By Remi Adelowo
It was a gathering of young and old intellectuals drawn from across the globe. Venue was the prestigious ivy-league, world-renowned institution, Harvard University. On the podium to address the crowd was no other than Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babajide Samwo-Olu.
The governor’s brief was pretty clear: market the economic opportunities and potentials of Lagos to the global world. He was on top of his game, marshalling his points one after the other like a well-trained salesman. Sanwo-Olu wowed his audience with his confidence and elucidation.
While the audience listened with rapt attention, the governor regaled the story of the “Lagos Success”, in the last 24 years, its developmental goals, and the clear-cut, well-thought out plans already in place to achieve these. No sector of the Lagos’ economy was left untouched — from health, education, infrastructure to the tourism sectors, and more, the governor did justice to them all.
He noted that with a GDP of $259b, a 25 million population, four seaports, and friendly government policies, Lagos is the go-to place for any smart investor. ‘Lagos is a place where people come in without anything and become somebody. We are a business and commercial powerhouse’, he declared confidently.
A guest in Prof. Hakeem Belo-Osagie’s course, “Understanding Africa: Business, Entrepreneurship, Political Economy and the Complexities of a Continent”, the governor spoke on “Building the Future:Lagos State Infrastructure-led Transformation”.
Belo-Osagie is a foremost Nigerian investment banker and businessman. He is a former Chairman of the United Bank of Africa, and telecoms company, Etisalat.
For the governor, it was an opportunity to share ‘Lagos’ bold vision and the tangible strides being made in transportation, housing, innovation, and industrial growth’.
The students applauded as Sanwo-Olu spoke on the Blue Line, Africa’s first intra-city line which, he said, has moved over two million passengers, an average of 42,000 commuters daily. The Red Line is also up and running. He added: We are building a new airport on the Lekki-Epe Expressway, and work is set to begin on the Green Line, which will connect that part of the State to Lagos Island’.
The governor further spoke on the remarkable strides in education, which is unprecedented in the country. Aside the Lagos State University, which has witnessed a massive transformation under the Sanwo-Olu administration, the governor also spoke about plans to set up two new universities and a University of Medical Science to bridge the personnel gap in the medical sector.
On technology, the governor told the audience that Lagos is one of the foremost tech-driven States in Nigeria. The idea, he stressed, is to have a big pool of tech personnel for Microsoft’s and Amazon’s of this world. ‘This is part of our 30-year Development Plan to make Lagos a human-centric economy’, he said. According to him, this is possible because of Lagos’ 25 million population, with 60 percent made of youths, who are tech savvy.
The governor also spoke of opportunities in tourism, arts, and culture. He was apparently making reference to the much-talked about “Detty December” spectacle in Lagos, that witnessed the massive influx of Nigerians in the diaspora and foreigners to have a feel of the “Lagos Success”.
‘There have been fashion shows, drama performances, and movies. In fact, a movie made in Lagos has just been nominated to be presented at the Cannes Film Festival’, the governor informed the audience.
On the future plans to transform the arts and tourism sectors, the governor said: ‘We are trying to calendarise tourism and entertainment’.
The massive achievements in roads and housing, as well as health did not escape the governor’s mention. According to him, over 1,000 roads had been built and rehabilitated and more than 3,000 housing units have been provided to reduce the challenge in that sector.
On transportation, the governor said that more Compressed Natural Gas buses were on the way to boost transportation and ease commuting across the state, in addition to ensuring clean energy and pollution-free environment.
In health, Sanwo-Olu said that the state government is currently building a General Hospital, a mental health hospital and rehabilitation centre, and a new Massey Street Children’s Hospital, which will be the largest in Sub-Saharan Africa.
The students clapped excitedly as Mr. Governor closed his presentation, which began with a five-minute video on Lagos — its beautiful skyline and huge potential for investments.
Time for questions and answers on energy needs and others.
First, Sanwo-Olu cited the unbundling of the sector, stressing that the coast is clear for investors to move in as sub-national entities now have power over generation, distribution, and transmission. ‘We can give you a licence. The system has been unbundled. We can concession an area for you’, he said.
Reiterating his call on investors to quickly take advantage of the investment opportunities in Lagos, the governor noted: “Some markets are saturated. They have built all the infrastructure they need; we are still building. Lagos is the place to invest’.
The event was another vintage opportunity for Sanwo-Olu to market Lagos and, not surprisingly, he grabbed it with both hands.
This Chief Marketing Officer sure knows his onions and can deliver at a short notice.