By Igboeli Arinze
Since the advent of the Coronavirus pandemic, the name Babajide Sanwo-Olu has continued to resonate in the nation’s war against the virus. His style and performance in leading the state’s Coronavirus response has banished the questions raised on his ability to deliver the goods to the people resident in Nigeria’s economic and business hub.
In the course of his emergence as the candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC, many hastily dismissed Sanwo-Olu as a lackey; others faulted his emergence and tallied it as “Same of the same”, despite the fact that in terms of leadership, Lagos State has indeed set the pace for all other States since the coming of the fourth Republic.
Sanwo-Olu, it initially appeared, did not get his footing right after his inauguration. His seemingly slow start did not endear him to his citizens; groaning under a deteriorating network of infrastructure, Sanwo-Olu looked overstretched in his attempt to govern the Centre of Excellence. His ban on motorcycles and tricycles in six Local Government Areas and nine Local Council Development Areas was seen as a wrong foot put forward. Though it was a sound policy, in order to check the numerous accident rates and crime, many naturally questioned the timing.
Unknown to his critics, Sanwo-Olu was in the backroom, working on how best to deliver his THEME agenda. For example, as Lagosians groaned under the poor state of dilapidated roads, Sanwo-Olu was bidding his time and waiting for the rainy season which occurs between April and late September to end in order to roll out his ambitious game plan for Lagos roads. Such critical road networks which have so far seen the government’s intervention include Apongbon Highway, Babs Animashaun Road, Agric/Ishawo Road and Ijede Road,and Lekki-Epe Expressway from Abraham Adesanya to Eleko junction.
Road networks also within Ikoyi and Ikeja axis also received massive intervention, with a couple of them nearing completion as at December 2019. These set of feats were combined with the completion of thirty one roads in Ojokoro Local Council Development Area, an area that shares a strategic position with neighbouring Ogun State. These roads have not only opened up the economy of the area, they have also reduced the burden on a number of arterial roads that were plied by commuters before their construction.
Then came the challenge of Covid-19 with Lagos State recording its first case on the 27th of February 2020. Many Nigerians panicked since they did not trust the system to handle the virus.
It was at this point that Sanwo-Olu rose to the occasion. As commentators have memorably summed it up, Cometh the hour cometh the man. The 54 year old politician immediately gave the Commissioner for Health, Professor Akin Abayomi (another hero in the Corona battle) the much needed support to tackle the virus. Sanwo-Olu’s approach this and ensured that Abayomi was on the frontlines coordinating the state’s response as best as he could, while occasionally, Sanwoolu would come into the scenario to reassure Lagosians of the government’s readiness to tackle the virus.
Like Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s fireside chats during the recession years, Sanwo-Olu’s messages have been direct, confident and laden with compassion and hope. He readily expresses faith in the people and the spirit of Lagos while at the same time taking firm decisions necessary for the safety and well-being of all.
Governor Sanwo-Olu has worked hard to adapt the Federal guidelines for both the initial lockdown as well as the easing of the lockdown, to the specific circumstances of Lagos State, while also ensuring the right balance is struck between keeping the people safe and ensuring the economy does not grind to a halt. He has been sharply cognizant of Lagos’ status as the Nigerian epicenter of the pandemic, and has allowed this realisation to drive decision-making.
Early on, even prior to the Federal guidelines, he took the necessary proactive steps aimed at containing Covid-19. From March 23, he limited public gatherings to no more than twenty people, prohibited social gatherings like clubs and parties, and very importantly asked all public servants on Levels 1 to 12 to work from home. Lagos very quickly followed this up with an enforcement team to help translate the restrictions into action.
The announcement, on the 24th of March, of the closure of markets — allowing only sellers of food, drugs and medicines, medical equipment and other essential life-saving products to remain open for business — was another important proactive move. It can be argued that these foundational steps helped prepare the ground for the implementation of the subsequent Federal Government lockdown in Lagos.
During the Lockdown, the Lagos State government ensured that over 1,800,000 households benefitted massively from the State’s palliative measures: whether it was the delivery of foodstuff to households, the elderly, youths and vulnerable people generally, using the Lagos State Residents Registration Agency (LASRRA) database as well as a wide network of NGOs and CSOs; or the free medical care in state-run secondary health facilities. These feats have not been replicated anywhere else at subnational level in Nigeria.
Partnering with the private sector, the state has also done commendably well in establishing a number of isolation centres to take proper care of those with the virus. Under its containment strategy the Sanwo-Olu administration has increased testing vis a vis the opening of sample collection centres across the State, and the activation of a Molecular Laboratory at the Biosafety facility in Yaba.
The virus is still going to be with us for a while, globally; there is no longer any doubt about that. Which is why every society deserves the best leadership it can get, at national and subnational levels. We can confidently say that Lagos, like Nigeria, is fortunate to have the leadership it has in these very challenging times. Other States should watch and learn.
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