Former presidential aide, Laolu Akande, has described Lagos State Deputy Governor, Babafemi Hamzat, as an exemplary public servant whose emergence in leadership reflects the kind of political succession Nigeria needs to overcome its governance challenges.
Speaking on Sunrise Daily on Channels Television, Akande said Nigeria’s political elite crisis would be significantly reduced if political parties consistently produced technocrats and performers like Hamzat for higher office.
‘I think that if we have a political selection process, such as what seems to be emerging in Lagos, where you have people such as Dr. Babafemi Hamzat emerging the way he is emerging, I can dare to say that we would not have so much problems with the political elite,’ Akande said.
He went further to describe Hamzat as a tested administrator whose record in public service speaks for itself.
‘Because what I find out, because somebody that I know very well, is that this is an exemplary public servant. If those who take the decisions about who should go forward, if they give us people like Hamzat, look, I am willing to say that Nigeria will not be where we are today,’ he stated.
Akande cited landmark projects and reforms that he said bear Hamzat’s imprint, pointing to infrastructure development and digital transformation initiatives that changed governance in Lagos.
‘So, if you look at that Lekki-Ikoyi Link Bridge in Lagos, there is not one single Nollywood movie that I have seen that does not showcase that bridge. Hamzat was central to the idea and the implementation of that bridge.’
He also highlighted Hamzat’s role in modernising Lagos State’s public administration through technology, revealing that the state was ahead of many global institutions in adopting enterprise digital systems.
‘Most people don’t know, Lagos State managed to implement the Oracle Corporation software for automation of government business, pension, salary, payroll, and all of that. Lagos State government managed to implement the automation Oracle software ahead of New York State in the early 2000s. Guess who was behind it? Hamzat was the person behind it.’
Akande noted that deputy governors often operate under difficult political conditions, where ambition can easily be misconstrued, making Hamzat’s political evolution even more remarkable.
‘A lot of the times, people who find themselves in office as vice president and deputy governors specifically-it’s a very tough job. If you have ideas, you have to subsume your ideas, and people think that maybe you are too ambitious.’
He observed that across Nigeria, only a few deputy governors have successfully transitioned into governorship positions, making Hamzat’s growing political profile noteworthy.
Akande also credited Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, for creating an atmosphere of trust, collaboration, and shared governance with his deputy.
‘But I think we also have to give the credit to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, who actually made the statement-and I don’t think a lot of people paid attention to it-that in Lagos, they have a two-man governor.’
According to him, that statement captures the unique working relationship between both leaders and explains the consistency in policy delivery in Lagos.
‘That tells you the kind of cohesion and the understanding that exists between Sanwo-Olu and Hamzat, and it has shown in the level of delivery and how government has been run.’
Akande said the Lagos model demonstrates the importance of leadership synergy and political maturity, adding that Hamzat’s long years of public service-from commissioner roles in Lagos to assignments at the federal level-have prepared him for bigger responsibilities.
‘The political evolution also speaks to having people who can work together, having a governor like Sanwo-Olu who is not intimidated by clearly an exemplary deputy who understands the issues, who has been a commissioner since, I think, maybe 2002 or 2003, doing great work both in Lagos State and the federal government,’ Akande stated.
His remarks come amid growing political conversations about succession politics in Lagos and the broader debate over competence, continuity, and the quality of leadership needed to drive Nigeria’s development in the years ahead.