Sanwo-Olu: Governing Lagos Intentionally

Behind the evolving admirable Lagos, is an intentional governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, who leaves nothing to chance. Oluwaseyi Adedotun writes.

When Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu assumed leadership of Lagos State, he inherited a sprawling urban engine with immense potential and equally complex challenges.

Yet, what has distinguished his leadership is not merely the scale of projects delivered, but the intentionality behind them – the disciplined alignment of vision, policy and institutions toward a deliberate, integrated and sustainable transformation of Lagos.

From his first day in office, Sanwo-Olu understood that Lagos offers no grace period. Governance demanded real-time problem-solving, visible leadership and strategic foresight.

This lived experience shaped a philosophy that blends hands-on action with long-term planning. It also ensures that policies are not isolated interventions but interconnected levers of development.

Under Sanwo-Olu, intentional governance means that no policy stands alone. It also moves the governance from the pedestal of reactionary to proactiveness.

Transformation efforts in social service delivery like Transport, Education, Art, Culture and Entertainment, Health, Agriculture, Housing, Human Capital and Security and Enterprise Development, are deliberately designed to reinforce one another.

Sustainability is embedded into the architecture of governance, so that projects, institutions and reforms endure beyond electoral cycles.

This philosophy is expressed through the administration’s strategic blueprint – the THEMES Agenda, which integrates Transportation and Traffic Management, Health and Environment, Education and Technology, Making Lagos a 21st-Century Economy, Entertainment and Tourism, and Security and Governance, expanded into THEMES+ to embed social inclusion, gender equity and youth empowerment.

Through this framework, Lagos is governed as a living system, where infrastructure powers commerce, education fuels enterprise, culture propels tourism, health safeguards productivity, housing anchors dignity, and governance ensures sustainability.

Specifically, Transportation, the first pillar of THEMES, best illustrates intentional governance in action. Lagos has moved from reactive traffic management to a strategic, multimodal mobility ecosystem integrating rail, road and waterways into a single economic enabler.

The Blue Line from Marina to Mile 2 and the Red Line from Ebute Metta to Badagry have carried millions of commuters, slashing travel times, easing congestion and unlocking new commercial corridors.

It is judicious to conclude that planning for the Green Line and the Fourth Mainland Bridge is not simply about moving vehicles; it is about deliberately reshaping Lagos’ economic geography, reducing logistics costs and integrating dense mainland communities with island business districts.

Sanwo-Olu’s intentionality is also in display in transport investments, which are not incidental, as road infrastructure is intentionally designed to feed the rail system and open up communities that were hitherto disconnected.

The Opebi-Odo-Iyaláro-Ojota Link Road and Bridge, popularly known as the Opebi-Mende Link Road, also exemplifies this intentionality. It created a critical east-west connector, where none existed, linking residential and commercial districts, shortening travel times and unlocking new economic activity.

Across the state, road reconstruction in Alimosho, Ifako-Ijaiye, Amuwo-Odofin and Badagry axis deliberately complement rail investments.

Same as the rail-grade separation bridges in Ebute Metta, Yaba, Mushin, Oshodi, Ikeja and Agege. They were embedded in a design that saves lives, unlocks micro-economic hubs and stimulates inclusive commerce.

In Sanwo-Olu’s Lagos, with the intentionality deployed in its design, transport is not just a civic service; it is a strategic tool for productivity, trade and national competitiveness, with link roads ensuring that connectivity is universal, and not exclusive.

Health policy formulation and execution reflects the same intentional integration. The revitalisation of health infrastructure, including the historic Massey Street Children’s Hospital, demonstrates a deliberate commitment to safeguarding the most vulnerable and at the same time strengthening Lagos’ human capital pipeline.

Massey is not merely a hospital project; first of its kind in size, it is a strategic investment in child survival, maternal health and long-term productivity.

Alongside the Lagos State Health Insurance Scheme, “Ilera Eko”, health insurance expansion and modernised general hospitals, Lagos is building a health system that protects livelihoods, reduces catastrophic health spending and anchors economic growth on a healthy population.

Education has also been intentionally reshaped to produce economically empowered citizens, not just certificate holders.

The reintroduction of the Comprehensive Secondary School model and the expansion of technical and vocational education through the Lagos State Technical and Vocational Education Board, reflect a deliberate shift toward skills-based learning.

By establishing comprehensive schools where students graduate with industry-relevant competencies, Lagos is deepening its MSME, manufacturing, technology and creative ecosystems.

The intentional approach of Sanwo-Olu to governance is packaging education as economic policy – a multiplier that converts classrooms into engines of national productivity.

In arts, culture and entertainment, the global recognition as one of six Arts destinations for 2026, by Artsy is not an accident. Cultural renaissance, creatives and entertainment sit at the heart of Sanwo-Olu’s economic strategy.

