In his 27
years as a civil servant in Lagos State, Akinwunmi Ambode was a quiet, solid
achiever of immense gifts and remarkable ethos.
With a bachelor’s and master’s
in Accounting, he was focused early enough to start his working career from the
modest position of Assistant Treasurer, Badagry Local Government in 1988.
Nearly three decades later, and after a number of courses within and outside
the country, the brilliant and hard working civil servant had risen to the
positions of a permanent secretary and accountant-general, even holding both
positions at a time. His accomplishments were staggering; but what was even
more astonishing was the quiet manner he rose through the ranks and left a
lasting impact.
It was,
therefore, not surprising that less than three years after he voluntarily
retired from the civil service, and with the same quiet dignity and
self-effacement that have become his hallmarks, Ambode, 53, was back in
government, this time at the highest level in Lagos State as its third Fourth
Republic elected governor. It is not certain, despite his hard work and
accomplishments, whether he thought that amazing political trajectory possible.
It is not even clear, though he has great mentors, whether a year before he assumed
office as governor, anyone thought to make a political gladiator of the
self-effacing financial and administrative manager.
Twenty-nine
years after he first signed up to work for the Lagos State government, through
which he rose to be a consummate civil servant and adept financial manager,
Ambode had become governor in extraordinary circumstances. He was indisputably
sound as an auditor and accountant, even a chartered accountant, but not many,
including perhaps some who voted for him in 2015 on trust, were absolutely
convinced that the seemingly quiet and unpretentious financial expert and
latter-day politician could muster the elan and charisma to lead the boisterous
coastal state soon to mark its fifty years of founding.
Ambode had
come highly recommended by a past governor, the pacesetting iconoclast, Bola
Ahmed Tinubu. And having excelled in school, he had acquired the character of
showing grit, determination and uncommon brilliance. But he did not seem a
natural politician, not to talk of being a lawyer and career rabble-rouser —
these were the sort of people believed capable of succeeding as administrators
and politicians. Ambode was different, confidently and quietly so. But he was
not the usual politician Lagosians had grown accustomed to over the decades.
Indeed, shortly after he was sworn into office, the most populous state in
Nigeria seemed to experience some stasis, unable to respond to the new
governor’s novel methods.
But less
than two remarkable and astounding years later, after Ambode had executed
dozens and dozens of quality and, in some instances, expansive projects one
after another, it was as if the state had been waiting for him all along with
bated breath. Both Ambode and Lagos were made for each other, after all. He has
not yet forsworn his self-effacement, and is unlikely to, given his quiet and
self-confident disposition, yet his achievements have both been recognised and
lauded, often very loudly, as if to compensate for his quietude.
Charisma is
not usually associated with quiet detachment; but in the case of Ambode, his
achievements have illustrated his sometimes impalpable charisma. And as every
analyst knows, it is indeed possible to possess charisma without a
corresponding or even ethical demonstration of progress. Ambode defies
stereotypes and confounds propositions by his relentless and ironically
charismatic accomplishments.
Far beyond
the number and quality of Ambode’s monumental projects is the scientism of his
methods, the integrated network of projects and programmes that blend with one
another and create a seamless, impactful whole. Whether road projects or school
and health facilities, or whether security or human development programmes,
Ambode’s strides in two years possess at once a certain abstractness and
concreteness. Abstractness because many of the projects seem enviably and
reassuringly futuristic; and concreteness because they are of practical and
immediate use as tools for rewing up development and raising living standards.
It would be
flattering to suggest that Lagos has a perfect cabinet. It probably doesn’t.
However, given the achievements recorded in the past two years, and the peace
and cooperation abiding in the cabinet, they are a reflection of the cerebral
quality of the governor and his leadership skills as well as an indication that
he has a critical mass of commissioners and heads of agencies to help him
transform theory into practice. Importantly too, as is the nature of politics
generally, the remarkable progress Lagos has made under Ambode reflects
excellently on his interpersonal relations and financial management skills.
No matter
how brilliant a cabinet, if the leader is not equally or better endowed, there
would be no one to set the pace and direction. If Lagos is presenting itself as
an example for other states and attracting attention from within and outside
the African continent, it is an indication that a vision is in place and is
being remoulded and refined, and a leader possessing character and confidence
is also running the show.
What is most
remarkable about the solid and frenzied pace of development in Lagos today is
its spread, both spatially and intrinsically. Spatially, projects are sited in
concentric circles in all the senatorial districts of the state, state
constituencies, and wards. And in one way or the other there is an engaging
interconnectedness in nearly al\ the projects so that they can integrate
forward and backward and hum synergetically to make life liveable in the Lagos
megacity. Intrinsically, ongoing projects include roads, bridges, hospitals,
security apparatuses, and many legacy monuments. The Epe axis is being opened
up grandly, Alimosho axis is being transformed into a behemoth, Oshodi is on
the way to experiencing one of the most modern renewals ever, Lekki is enjoying
a very thoughtful design makeover, and a new security architecture called
neighbourhood security watch is already assembled.
