I’ve lost weight in one week as Lagos governor- Sanwo-Olu

…Says governing Lagos not a tea party

Mathew Dadiya, Abuja

Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has said that governing a cosmopolitan state like Lagos is not a tea party, addint that he has lost weight in one week upon assumption of office.

Sanwo-Olu took oath of office on May 29, 2019 just a week and some days ago.

The governor said this on Friday while speaking to State House correspondents after the Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF) met with President Muhammadu Buhari on security issues at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

When asked about his experience as governor in the last one week, he said: “The experience is real, it got to show that the challenges are real, they are there, it’s not a tea party.

“You don’t sleep and wake up and the traffic has gone down, you don’t sleep and wake up and there is no rain and that you’ve resolved Apapa gridlock, it’s real. So it’s something that has psychologically prepared one for being awake.

So the best thing to do is to ensure that you are not about looking for what the other person did but it’s for Lagosians to seeing you do what you said you are going to do for them.

“You don’t do it from the office, you have to do it from the road, you have to do it so that people will see and truly know that you mean business.

“I dare say that I have lost weight and probably I will lose a little bit more but I think it’s what the job entails and it is to also ensure that you have the right team of people that would also support you.

“So when as a leader you show that leadership support, then the message itself will trickle down and trickle down very well and that is why we have to take very bold ideas and you’re going to see a lot.”

Speaking on what his administration would do to curtail the security challenges in Lagos, the governor said that security was everybody’s businesses.

“But as a governor, one also has a major responsibility to ensure that as number one security officer of the state, security of lives and properties is also paramount as the chief executive officer of a state.

Beyond the fact that everybody has some responsibilities or the other, just as a father has his kids, a wife has her children as managing director has to his staff, so the state Governor also has to the entire state.

“So, it’s a work in progress for us as a state and for me in particular, it’s something that I take very seriously. We are not just to be mouthing it but we make sure that we put resources in place and strategies.

“We’ve been talking about domesticating and pushing part of the initiatives around security trust fund that we’ve done.”

“We will continue to engage, and continue to identify what are the sources, what are the underlining issues that is bringing about it. Are they economic, are they more than that, so that we will also attack the root cause.

“It is something that for us as a government that is looking for investors; we certainly must continue to be in a position where we can give confidence to all our investors that it’s a safe haven to come and invest.

“So for me, it’s important, it’s paramount and I thank Mr. President for calling us to have this conversation,” Governor Sanwo-Olu said.

On the role of Lagos State in the region security cooperation by the South West governors, Sanwo-Olu said: “It’s still work in progress and we have a South West leader who I am sure has also addressed the press on the matter.

“I don’t want to be at the risk of preempting what that body will do, let us wait for them to come up with a proper action plan at the regional level and let’s see what solution it will come with.”