Does Sanwo-Olu deserve a second term?

BY CHIDOZIE EMEAGWALI

Babajide Sanwo-Olu became the All Progressives Congress (APC) gubernatorial candidate in 2018 and later as governor in 2019.

No sooner had he settled to work as Lagos state governor than COVID-19 and the EndSARS protests started in 2020.

Despite these challenges, he implemented several initiatives aimed at improving the living conditions of the people of Lagos state, such as the Lagos State Employment Trust Fund and the Lagos State Health Insurance Scheme. He has also worked on improving infrastructure in the state, including the construction of new roads and bridges.

Sanwo-Olu’s administration saw the establishment of an export-free trade zone and SME Hubs. The Sanwo-Olu administration worked for the establishment of the SEZ, including the Alaro City, another free zone set on 1,000ha carved out of the bush. It too has an anchor client up and running, Ariel Foods. Around 40 companies now have purchased land here, with a handful already building their factories.

Against all odds, his administration saw the completion of the Lekki port. This is the largest seaport in Nigeria and one of the biggest in West Africa. Lekki port is to be expanded to have a capacity of handling around 6 million TEUs of containers and a significant volume of liquid and dry bulk uncontainerized cargoes. The port is to be equipped with ships able to transport over 14,500 containers.

The Sanwo-Olu administration established the state’s disaster management agency and strengthened the existing state emergency medical services for risk mitigation. The body has successfully intervened in numerous cases and prevented so many major disasters in the state.

Waste management also received considerable attention from the Sanwo-Olu administration. The administration saw LAWMA commence construction of the transfer loading station (TLS) with organised public-private partnership. The agency now has over six standard functional TLS in operation across Lagos. LAWMA made remarkable achievements in Obalende which some people used to refer to as the home of refuse.

In the health sector, Sanwo-Olu supported 15 families of persons living with cerebral palsy and down syndrome with financial assistance of N1 million to N2.5 million each and activated one oxygen plant at Yaba during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Emeagwali, a writer and public policy consultant, sent this from Apapa, Lagos