It is against this background that I find the establishment in a Department of Religious Matters in the Governor’s Office particularly instructive. And from my observation, the office is not just political cosmetics. It reflects Governor Fashola’s recognition of the place of the spiritual in the affairs of man. The calibre of staffing, the depth of the speeches they present on behalf of their principal, and the deliberate decision to stay connected; all demonstrate that he sees this as an important factor in his on-going success.
Lagos State Governor, Babatunde Fashola is, by common consent, the most celebrated state chief executive in our nation today. His approval rating, were some of our pollsters to conduct one, would most certainly be near the maximum.
That is significant because, historically, Lagos has been more blessed than virtually any other state of the Federal Republic with more than its fair share of effective governors, military and civilian.
Mobolaji Johnson, the very first governor, took office as an Army Major, a rank lower than most of his colleagues in the military administration of Yakubu Gowon, which created the state along with eleven others from the erstwhile four regions. He had to create the take-off structures from scratch. And he not only did it so well that, as the cliché goes, he left his footprints on the sands of time, he was also one of, if I remember correctly, only two governors who were not found guilty of official corruption when the regime was probed.
Several military governors later, many of them above average, Lateef Kayode Jakande, nicknamed the action governor came on the scene, the very first civilian to rule the state. The zeal with which he carried out his assignment was unparalleled. Right from the first whistle on October 1, 1979 to the early hours of December 31, 1984 when the army caught him right at his desk, at the onset of yet another military interregnum, he served his people without relent. He trebled the number of schools at primary and secondary levels within months of coming into office in order to implement the "free education at all levels" policy of the Unity Party of Nigeria (UPN) to which he belonged. Today, thousands of people still live in Jakande Estates, not so named by him, which dot the state - veritable reminders of a leader’s fulfilled promises.
There was Muhammed Buba Marwa, a colonel who served during the infamous days of maximum ruler, Sani Abacha, yet managed to win the heart of Lagosians. He is fondly remembered for fixing Lagos roads, which his immediate predecessor had said was impossible due to unavailability of bitumen! He also has the credit for introducing tricycles, named Keke Marwa after him, into the city’s transportation system. He can also be credited with raising the standards of government estates further through the Marwa (now MKO) Gardens, the upmarket housing estate he built in Ikeja.
And of course there was Bola Ahmed Tinubu, immediate past governor in whose administration Fashola served as chief of staff. Tinubu was not afraid to innovate. He moved swiftly to institutionalise the oft-talked about public-private partnership mode of public governance. When traffic control situation graduated from a crisis to a nightmare, he established the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA). When his best effort at cleaning the environment seemed to be failing due to old-habits-die-hard indiscipline, he caused the Kick Against Indiscipline (KAI) Brigade to rein it in. To superintend an integrated transportation system for the fast emerging megacity of Lagos, he and his team put together the Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority (LAMATA). He was visionary and courageous. It is incontrovertible that the Tinubu Administration laid the foundation for today’s many successes.
But not even that fact can detract from the leadership credentials of the current helmsman. In less than two years, he and his team have done so much in virtually every area of governance that not even Lagos has ever had it so good. The launch and expansion of the Bus Rapid Transport scheme, the greening of many parts of the metropolis, rehabilitation and expansion of roads, return of sanity to the various bus terminals, resulting in the reduction of travelling time within the state by as much as half in some cases, all add up to less stressful living for the citizens. So many credible Nigerians are on record as acknowledging Governor Fashola’s achievements that very little can be added to it here.
One of the most recent was Monsignor Gabriel Osu, spokesperson for the Catholic Archdiocese of Lagos. Asked to comment on the said intention of President Umar Yar’Adua to seek a second term in office, he retorted, “second term” to do what; to continue sleeping?” He then added: “without being sycophantic, if Fashola wants to continue for life, the people of Lagos would give it to him …everybody can see what he has done; that he has surrounded himself with energetic people working hard to serve the people…”
It has been suggested that one of the secrets of his success is something already being touted as the “Lagos Model” of socio-political leadership. By this model, it is said that Fashola, a largely apolitical technocratic type, leaves politics to Tinubu, the consummate politician, while he confronts the nitty-gritty of governance. The raison d’etre of this “model” is that politics and governance are contending factors and the ability to optimally handle the twain hardly ever meet, in one and the same person.
The truth or otherwise of this postulate will be revealed in the coming months, as we approach the next general elections in 2011. But irrespective of the durability and the wider applicability of this so called model, it is certain that Lagos is a miracle happening right before our eyes.”
For this writer, every time I behold yet another facet of the Lagos Miracle, this popular verse of scripture pops up in my spirit: “This is the LORD'S doing; it is marvellous in our eyes.”(Psalm 118: 23). The Message translation captures my feeling and those of many people I have discussed with better. It reads: “This is GOD's work. We rub our eyes--we can hardly believe it!”
You see, the truth is every good and every perfect gift comes from God. All the great and mighty things being done are indeed God’s doing and no matter what theory we may develop around it, the Bible, which is our compass in this column has said that “… it is God which works in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure” (Philippians 2:13). Let’s see how The Message paraphrases it in contemporary language: “That energy is God's energy, an energy deep within you, God himself willing and working at what will give him the most pleasure”. This is the truth that President Olusegun Obasanjo failed to see when he was pursuing the so-called third-term agenda. He was taking credit for the work God was doing through him. He ended up in disgrace.
It is against this background that I find the establishment in a Department of Religious Matters in the Governor’s Office particularly instructive. And from my observation, the office is not just political cosmetics. It reflects Governor Fashola’s recognition of the place of the spiritual in the affairs of man. The calibre of staffing, the depth of the speeches they present on behalf of their principal, and the deliberate decision to stay connected; all demonstrate that he sees this as an important factor in his on-going success. At a time when an intellectual giant like Nobel laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka is decrying religion as irrelevant in the public space; when political correctness dictates that political office holders should distance themselves from the spiritual lest they be seen as anti-intellectualism, this is commendable courage. (To be concluded).
PIX: Mr Babatunde Fashola, SAN, Governor, Lagos State
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