His Excellency, Mr. Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu was elected the 15th Governor of Lagos State on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC). He was declared winner of the March 9, 2019 gubernatorial elections by the Independent Electoral Commission (INEC) on Sunday, March 10, 2019 after defeating 44 other candidates who represented different parties at the election.

A product of resounding victory, His Excellency, Mr. Sanwo-Olu polled 75.6% of the total valid votes cast in the election to substantiate his legitimacy, which was further affirmed by a 72.12% vote difference between him and the next contestant.

His victory at the election is a solid endorsement of his leadership aptitude and the All Progressives Congress (APC) politics of development and inclusiveness in Lagos State. As an inspirational leader, with a track-record of performance, his candidacy was welcomed by Lagosians as a continuation of ongoing development in Lagos State.

Mr. Sanwo-Olu, who was born on June 25, 1965 in Lagos State, is a reliable party man and astute politician, who is reputed for his people-centered ideology. His foray into Public Service started after decades of accomplishments in the private sector, especially the Nigerian banking sector, from where he retired as a General Manager.

His Excellency, Mr. Sanwo-Olu’s entry became a reference point for professionalism and excellence in the Public Service. At 39, he was appointed acting Commissioner for Economic Planning & Budget from 2004 to 2005 and later became the substantive Commissioner for Commerce and Industry in 2007 following his exceptional performance.

He also refocused the organisation to effectively tackle housing deficit in the state, which again validated his credentials as a resourceful leader and problem solver. His valuable experience garnered from executive-level roles in the private and public sectors has not only distinguished him, but also made him a valuable resource to some notable organisations on whose boards he has served.

Mrs. Solape Hammond is the Special Adviser to the Governor of Lagos State on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and Investments.

Prior to this, she worked in the private sector for over 20 years in various capacities, gathering experience in Management Consulting, Risk Management, Banking and Financial Advisory.

Solape commenced her consulting career at Accenture, leaving as a Manager in the Finance and Performance Management Market Unit. She has also previously worked in Credit Administration and Risk Management at a Nigerian Merchant Bank and served as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of a financial advisory firm based in Lagos with clients across Nigeria, Ghana, Zambia and other parts of Africa.

She then established a business advisory firm – Ten Talents Limited – which provides business planning, recruitment, strategy development, process improvement, organizational transformation, risk management, performance management, programme management and financial advisory services.

She also co-founded Impact Hub Lagos and served as it’s inaugural CEO. Impact Hub Lagos is part of a rapidly expanding global network of over 16,000 members across 90+ open hubs in 50 countries worldwide.

Over the years, Solape has supported several national macro-economic transformation initiatives including the Central Bank of Nigeria Transformation Programme (CBN Project EAGLES 2003-2005) and the Security and Exchange Commission (SEC) Capital Markets Transformation Plan (2013-2014) as well as on interventions for small and medium sized businesses (SMEs) providing fundraising and advisory services, consulting support and research.

Solape is passionate about social change and has served on the Boards or Advisory Councils of various organisations in and outside the country.

She graduated from the University of Ibadan with a Bachelor of Science degree in Economics (1999) and also holds a Masters in Business Administration (MBA) degree from INSEAD.

Mrs. Abosede Oluwakemi George was born on 10th April, 1966 to the Ajose family in Lagos State.

She attended K, Kotun Memorial Nursery and primary School in Surulere from 1970-1977. She later proceeded to Reagan Memorial Baptist Girls Secondary School, Yaba from 1977-1982. She was admitted to St. Gregory’s College Obalende, Lagos from 1982-1984 for her A’ Levels and later Igbobi College, Lagos from 1984-1985. She gained admission to Lagos State University from 1985-1989 and graduated in the 2nd Class Upper Division BA Hons English. While in the University, Mrs. George was a Mobil Scholar having won the Mobil Oil producing Students Scholarship throughout her course of Study.

Thereafter, in her quest for educational fulfillment, she acquired Master’s degree in Business Administration (MBA) with specialization in Human Resources management (HRM) as a pioneer set of the programme at the Lagos State University and graduated with Distinction as the best graduating student in Human Resource Management winning the following prizes and awards:

She proceeded to acquire another degree in Law at the University of Lagos and was called to the Nigerian Bar as a Barrister and Solicitor of the Supreme Court of Nigeria in 2008.

