LAGOS 2015: WHO HAS THE “HEAD”?

Sayo Aluko

The race for who succeeds Governor Babatunde Raji Fashola as the Governor of Lagos State come 2015 has entered top gear. It's already an open secret. Without any doubt, argument, and/or weightless jabs of eccentric sentiment, considering the fact that the 15-year reign at the helm of the then Alliance for Democracy (AD), then Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), and now All Progressives Congress (APC) in Lagos state has been distinctively exemplary, it shouldn't be far from sane that continuity of purpose with what this platform offers, is the best option come 2015. Continuity of purpose and not just the overused and propagandist cliché of "change" muffled by some bruised interest groups. .

As expected, an avalanche of names have sprung up from different coffers, politically-minded groups and spurious political permutations, each rightly or otherwise, touting one or two these names as possible successors.


And, while most or all of these political soothsayers and fore-casters have tethered their choice of names to the parameters of zoning, religious sentiment or biased credibility, I personally believe we should graduate into using the parameter of "consummation". This is the parameter I believe is much more grandeur, most efficacious and even pertinent to solving the nation's leadership logjam. Beyond the superficial, over-beaten and predictable parameters of zoning, religion and mere credibility, we should ask, "Who is the most-consummate?"

I, like some cerebral and open-minded Lagosians and even some stalwarts in the Lagos APC too, have pedantically perused through these names, using this one, all-important parameter, and without equivocation or prevarication, have stuck with one name, one candidate, Akinwunmi Ambode, the immediate past Accountant-General of the state.

This choice isn't just merely opinionated, neither is it based on blurred or myopic facts, rather, they are based on the fact that Akinwunmi Ambode clearly passes the "who is the most-consummate?" test, excellently at that.

As already said above, the good work that has been accomplished in Lagos state needs continuity come 2015, and many won't argue that this necessary continuity will thrive ONLY on the able wings of astute accountability and grand professional management, and not on the trails of polished fables. To this end, I ask, that who else can consummately carry out this  staunch mandate, if not a man who has actually virtually done the same all his life, while meritoriously saddling the state's pecuniary ship at different cadres, from bottom to top, even through the most-turbulent of waves and harsh waters for an unwavering 27 years? Who or who else, if not Akinwunmi Ambode?

Akinwunmi Ambode is a thorough Accountant, a public finance management expert and at the moment is the chief executive officer (CEO) of Brandsmiths Consulting Limited – a public finance and management-consulting firm with deep knowledge of the Nigerian public sector, engaging in strategic planning, operations improvement, business planning and public financial management. As said above, He is a former Accountant General of Lagos State serving in that capacity between 2006 and 2012. He served in several other capacities including Permanent Secretary Ministry of Finance, Auditor General for Local Government and across all cadres of Lagos state’s civil service for a total of 27 years before his voluntary retirement in 2012.

He gained recognition for outstanding excellence by the Joint Tax Board (JTB)/FIRS on successful organization of the 1st National Tax Retreat in Nigeria in 2005.

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That Akinwunmi Ambode has never really been a political appointee, but rather, a public/civil servant who chose to patiently and meritoriously rise through the ranks in the civil service, depicts his thorough professionalism and coherent dedication to working processes.

 Also, that he thus served as a guardian and custodian of the state's acclaimed "fat" purse for most or all of his civil service career, yet without any record of graft or mismanagement, further depicts a man sworn to the charm of meticulous accountability and quotidian transparency; the latter proven by the fact that Akin, during his tenure as the Auditor-General of the state, made sure that the annual  financial report  of the state government was published in national dailies to enhance probity and accountability.

More good is also said about Akinwunmi's rare and enviable understanding of personnel management and human capacity development and management. He is revered in the public sector through the lands he marked and the trails he blazed in the areas of prioritizing capacity building, internal/employee relations, professional work-ethics, office equipment standardization, conducive-related renovations, etc. Worthy of even special note is that it was during his tenure that the state government fully achieved the payment of staff salaries electronically.

Furthermore, that Akinwunmi Ambode chose, on August 31, 2012, to voluntarily resign from Lagos state public service, at a time he wielded a lot of influence and affluence and despite having eight more years to hold on to this privileged position of authority and esteem, in order to continue his service to fatherland in the private sector, again shows a courageous go-getter that he is. He is not like the proverbial biblical rich man who gets complacently contained in a "Canaan" of sorts. Akinwunmi Ambode's wealth of experience as CEO of his private firm, which is being presently employed in State and Federal government agencies to cut-over to the new IPSAS system of public accounting taking effect from 2014, further, corroborates this fact that he continues to serve, even from the private coffers.

All these above aren't mere loquacious inking of a paid pen, rather, they best fit as true reflections of any sincere Lagosian's heartfelt desires of what leadership should entail, and also of any hopeful Nigerian, whose hopes hinge on the possibility of getting things further right in terms of leadership in Lagos, and in the country at large. Lagos and the APC can be a good example (again!) to the other States and the whole country by rightfully choosing a consummate and sagacious leader in Akinwunmi Ambode.

