14 facts you should know about Babajide Sanwo-Olu, Lagos governor-elect
Babajide Sanwo-Olu, after a breathtaking primary election on Tuesday, October 2, emerged the gubernatorial candidate of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in Lagos state, defeating the incumbent governor, Akinwunmi Ambode, with a landslide margin.
Sanwo-Olu’s victory was imminent as he was clearly the choice of the national leader of the ruling party, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, and other party leaders in the state.
However, apart from the fact that Sanwo-Olu was Tinubu’s preferred candidate, many do not know much about the man who is on the way to becoming the next Lagos state governor, if he wins the gubernatorial election in 2019.
Legit.ng in this piece provides 14 important facts about the governor-elect in Lagos state.
Family
1. Babajide Sanwo-Olu is 53-years-old. He is Christian and married to Dr (Mrs) Ibijoke Sanwo-Olu, their marriage is blessed with four kids.
Education
2. Sanwo-Olu is a graduate of the University of Lagos. He holds a B.Sc and an MBA in Surveying from the University of Lagos. He also attended the Kennedy School of Government, USA; the London Business School as well as the Lagos Business School (LBS).
Source: Depositphotos
READ ALSO: APC NWC endorses Sanwo-Olu’s victory
Profession
3. Sanwo-Olu is an associate member of the Chartered Institute of Personnel Management (CIPM) and a fellow of the Nigeria Institute of Training and Development (NITAD).
4. He was a renowned banker before venturing into politics. Between 1994 and 1997, he served as treasurer at former Lead Merchant Bank Plc.
5. Sanwo-Olu also served as head of foreign money market and deputy general manager at United Bank for Africa (UBA).
6. He was also deputy general manager, Divisional Head, at First Inland Bank, Plc. (now First City Monument Bank).
7. Sanwo-Olu was chairman of Baywatch Group Limited – a multifaceted company with interests in construction, property development and human capital development; First Class Group Limited, a cooling, power and maintenance solutions provider, among others.
Political appointment
8. In 2003, then deputy governor, Femi Pedro appointed Sanwo-Olu as special adviser on corporate matters.
9. He later became acting commissioner of economic planning and budget.
10. In 2007, Tinubu appointed Sanwo-Olu as the special adviser (corporate matters) before becoming a substantive commissioner for establishment.
11. Between 2007 and 2015, Sanwo-Olu served as Babatunde Fashola’s commissioner for establishments, training and pensions.
12. Sanwo-Olu is currently the managing director/CEO of the Lagos State Development and Property Corporation (LSDPC)
Awards/Social life
13. Sanwo-Olu has won several awards, which include the symbol of excellence award from the Civic Enlightenment Association of Nigeria, a gold mentor award from the National Association of Nigeria Nurses & Midwives (NANNM), a platinum award from the Lagos State Public Service Club and the 2009 best in human capital development award from the Industrial Training Fund (ITF).
14. Sanwo-Olu is a member of the Ikoyi Club, the Island Club, as well as the Clear Essence Health Club.
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Recall that Legit.ng earlier reported that Babajide Sanwo-Olu was declared the winner of the Lagos state governorship election.
Sanwo-Olu scored 739,445 votes to defeat Jimi Agbaje of the c who polled 206,141 votes, according to official results declared by the electoral commission, INEC.
Sanwo-Olu also won in all the local government areas in the state.
Lagos Governor: Is Sanwoolu a Better Candidate Than Ambode? | on Legit.ng TV
Source: Legit.ng
Nurudeen Lawal (Head of Politics and Current Affairs Desk) Nurudeen Lawal is an AFP-certified journalist with a wealth of experience spanning over 8 years. He received his B/Arts degree in Literature-in-English from OAU. Lawal is the Head of the Politics/CA Desk at Legit.ng, where he applies his expertise to provide incisive coverage of events. He was named the Political Desk Head of the Year (Nigeria Media Nite-Out Award 2023). He is also a certified fact-checker (Dubawa fellowship, 2020). Contact him at lawal.nurudeen@corp.legit.ng or +2347057737768.
Joseph Omotayo (HOD Human-Interest) Joseph Omotayo has been writing for the human interest desk since 2019 and is currently the head of the desk. He graduated from Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, with a degree in Literature in English in 2016. He once worked for Afridiaspora, OlisaTV & CLR. He is a 2022/2023 Kwame Karikari Fact-Checking fellow. He can be reached via: joseph.omotayo@corp.legit.ng.
