Tunde Alao
Following the Lagos State Governorship Debate organized by the ” Nigeria Debate Consortium put collectively by the main media homes in Nigeria, specifically The Punch Newspaper, Vanguard Newspaper, TVC and Channels, supporters and political analysts have highlighted a number of distinctive qualities that set Dr. Kadri Obafemi Hamzat’s efficiency other than different candidates.
With a PhD in Systems Process Engineering from Cranfield University, Hamzat demonstrated an analytical strategy to fixing advanced city issues like local weather change, flooding, and built-in transport networks linking rail, highway, and waterways. This systemic strategy contrasted with opposition rhetoric, as he targeted closely on course of optimization, state financial councils, and increasing the state’s unbiased energy capabilities past the nationwide grid.
As the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Hamzat approached the talk with a definite technocratic and govt posture, framing the occasion not as a political rally, however as a proper “job interview” for managing Africa’s largest megacity. His efficiency was characterised by the next key qualities:
First, he spoke with unmatched Institutional Knowledge and Executive Pedigree
While opposition candidates introduced plans from an outsider’s perspective, Hamzat anchored his responses in deep administrative expertise. He famous his trajectory from serving as a Special Assistant to serving 12 years as a Commissioner (Science & Technology, then Works & Infrastructure), adopted by practically eight years as Deputy Governor. This allowed him to talk with precision concerning the mechanics of Lagos governance, land administration, and the state’s large financial engine fairly than counting on summary theories.
Second, he spoke with a Concrete, Trackable Manifesto: “The Lagos Promise”
Unlike basic marketing campaign guarantees, Hamzat launched a structured, extremely particular framework referred to as The Lagos Promise (Ìlérí Èkó). He explicitly broke this down right into a 7-pillar acronym designed for strict accountability:
P – People First; R – Renewal; O – Opportunity; M – Machinery of Government;I – Inclusion; S – Security and Resilience and E – Editing Integrity
By backing this framework with 100 particular pledges, he dared voters to “judge his plan” the identical approach they might rent somebody to handle their very own household affairs.
Third, Pragmatic, Data-Driven Solutions vs. “Skyscrapers in the Air”
Hamzat constantly emphasised that Lagos can’t be ruled by “mere experimentation” or lofty slogans, stating that he refuses to “build skyscrapers in the air”. When discussing main state points, he defended present coverage outcomes with technical depth:
For occasion, whereas discussing the problem of lodging, particularly Real Estate and Rent, he addressed lease inflation by pointing on to the enforcement of the Lagos State Real Estate Agency regulation (handed a 12 months prior) and particulars of its one-year lease cap. Besides, he spoke on Digitization, the place he advocated for decreasing land regularization prices and dashing up Certificates of Occupancy(CofO), by means of systematic authorities digitization—a discipline he pioneered as Science and Technology Commissioner.
In the world of Infrastructure, the APC Governorship Candidate outlined extremely reasonable timelines for decentralized service supply throughout the IBILE divisions to decongest the central Alausa secretariat. This would mark a transparent departure from what’s in operation right now the place each transaction centered in Alausa . Decetralisation of service supply throughout the 5 division that made up of Lagos will make issues simpler for the individuals and establishments which have one factor or the opposite to do with the federal government.
Academic and Technical Flare: By emphasizing measurable metrics, institutional reminiscence, and a “work before announcement” philosophy, Hamzat’s debate presentation aimed to guarantee voters that his candidacy represents a secure, extremely competent development for Lagos State fairly than a political gamble.
Tunde Alao is a Senior Special Assistant to the Governor of Lagos State (Serving within the Office of the Deputy Governor)
