Benjamin Omoike l Tuesday, May 28, 2019
IKEJA, Lagos, Nigeria – Lagos state governor, Akinwunmi Ambode, on Tuesday at the Lagos House, Alausa, Ikeja, handed over the reigns of power to governor-elect, Babajide Sanwo-Olu. The quiet ceremony, which lasted about an hour, also had in attendance the deputy governor-elect, Obafemi Hamzat and the Head of Service, HOS, Muri Okunola, among others.
According to the HOS, “Behind closed doors a few moments ago, His Excellency, governor Akinwunmi Ambode, did a private handover of his office and the residence to the governor-elect, in company of the deputy governor-elect, and he has also handed over the bill of documents symbolising the activities of his administration spanning the last four years. In addition to that, he has also handed over documents in the last 12 years of governance in Lagos prior to his administration.”
Sanwo-Olu, who will become the 6th democratically elected and 15th governor of Lagos, in his remarks, was conservative about all that transpired in the meeting.
“I’m indeed, the deputy governor-elect and myself, are happy that you could make out time to cover this simple but very symbolic ceremony. Like the Head of Service rightly said, we’ve had a very private meeting with the governor of Lagos state, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode and, we’re happy with what we’ve seen.
“We’re excited with the thoughts and conversations that we’ve had, and we look forward to the official ceremony tomorrow, and I dare say that all of you are invited. If you haven’t gotten an invite, take it from me that you so now have one.
“We truly need you, we need you to be part of the conversation in taking Lagos to a greater height. So, from day one, we want you to be part of that story. All of you are indeed welcome tomorrow and are invited to be part of the official inauguration ceremony, and thereafter, the governance of Lagos, which starts in earnest, and we enjoin you to go with us in the whole of that journey, and be our supporter, our partner, in the conversations to Lagosians in what we’re doing, and what we’re about.
“All we discussed is very private. There were more advice, there were more conversations around his his own his own thought process. How we should see and things and, they are more private. Advice that we should work with, and we need to respect that. What’s we need to work with are documents and we have these documents that he has handed over to us, and I think we will take it up from there,” Sanwo-Olu said.
