“DEPUTY GOVERNORS ARE PARTNERS, NOT SPARE TYRES” – SANWO-OLU SHARES EXPERIENCE AT INDUCTION
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Babajide Sanwo-Olu, the governor of Lagos State, has emphasised the significance of the deputy governor, stating that any governor hoping for a stable government should see his deputy as partner and not as spare tyre.
Sanwo-Olu stated this while perspectives and practical ideas on governance during an interaction with his governor colleagues at a three-day induction for new and returning governors held at the Presidential Banquet Hall, State House, Abuja.
When addressing his fellow governors on the theme; “Managing the Process of Governance: Insights for New Governors,” Sanwo-Olu noted, “From the minute you are elected, you already have one guaranteed member of the team – your Deputy Governor.
“The relationship between a Governor and a Deputy Governor is highly important and must be carefully managed as it can significantly impact the workings and efficiency of your government.”
The governor also pointed out that the quality of transition determines the extent to which a new administrator could hit the ground running.
He pointed out that while some incoming governors will succeed pleasant predecessors and enjoy cordial transition that will make governance easy, others would have to deal with antagonistic transition teams from the outgoing administrations.
Sanwo-Olu advised those facing hostile transition processes to play the cards available to them, while articulating their governing agenda to help them meander through the transition phase.
He said: “The most significant and troubling challenges you will face as a new governor will not be anticipated. A lot of events will happen without warning. The ability to always be responsive, and to be able to quickly deploy mechanisms to attend to unexpected challenges will make a huge amount of difference. Negative news about your government and your person will receive more attention than positive developments, especially in social media.
“It is, therefore, important to keep sharing and amplifying the positives, whilst also responding to the negatives with action. Lagos has a unique challenge, in that it enjoys the highest degree of media and social media visibility for obvious reasons. Lagos is the hub of the Nigerian traditional media. It also has the widest Internet coverage and the highest number of Internet users in the country.”
Sanwo-Olu said setting a practicable governing agenda had empowered successive administrations in Lagos to quickly gain citizens’ acceptance. He advised the governors to consider setting a governing agenda that would have memorable acronyms and mantras.
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