Lest we even forget, over the years, the ultimate choice of who becomes Lagos state's CEO has never been the candidate who out rightly wins the "popularity contest" from the outset, rather, this choice has always been "dark-horsed"; and this thing I personally christen as "Lagos good hoodoo", as always worked for/in the state's best interests. As far back as 1991, it was Social Democratic Party's (SDP) Yomi Edu/Frederick Machado ticket that seemed most popular at the time, while the National Republican Convention's (NRC) Michael Otedola/Ojikutu won against all expectations. Then in 1993, Major Gen. Joseph Olutayo Agbola was enroute been made Lagos state's supremo until a shocking last-minute change to the choice of Colonel Olagunsoye Oyinlola who was recalled from a peace-keeping ops in Somalia. In 1999, it was Wahab Dosunmu, Funsho Williams et al, who were at the forefront until the return of a Bola Tinubu from exile, the man who eventually got the landslide victory.

Similarly, in 2007, Peoples Democratic Party's (PDP) Musiliu Obanikoro, Femi Pedro et al, and even some then serving commissioners, Hakeem Gbajabiamila most notably, were roundly touted as possible successors; all for a relatively "unknown" Babatunde Raji Fashola (BRF) to be elected as ACN's flag-bearer and the eventual winner. It is a fact that only few Lagosians had heard about the person of BRF prior to that announcement. As it stands, same can be said about Akinwunmi Ambode; he also fits into the mould of that dark horse, but who when carefully examined, stands out as the solely most-consummate one, with the gracious gusto to govern the state in continuity of purpose come 2015.

Of a truth, it is virtually clear, even to the blind, that Akinwunmi Ambode’s apolitical intention and decision to run for the gubernatorial seat in 2015 is totally borne out of an unquenchable verve to serve, and serve better that is; to this end, that this intention of his has received mammoth reception of warmth, first by his political platform of choice, his kinsmen, and also importantly by a worthy bunch of well-meaning Lagosians, confirms that Akinwunmi's 27-year tested and proven record of exemplary service and continual professionalism and productivity in public management, hasn't gone unnoticed.

Akinwunmi Ambode is an alumnus of Wharton Business School Advance Management Programme. He has attended courses at several renowned institutions including Cranfield School of Management, Cranfield, England, the Institute of Management Development Lausanne, Switzerland, INSEAD Singapore and the Harvard Kennedy School of Government, Boston, USA. He holds a Masters degree in Accounting (Financial Management) and a B.Sc. degree in Accounting from the University of Lagos; a Hubert Humphrey Fellow in Accounting and Finance from Boston University, Boston, USA. He is also a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN).

He graduated with Honours in Accounting from the University of Lagos at the age of 21. At 24, he had become a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria and finished a Masters degree in Accounting specializing in Financial Management, also at the University of Lagos, via a Federal Government Scholarship. He also received a US Fulbright scholarship for the Hubert H. Humphrey Fellowship at Boston University in Massachusetts.

Akin believes in mentoring and sees it as an effective way of helping people to develop and progress in their chosen careers and making sure they maximize their potentials. He is passionate about Lagos, developing young leaders and professionals and contributing to the society from which he has gained so much.

To this end, he has founded of the La Roche Leadership Foundation in 2012 to attend to the well being and prosperity of Nigerian students in all facets of their educational endeavors, be it technical, formal, social or vocational. He also believes in creating and sustaining a positive, enabling and empowering educational environment for younger groups. Akin, himself haven been a beneficiary of two prestigious scholarships as stated above.

Akinwunmi Ambode’s dynamism and vastness is notably shown in passion for entertainment and the Nigerian entertainment industry. He believes that the entertainment industry can be a powerful voice to drive positive change in the society and economy. He has established long-standing relationships with a number of artists and supported them in various ways to inspire and stimulate innovation in the local and international entertainment space.

Funny or fortunately enough, by divine happenstance or even sheer coincidence, asides excelling well on the grand parameter of "most-consummate", Akinwunmi Ambode also clearly fits well to all other parameters that political permutations have thrown up as touching this 2015 gubernatorial race in Lagos. By zoning, permutations have it that the next Lagos governor will emerge from Lagos-east, since Lagos-west (Tinubu) and Lagos-central (Fashola) have both had their turns. Akinwunmi Ambode hails from Epe, in Lagos-east, thus making him fit, even to this parameter. Then also, if it were to be on the basis or bias of credibility, Akinwunmi Ambode’s perennial feats and milestones in the fields of public, civil, and private administration, as quantum as already described above, easily passes him as a candidate credible enough to run the affairs of the state as seamless as possible.

All these said, I believe this race, termed as "frantic" by most, isn't as frantic as tagged after all, if the truthful facts are easily embraced. In Akinwunmi Ambode, we've seen accountability, servant-leadership, transparency, purposefulness, top-notch financial, personnel and all-round management, a vast bandwidth of know-how and above all, time-tested administrative prowess; this is just consummation at its best, actually, little or close to nothing more can be asked of a leader.

Dear Lagosians, dear APC, the answer to the question of “who does the cap fit?”, may be multiple; but, the answer to the question of "who has the “HEAD”?" is clearly singular; now you know.........AKINWUNMI AMBODE