By Reuben Hopo When the Governor of Lagos State, Mr. Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu, directed the newly elected Chairmen of the 20 LGs and 37 LC...
By Reuben Hopo
When the Governor of Lagos State, Mr. Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu, directed the newly elected Chairmen of the 20 LGs and 37 LCDAs to sit back and study the affairs of their respective councils and the exigencies surrounding public expectations before going ahead to make key appointments—except the Chief of Staff—as he swore them in at the Lagos House on Sunday, 27th July 2025, nobody foresaw such pronouncements. However, experience must have prevailed on the Governor to kick-start the tenure of the current executive chairmen by directing them to prioritize public expectations and make prudence and accountability their watchwords. His good advice was necessary to stimulate the new council bosses into action.
Key appointments are sine qua non and should be made right to bring value to the table, help the new government at the grassroots understand the best approaches to deepen democracy in their respective areas, and enhance the new administration to be productive in earning public trust and confidence. With LGs now financially autonomous, Mr. Governor telling the new council bosses that they would be held responsible to the highest standard is not only a pointer to rejig democracy at the grassroots but a call for credible leadership that must be set forth at dawn.
Given the stupendous wealth of leadership of the Governor, Badagry Local Government should not be a centre of rhetoric anymore to sing the historic importance or neglect of the area. This new administration should remain unsung for now and approach governance with equity, effectiveness, collaboration, probity, and trust to unlock and develop the natural potential stakes in the LGA, to make the new administration thriving, purposeful, innovative, and people-centred.
Given the operation of 20 LGs and 37 LCDAs, we have seen executive chairmen that are exceptional, and their reputation has continued to soar when it comes to reckoning with grassroots governance. Examples of these are: Agboyi-Ketu LCDA, Ibeju-Lekki LG, Ajeromi LG, Orile-Agege LCDA, Bariga LCDA, to name but a few. These administrations' spotlights have been positively influenced by a few whose appointments helped the executive chairmen deliver tangible dividends of democracy to their people at the grassroots.
Let’s take a cue from President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR. He did not become our political hero overnight. He has consistently identified human potential that has helped him achieve the promise of his administration over and over again, and his successors as Governor of Lagos State have been committed to bringing in professionals, technocrats, and the best administrators to balance party patronages. This has not always been the case in some LGs and LCDAs, and the public has never been shocked about how the pendulum of key appointments swings. The mistake sometimes has constituted a menace that led to maladministration in some LGAs.
A recent protest at the Lagos State House of Assembly by some aggrieved members of the ruling APC forced the State Chairman, Pastor Cornelius Ojelabi, to declare that appointments at the various councils would be considered on merit and local input. To demystify these, the former has the possibility to be productive in the new administration, while the latter is subjected to whims and caprices. The consequences of the latter, when it overpopulates a council cabinet, subdues a fresh administration to a hotbed of casualties that may mark the beginning of a promise-failed administration instead of promise-kept.
Just within a week of the Governor’s order, it is obvious that Mr. Governor meant well by leading the voice of the public for a better phase of governance at the grassroots. Avoiding rash and ill-considered appointments is to sail the new administration away from troubled waters. Sentiments should not prevail over public expectations. Now, a circular to enforce the Governor’s order has been issued by the Ministry of Local Government, Chieftaincy Affairs & Rural Development. The sixty-day window is to help the executive chairmen be more strategic with intelligence and thorough planning. Haste is not a panacea for a four-year action.
In democracy, a grasp of local government as enshrined in the LG administration law gives the State power to put the new executive chairmen on their toes, and the Governor did not mince words when he addressed them on Sunday. He was cascading his experience for the council bosses to live above board, as he prepared their minds ahead of institutional mentorship.
The window is key to imbue them with a passion for public service, and for them to serve well is germane to leverage their promises “not to disappoint” after winning a general election. Leadership is a burden of responsibilities that is beyond the accolades and influence that being in government absolutely brings. For those who can read between the lines, Governor Sanwo-Olu is a highly experienced public figure who wants the best for the party and the people at the grassroots. No doubt. The success of the first 100 days in office would depend on the optimization of the window to achieve a strong start.
One area to reposition Badagry Local Government, for example, is to redesignate the “Information and Communication Technology (ICT)” portfolio in the administration of Hon. Olusegun Teliat Onilude to “Information, Communication, and Technology” to harness the full potential of the portfolio and adapt its mandate after that of the Ministry of Information & Strategy in Alausa, to bring the image of governance to the table as Hon. Babatunde Adande Hunpe leads a new administration of Badagry Local Government. Professional exposure and public service experience matter in some sectors to get things done in their best forms.
To achieve a great leap in the current administration of Badagry Local Government, Mr. Governor has shown the pathway to achieving the success of the past political campaign ahead of the last general elections held on 12th July 2025. One more thing to realize is that the chronicle is always on the other side of every administration, and it mirrors accurately and creditably for history making.
Reuben Omotayo HOPO is public affairs commentator, brand strategist and member of media & publicity directorate of APC campaign council in Badagry LGA.
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