Mrs. George served in the Employee Relations Department of Mobil Oil in 1990-1991 as a Youth Corper and later as an Administrative Officer in Mobo Associates from 1991-1994.

She joined the Lagos State Public Service on 23rd May 1994 and was posted to the Zonal Office of the defunct P.P. Tescom where she performed Administrative functions as Officer-in-charge of Confirmation of Appointment and Leave Matters.

In 1999, she was deployed to Lagos State Water Corporation by the Office of the Head of Service as a result of her excellent performance there she worked as Training Manager in the Human Resources Department from 1999-2002.

In year 2002, she was nominated to participate in the Oracle HR implementation Training Programme of Lagos State Government and was redeployed from Lagos State Water Corporation to the Public Service Office as one of the pioneer Officers to handle the Oracle Go-Live from 2003-2006.

Due to her zeal and dedication to work, Mrs. George was later deployed to Ministry of Establishments, Training and Pensions to start the Oracle HR Office of the Agency with assigned mandate for Junior Officers. This assignment, she carried out with great success from 2006-2009.

Having acquired great skills in this area, she was redeployed back to Public Service Office from 2009-2016 as the Head/Director Oracle HR Public service Office, a post she admirably held till 2016 when she was deployed to the then Office of Overseas Affairs and Investment now Office of Sustainable Development Goals and Investment (Lagos global) as Director (Admin & HR) till her appointment as Permanent Secretary on 28th January, 2021. She is a member of the following professional associations:

She is currently the Chairman of CIPM Alausa Chapter and Member of the Membership Committee at the CIPM National. Her resilience, steadfastness and commitment to the development of HR in the State Public Service earned her the year 2020 National Productivity Order of Merit Award by the Lagos State Government.

In her trajectory in the State Public Service, She achieved the Following:

ACHIEVEMENTS

Mr. Olalekan Fatodu is a media consultant, public relations expert and development practitioner. He is the Senior Special Assistant on Sustainable Development Goals(SDGs) to the Governor of Lagos State, Babajide Sanwo-Olu.

Fatodu who was born in Lagos had his primary, secondary and tertiary education in Lagos. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in mass communication from the University of Lagos. Shortly afterward, he proceeded to the United Kingdom where he earned a Master's degree in Diplomatic Studies from the University of Westminster. Fatodu is a PRINCE2 certified project management practitioner.

Until his appointment by Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, Fatodu served in a dual role as the publisher of Checkout Magazine a business and development-focused publication, and lead consultant at Leeman Communication, a development digital solutions and strategic communications firm and the producer of the highly successful entrepreneurship forum, the Africa Shapers Initiative, a platform for the exchange of great ideas between established and aspiring entrepreneurs on the continent.

Fatodu, a renowned development expert has over 18 years of experience in the areas of International Development, Strategic Communications and Diplomacy garnered through his early years of engagement in global actions and focusing on common good in different parts of the world.

In 2017, Fatodu convened the 1st African Roundtable on Business and Sustainable Development in the British Houses of Parliament, London, a high-level engagement that played host to the then British Prime Minister’s Envoy on Trade to Nigeria, John Howell and the Private Parliamentary Secretary on International Trade, Iain Stewart and other influential stakeholders in International Development towards engendering better outcomes from actions.

He is a recipient of the Most Outstanding Entrepreneur Award by Strides Media UK in 2011 and was awarded for his ‘outstanding achievement and exemplary public endeavours” by the University of Lagos Alumni Association, Lagos State Chapter in 2014 amongst other honours.

As the most populous city in Nigeria and a global hub of international business and commerce, Lagos is one of three “command centers” for the African economy (along with Johannesburg and Nairobi).

The GDP of the formal economy of Lagos is estimated to be $136.6 billion contributing 25% to the GDP of Nigeria as at August 2015. The GDP has an estimated growth rate of 10% and it is expected that by 2025 the GDP will be $355billion.

The state’s contribution can be attributed to the following factors:

Law Investment by bothe local and foreign investors Sound fiscal policies by the state government Favourable business and economic conditions Its prime location in West Africa, serving as an access point to many other markets in Africa

Lagos State is home to a multitude of multinational companies because of its favourable economic conditions and vast population. This combination provides a large market for any product or service that is launched in the state.