From Day One, the creative sector was positioned as a driver of jobs, tourism, global branding and urban identity.

Several Festivals of Arts, Culture and Entertainment, instituted are well calculated initiatives by the administration, now yielding results in the form of job creation, revenue generation and promotion of commerce and trade among others.

Cultural Festivals such as Adamu Orisa (Eyo) and the Door of Return, etc, are tools targeted at revitalised cultural institutions and offer deliberate support for entertainment and tourism.

Through deliberate effort at preserving the cultural identity of Lagos, Sanwo-Olu’s policies have transformed Lagos into a year-round destination.

In 2026, Lagos will take its place on the world’s art itinerary following its naming by Artsy as one of the top global art destinations, alongside Venice, Sydney and Doha.

With ART X Lagos, the Lagos Biennial and the permanent home of the Àkéte Collection and Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, this global recognition is not accidental; it is the product of intentional governance, a model that treats culture as economic infrastructure and identity as a strategic asset.

In agriculture and food security, Sanwo-Olu’s intentionality is equally evident. The Produce for Lagos agreement with Niger State is a regional economic strategy, not a standalone project.

With a ₦500 billion agro-investment window, Lagos is poised to effectively sustain security, affordability and availability, while also empowering farmers beyond its borders.

Multi-level food hubs now create jobs across the edibles value chain, proving that Lagos’s policies are locally relevant yet nationally transformative.

Housing is treated as both economic and social infrastructure. With over 12,000 housing units delivered across the state, the administration has intentionally linked shelter to productivity, reducing commuting burdens, stabilising communities and enabling inclusive growth.

These are not isolated estates. They are integrated developments with premeditation connection to transport, services and jobs. Sanwo-Olu’s intentional manner of governance is reinforcing the fact that housing is central to achieving the Greater Lagos ambition of a 21 Century Mega City.

Likewise, Security under Sanwo-Olu is pursued as an economic enabler. Through institutional coordination, technology deployment and community partnership, Lagos has strengthened safety and public confidence.

Notably, the state has recorded only a single case of bank robbery in the last seven years, a powerful indicator of deliberate, intelligence-driven security governance.

Through the instrumentality of the Lagos State Security Trust Fund (LSSSTF), the Sanwo-Olu-led administration has sustained its pragmatic approach to security, by providing logistic and motivational support to all security outfits in the state.

Sanwo-Olu’s policies are the type that adopt responsibility, not because it is under its constitutional obligations, but because it prioritises humanity over administrative bottlenecks and political correctness.

Lagos State Government, through the Fund has donated hundreds of vehicles, boots and other logistics to the Nigeria Police Force, the Nigeria Security Civil Defence Corp (NSCDC), the Military and other Federal Government-owned security organisations.

The Rapid Response Squad (RRS), a police regiment dedicated to security requests from members of the public, and the Special Environmental Task Force, a mixed uniform squad ensures enforcement of environmental laws.

Social safety is equally intentional. Programmes such as EkoCares demonstrate that inclusion is not charity but a strategy to stabilise society, protect demand and sustain growth.

Through skills acquisition centres, enterprise development programmes and targeted financial support, Lagos has intentionally deepened its MSME ecosystem, especially for women and youth.

In the 2024/2025 cohort alone, 5,309 graduates completed training across 211 skills acquisition centres, while more than 30,000 Lagosians have been trained over the past five to six years.

These are productivity interventions that reduce unemployment, strengthen social stability and expand Nigeria’s economic base.

Sanwo-Olu’s leadership is defined by visibility and service. His administration measures success not by policy documents but by lived realities, resilience, opportunity and the daily experience of Lagosians.

He engages communities, adapts constantly to the city’s complexity and leads with purpose. When asked how he wishes to be remembered, he says simply: “As a leader who gave his all, helped people advance personally and economically, and left Lagos better than he met it.”

Under his stewardship, Lagos has emerged as a global economic heavyweight, with a city GDP estimated at US$259.75 billion (PPP), placing it among Africa’s largest urban economies.

National commendations, including from President Bola Tinubu for landmark rail and infrastructure projects, affirm that Lagos’ trajectory contributes meaningfully to Nigeria’s broader development goals.

What defines Sanwo-Olu’s Lagos is intentional governance in action: integration, sustainability and strategic foresight.

From multimodal transport that fuels commerce, to skills-driven education that creates tomorrow’s workforce; from regional agriculture partnerships that secure food systems, to culturally anchored growth that positions Lagos on the global stage; from health infrastructure that protects human capital, to housing that restores dignity; and from security that stabilises society, to enterprise support that expands opportunity, policies are vehicles for transformation.