All these
renewals and re-engineering have been made possible because they were
predicated on a masterful re-engineering of the state’s financial
infrastructure. It is perhaps fitting that Ambode is in the saddle as the state
marks 50, having been created in May 1967. He is fortunate to have predecessors
like AsiwajuTinubu who laid the foundation, and Babatunde Raji Fashola who
built on that foundation. Ambode has placed himself appropriately to build on
the works of his predecessors, and to take the megacity. Project to a dizzying
height. As a former civil servant, he knows how to drive the civil service and
get the best out of it. As a career financial manager, he has reorganised the
state’s finances and put it on an even keel to make it work for the state. As a
thinker and scholar, he has designed practical and engaging ways to get things
done and make the state and himself respond adequately like a scientist to the
challenges of statehood. And like a deep thinker, he has primed himself,
standing on the shoulders of his predecessors, to envision an incredibly
expansive, surefooted and glorious future for Lagos.
That Ambode
is able to achieve these great strides without the accompanying and distractive
noisemaking politicians are so often and clearly besotted to is a testimony to
his idiosyncratic resolve to leave a mark and legacy in Lagos. He is just half
way into his first term. By the end of the first term, and at the rate he is
going, not to say the fluidity of hisrhythm, he is expected to accomplish so
much more, even as many of the legacy projects begun months back start to
manifest in all their splendour. Lekki Expressway has been transformed,
including a flyover at Ajah. Epe-Itoikin Expressway is nearing completion, so also
the Abule Egba flyover. A number of other flyovers are in the works. More than
600km of roads have been rehabilitated or reconstructed. So too, have bridges
been built. What is even more impressive is that it takes a very self-confident
politician who will be facing re-election in less than two years to eschew the
self-promotion and narcissism many politicians and governors are obsessed with.
Under Ambode, Lagos is permanently in the works, aggressively and thoughtfully.
Sometimes,
all it takes is a lay-by of not more than half a football field in Oworonshoki
or Ketu. But it does wonders for traffic flow. Sometimes, all it needs is
erasure of roundabouts, and traffic grid lock is eliminated. The beauty of the
Ambode revolution coursing through the state’s sinews is that brain works,
after all, and reflectiveness can go a long way in ameliorating the problems of
a community. Today, there is no contention about Ambode’s capacity to govern
exceptionally well.
If the
sometimes querulous leader of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (POP) in
Lagos, Bode George, could give Ambode not only a pass mark, but an excellent
mark, all that the governor needs is to sustain hisperformance and probably
better it in order to pass safely into the legend of Lagos where only a few
past governors reside. Imagine the poeticalness of a quiet governor undertaking
a quiet but unmistakable revolution. It is called virtuoso.
The clincher
for many Lagosians and south-westerners is that far beyond working wonders in
Lagos State is that Governor Ambode is also deeply thoughtful, philosophical
and deologically expansive. His pursuit of regionalisation, where his
predecessor had been fairly isolationist, speaks to his mindset as a true and
well-bred son of the soil. He did not wait to be persuaded; and did not ask to
be wooed. His instincts told him regionalism was right and did not detract from
the state’s independence nor violated the constitution, nor yet flouted the
unity and integrity of the nation. More importantly, he selflessly prepared his
mind to put the vibrant economy of Lagos at the service of the region, knowing
full well that the strength of his people and their security depend on the
collective prosperity of the region. No sooner he was sworn in than he asked to
be integrated into the Development Agenda for Western Nigeria (DAWN) There is
no telling what six more years of Ambode will do for Lagos and the Southwest.
He has started well, worked well, thought well, and from all indications, will
finish well. The energies he brings to the job, and the organised and
orchestrated ideas that undergird his stewardship, not to say the soundness of
his visions, will ensure that the projects he has committed himself to, whether
Atlantic City, Fifth Mainland Bridge, Dubainisation of Alimosho, renewal of
Ikeja Business District and the rapid metamorphosis of the Lekki Axis, among
other great developments, will permanently change the landscape of Lagos.
The tender
and tough amiability of Governor Ambode is powerful. The extraordinary elements
intrinsic to his glorious élan infused the future of Lagos State Government
with great promise, and her present with the illumination of commanding graces.
But it is his splendid gravitas that sparked simple things as street lights to
sparkle, brighten and pulsate, inviting tourist and tempting global investors.
Every
dimension of life in Lagos State is now joyous and anchored to the ardour and
glamour of internationalist cordiality of vibrant cultures that enliven
refreshing and perpetual hope. The peoples of Lagos State, assuredly, tender to
the hugely cerebral Governor Akinwunmi Ambode Immeasurable gratitude for his
steady, magnetic and winning leadership skills, and his delightful brilliance
that has invigorated us all with joy and magnified the global stature of our
precious homeland.
Dr.Adewale
Adeeyo is an Officer of The Order of Niger, Publisher, and member, Governing
Council, Adeleke University, Ede, Osun State.
Gaudian
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