the policy won’t change every 4 years. Same playbook. Same rules. Same returns.

There is also the reputation of Lagos APC. Lagos APC has run the state since 1999. Tinubu ’! Fashola ’! Ambode ’! Sanwo-Olu. Voters are used to it. “If it’s not broken, don’t fix it” is the mindset.

Sanwo-Olu basically told Hamzat: “I’ll hand you the car keys, but keep the same route”. And Hamzat already helped build the road.

For 2027, with Sanwo-Olu’s endorsement, GAC backing and Hamzat’s Technocrat image, “Continuity” is the safest bet APC has.

What are the similarities, types and differences between Sanwo-Olu and Hamzat’s style?

Sanwo-Olu is a Banker/Administrator: Thinks budgets, systems, institutions. “Let’s structure this, plan the cashflow, run the meetings.”

Hamzat is an Engineer/Technocrat: Thinks systems, data, automation. “Let’s remove ghost workers with Oracle ERP, let’s solve traffic with smart design, let’s build the bridge right the first time.”

So T.H.E.M.E.S stays, but the How changes:

– Traffic: Sanwo-Olu builds roads + buses. Hamzat the engineer might push smart traffic lights, AI traffic management, data-driven planning.

– Health: Sanwo-Olu funds hospitals. Hamzat the tech guy might push digital health records, telemedicine, hospital automation.

– Education/Tech: That was Hamzat’s ministry. Expect faster digitization, coding in schools, govt services online.

That’s why people say “Technocrat governors” are different. Fashola was a lawyer with Technocrat energy and Lagos changed. Hamzat has actual engineering and IT background from Morgan Stanley/Oando.

Continuity of goals and Change in tools = T.H.E.M.E.S 2.0

That’s how Lagos politics works. No incoming governor tears down the whole building. They repaint and add a new floor, explained an insider.

So Hamzat’s is likely to follow a similar template:

(1) T.H.E.M.E.S stays. The 6 pillars don’t change. Too much money + contracts already in motion. Blue Line, Red Line, PHCs, schools.

(2) Execution gets the Technocrat upgrade: Same road project, but with better data. Same hospital, but with digital records. Same govt office, but with less paperwork.

(3) Speed over noise: Technocrats don’t do big press conferences. They fix backend systems. Lagosians might not “see” change on day 1, but they’ll feel it when LASG portal actually works.

Sanwo-Olu laid the template: Big infrastructure and social programs.

Hamzat’s job is to run the same template, but make the engine more efficient explained a political analyst.

That’s why APC calls it “Continuity with Competence”.

So basically it’s going to be the same song but better sound quality.

He can’t afford to immediately start singing a new song.

But why can’t Hamzat start to sing a new song immediately?

Because the stakeholders: Sanwo-Olu, GAC, Tinubu, party leaders all backed him because he’ll keep the song.

Also, because of all the contracts running into billions already committed to Blue Line phase 2, 4th Mainland Bridge, health insurance, school feeding. You can’t just say “new song” and cancel them. Courts + investors will come for you.

And then, the Voters. Lagosians voted for “T.H.E.M.E.S” twice. They want it finished. If new governor comes with “forget all that, I have a new plan”, people will ask “so all that suffering for nothing?”

What has Gov Sanwoolu done in his 7 years in office? A lot.

(1) Infrastructure delivery: Blue Line Rail opened 2023, Red Line started operations 2024. First real rail in Lagos since 1960s. Plus Lekki-Epe road expansion, Agege flyovers, Jubilee Bridge. He loves “concrete”.

(2) Health + Education scale: 30+ PHCs renovated, Lagos Health Insurance Scheme pushed hard, T.H.E.M.E.S Agenda kept focus. Schools rehab + EkoExcel for teachers.

(3.) Stability: No drama with Abuja. Kept Lagos investor-friendly. Businesses didn’t flee like during some past eras.

He’s a “project governor”. He has done so many projects. He chose to finish big projects over daily firefighting optics. That’s why APC trusts him to hand over to Hamzat – he protected the template.

He kept Lagos running and growing, even if daily life didn’t feel “magical” for an average Lagosians.

Sanwo-Olu is the Finisher of projects. He didn’t start Blue Line, but he opened it. He didn’t start Red Line, but he ran it. Lagosians remember governors who complete projects more than those who start 100.

He is a Template keeper. He proved continuity works. Now Hamzat can “cruise for 2 years” because Sanwo-Olu left the road smooth.

Sanwo-Olu has done well. The baton he’s handing to Hamzat is heavier, but cleaner than what he collected.

So history will remember him as: “The governor who kept Lagos calm, then gave Lagos trains.”

