Change In Lagos! By Opeyemi Agbaje

 

In 2007 the gubernatorial field in Lagos State was filled with several persons I respected-Femi Pedro, then deputy-governor who had been my branch manager at Guaranty Trust Bank and whose family had a good relationship with my mother; Jimi Agbaje who was close to my bosses, Fola Adeola and Tayo Aderinokun in the same bank and who I admired from some distance; and then Chief of Staff to Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, Babatunde Raji Fashola SAN who was a year above me at Igbobi College. While I knew all three and considered any of them well qualified, I was more proximate to Pedro. In the end I concluded that Fashola given his deep intimacy with the issues confronting the state was the optimal choice for that time, and I issued a public endorsement in an article titled, “A Morning with Fashola” published in the run-up to the 2007 vote.

 

In this 2015 election I do believe that the best candidate for Lagos is Jimi Agbaje! While in 2007, the policy imperative in Lagos was for continuity and consolidation, I am convinced that after sixteen years in which Lagos has been ruled by Tinubu and his former Chief of Staff, Fashola, the requirement today is for change to preserve the democratic character of Lagos politics and admit new perspectives, policy and leadership into the governance of the state. Fortunately that would be in consonance with the national mood towards “change” which saw the defeat of incumbent President Jonathan in the presidential elections on March 28, 2015! All the arguments put forward by the APC in its national “change” and “corruption” campaign apply in Jimi Agbaje’s favour in Saturday’s governorship polls!

 

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I would hold the same view if I had never met Jimi Agbaje! By the way, I must re-state again that we are not related in any way. My paternal and maternal roots are in Ofin and Makun, Sagamu, Ogun State while Agbaje is obviously from Lagos State. However since the 2007 elections in which he campaigned with decency, grace and charisma, I have come to know “JK” as he is popularly known better and I would recommend him without hesitation as a honourable, committed and patriotic politician and leader. Unlike many contemporary Nigerian politicians, JK is not in politics for ego or self, but out of a deep desire to offer service and leadership and to leave a legacy like our forebears, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, Nelson Mandela and others of that ilk. And I have no doubt whatsoever that he would make an excellent governor of Lagos State! One thing that has greatly impressed me about Jimi Agbaje was how he bore no grudge over his loss eight years ago. Indeed he reached out to me (and several others who preferred his then opponent, Fashola) and from my recollection saw only the silver lining in his loss-his contesting the 2007 primaries of then Action Congress and subsequent general elections, had in his view forced Asiwaju Tinubu to abandon some earlier names he had been disposed to selecting as his successor in favour of Fashola, who JK gracefully admits turned out to be a better pick.

 

JK will come to the governorship in 2015 very well prepared-as a leader in his profession of Pharmacy, he has occupied numerous leadership positions with the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN), National Association of General Practice Pharmacists (NAGPP) and Pharmacists Board and holds Fellowships of PSN, Nigerian Academy of Pharmacy and West African Post Graduate College of Pharmacy. As a civil society leader, he has been Treasurer of Afenifere and high-ranking member of its political committee and a leader in Save Nigeria Group, Concerned Professionals and New Generation. He has been in politics since the return to civil rule in 1999 and has been a leading member of the Alliance for Democracy and has managed to unite the otherwise fractious Lagos State PDP behind his candidacy. As a businessman and investor, he has invested in several very successful businesses including Guaranty Trust Bank and successful pharmaceutical and hotel businesses and is a director of Vigeo Ltd; and in the non-profit sector he is a co-founder of Atlantic Hall School. On the national stage, he holds a national honour of Officer of the Order of the Nigeria (OON). Most importantly JK has spent the last eight years thinking through his vision and policy agenda for Lagos State and building a formidable political and social profile that made him a compelling choice as governorship candidate.

 

On the other hand, his opponent, Akinwunmi Ambode comes with a CV focused on strong functional skills in accounting and finance but very limited claims to leadership. Ambode has studiously avoided discussing policy and governance and seems to seek election merely on the party’s coat tails. There is no doubt about his real qualification for the job-his selection by Tinubu (and Oba Akiolu as Kabiyesi has recently testified!) as the person most likely to protect their proxy rights to the governorship of Lagos State!

 

I do not place much value on the dubious argument that Lagosians must vote Ambode/APC in order that Lagos would be in the same political camp as President-elect Buhari at the federal level. Buhari has promised to be president for all Nigerians and would have no difficulty working with Agbaje as they do enjoy decent personal/political relationships-JK might in fact have been Buhari’s running-mate in 2011.