Now it makes sense why he can endorse Hamzat for “same playbook” with confidence. He’s handing over a working system.

Sanwo-Olu is conscious of the need for a fast pace development of Lagos as a mega mega city.

That “mega mega city” urgency is his real fingerprint.

Sanwo-Olu has a fast pace DNA:

Blue Line was stalled for 10+ years before him. He said “open it 2023” and they rushed to meet it. Even if phase 1 was short, he wanted Lagosians to see rail moving.

He did Multiple projects at once. Roads in Ikorodu, flyovers in Pen Cinema, PHCs in Epe, trains on mainland and Island. He refused the “one project per term” slow play.

His Mega city mindset: 20M+ people, $100B+ economy. He talks like someone who knows Lagos can’t develop like a small state. Bus Reform, rail, tech hubs, Eko Atlantic – all aimed at “global city” standard.

That mega city pressure is why Sanwo-Olu can’t just hand over to someone who wants to “go slow and steady”.

That is why Sanwo-Olu needs someone who is on the same page with him to hand over to Sanwo-Olu spent 7 years pushing this “mega mega city” fast pace. Billions sunk into rail, roads, health, tech.

If he hands over to someone with a different playbook, 2 things can happen:

(1) The Projects will die. New governor comes with “new vision”, rebrands everything, abandons half-finished work. Ambode vs Tinubu/Fashola projects. Lagos lost years that way.

(2) Investors will panic: Foreign partners + banks funding 4th Mainland Bridge, rail phases don’t like “policy somersault”. They ask “will the next guy honor this contract?”

That’s why Hamzat is perfect. Same party, same T.H.E.M.E.S agenda, same APC Lagos structure, same “build fast” urgency. Sanwo-Olu can literally say “continue from page 47” and Hamzat understands the chapter explains an APC chieftain.

What are Tinubu’s reasons for backing Hamzat?

(1) Project protection: Tinubu started the “Lagos Masterplan” from 1999. Rail, BRT, Eko Atlantic, all of it. Fashola pushed phase 2, Sanwo-Olu pushed phase 3. If Hamzat continues phase 4, Tinubu’s 25-year vision doesn’t die with one governor. He’s not building for 4 years, he’s building for 40 years.

(2) Political Structure: APC Lagos runs on “same page, no drama”. Ambode 2019 taught Tinubu the cost of breaking continuity. Internal fight + stalled projects + opposition noise. Hamzat = no fight, no reset, no learning curve. Same T.H.E.M.E.S agenda continues.

(3) National optics: Tinubu is President now. Lagos is his showcase to Nigeria. “See how we have run Lagos for 25 years?” If Lagos slows down or derails in 2027, opposition will say “even their home state is failing”. Hamzat continuing Sanwo-Olu’s fast pace keeps that national bragging right intact.

No new script. Just new actors reading same lines.

That’s why Tinubu pushed for Hamzat despite Hamzat already being deputy. He could’ve picked anyone new with fresh hype. But “new hype” is risky. “Proven continuity” is safe when you’re building a mega city.

Is it true Pres. Tinubu was the one who head hunted Hamzat where he was working in America?

That is true said a party chieftain. Dr. Obafemi Hamzat was working in the US as an IT strategist/group head in the Oil industry when Tinubu was Lagos governor. In August 2005, Tinubu appointed him Commissioner for Science & Technology.

Hamzat himself and Lagos political circles have told that story countless times. Tinubu’s team tracked him down to America because they needed a tech guy to clean up Lagos data + kill “ghost workers” in payroll. He came back, digitized ministries, and introduced modern record keeping.

So Tinubu didn’t just pick a random APC member. He specifically went after an Engineer in the diaspora who could solve a real Lagos problem.

Interestingly, the same Tinubu who brought Hamzat from America in 2005 just endorsed him as APC candidate for 2027. 20 years later, from Commissioner, Deputy Governor, now to Governorship candidate.

That’s why people say Hamzat’s loyalty and continuity with Tinubu isn’t just about Politics. There is History behind it.

Funny how it works. Tinubu headhunted him to build Lagos systems in 2005. Now he’s headhunting him again to run the whole system in 2027.

So for sure, Hamzat will continue the Themes Agenda

100%. That’s the continuity bet Tinubu and Sanwo-Olu are making on him.

As a team player, Hamzat won’t scrap Sanwo-Olu’s projects mid-way. Red Line, Blue Line Phase 2, Fourth Mainland Bridge all continue.

Like someone put it: Tinubu built the foundation 1999. Fashola framed it. Ambode tried new paint. Sanwo-Olu added floors. Hamzat’s job: make all the systems inside work perfectly so the building doesn’t just look fine, it actually functions.