AMBODE, CYNICS AND LAGOS’ PROGRESS

Rasak Musbau

Cynics and professional critics are at it again. Within just a few months in office, current Lagos State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode has become the object of their fruitless past time. That Akinwunmi Ambode emerged as the 14th Governor of Lagos State with vast experiences spanning 27 years of public service in the State is no longer news. It may be asked, why should one be concerned about how leaders reflect on past experience? One, the value in having these experiences lies in how such experiences are influenced by reflection for better outcomes. Second, while it is intuitive that reflection is important for leadership development, and indeed features in many leadership development efforts, exactly how this reflection is done is left very much to the imagination of the leader.

Lagos has always been blessed with dynamic and visionary governors who have put in place a master plan for the development of the State. Obviously, Ambode will benefit from this master plan which is widely believed to be responsible for the State’s progress. Hence, Ambode is well positioned to continue the implementation of the State Development Plan (2012-2025) which is structured under four pillars; Social Development and Security; Infrastructural Development; Economic Development and Sustainable Environment.

No doubt, Ambode has been able to cross the line immediately in his bold bid to expand the frontiers of human possibilities in Nigeria’s Centre of Excellence and commercial nerve centre. He came better prepared than anybody in recent memory to steer the affairs of Lagos to new heights. With an appreciable understanding of the system, Ambode has been able to hit the ground running from day one of his inauguration as Governor of the State. Definitely, this is where his experience in the State public service comes handy as it thoroughly aids his understanding of the system. He has the singular advantage of being a key actor in the conceptualization and implementation of the Lagos development master plan. This invaluable opportunity, thus, stands him in good stead to take Lagos to the next level.

But while it may be possible to duplicate masterpieces using technology, leadership episodes are often unique, making it difficult, if not impossible, to replicate in its entirety. More often than not, particularly in high reliability organizations, leaders do not have the luxury of repeating a leadership episode; much less repeat a mistake, in order to (re)learn from it. It is on the basis of this that recent institutional and personnel changes effected in the state should be understood.

Ambode anchors the key goals of his administration on two principal pillars: Making life simpler for the people and making life happier for the people. This, without doubt, is informed by the timeless utilitarian values of the necessity of government in pursuing the greatest happiness of the greatest number of the people.
Towards the realization of these goals, Ambode has effected some institutional reforms. These include establishing a new Ministry of Wealth Creation and Employment Generation while eliminating the extant Ministry of Rural Development and devolving its responsibilities to other relevant agencies of government. Similarly, he has upgraded the Office of Civic Engagement in the Office of the Governor to more fully tap the potentials of civil society in governance while also creating the Office of Overseas and Investment, which coordinates all investment related activities. The objective, clearly, is to enhance the quality and impact of governance while reducing the associated administrative costs.

During his campaigns, Ambode consistently pledged to return governance in Lagos to the people. As someone who began his public service career at the local government level and rose to the peak of the Local Government Service, he certainly knew what he was talking about. As Mwalimu Julius Nyerere once said, it is only a given people that can develop themselves. Development cannot be imposed on people by an all knowing monarch from the top. Development is nothing if it is not self- development.

It is equally instructive that within the very short period he has been in power, Ambode has met with key agencies of government that regularly interface with the public such as the Lagos State Traffic Management Agency (LASTMA) as well as the Kick Against Indiscipline (KAI). The aim is not just structural administrative adjustments to elevate the quality of governance but also attitudinal re-orientation of public officers for more positive engagement with the populace. It was indeed in this spirit that the engagement with the media was organized. Stressing the constitutional oversight role of the media, Mr Ambode described the press as the ‘control valve’, which has a responsibility of speaking truth to power and pointing out where government is going wrong.

It is also often the case that leaders are called to perform in novel situations that require them to act wisely or to improvise and adapt from experience. In fact, leadership itself is an adaptive process. In the quest for rejuvenating the State Public Service and to strategically strengthen it to face the challenges ahead and maintain its special status as the number one Public Service in the Federation, the governor recently appointed 19 new Permanent Secretaries to steer the ship of the State’s public service.

Without a doubt, Ambode has demonstrated that his administration has what it takes to move Lagos to new heights. Cynics and unabashed critics are, therefore, in for a major shock as the Governor is not only set to consolidate past gains in the State but equally poised to cover new grounds.Rasak Musbau

Cynics and professional critics are at it again. Within just a few months in office, current Lagos State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode has become the object of their fruitless past time. That Akinwunmi Ambode emerged as the 14th Governor of Lagos State with vast experiences spanning 27 years of public service in the State is no longer news. It may be asked, why should one be concerned about how leaders reflect on past experience? One, the value in having these experiences lies in how such experiences are influenced by reflection for better outcomes. Second, while it is intuitive that reflection is important for leadership development, and indeed features in many leadership development efforts, exactly how this reflection is done is left very much to the imagination of the leader.

Lagos has always been blessed with dynamic and visionary governors who have put in place a master plan for the development of the State. Obviously, Ambode will benefit from this master plan which is widely believed to be responsible for the State’s progress. Hence, Ambode is well positioned to continue the implementation of the State Development Plan (2012-2025) which is structured under four pillars; Social Development and Security; Infrastructural Development; Economic Development and Sustainable Environment.

No doubt, Ambode has been able to cross the line immediately in his bold bid to expand the frontiers of human possibilities in Nigeria’s Centre of Excellence and commercial nerve centre. He came better prepared than anybody in recent memory to steer the affairs of Lagos to new heights. With an appreciable understanding of the system, Ambode has been able to hit the ground running from day one of his inauguration as Governor of the State. Definitely, this is where his experience in the State public service comes handy as it thoroughly aids his understanding of the system. He has the singular advantage of being a key actor in the conceptualization and implementation of the Lagos development master plan. This invaluable opportunity, thus, stands him in good stead to take Lagos to the next level.

But while it may be possible to duplicate masterpieces using technology, leadership episodes are often unique, making it difficult, if not impossible, to replicate in its entirety. More often than not, particularly in high reliability organizations, leaders do not have the luxury of repeating a leadership episode; much less repeat a mistake, in order to (re)learn from it. It is on the basis of this that recent institutional and personnel changes effected in the state should be understood.

Ambode anchors the key goals of his administration on two principal pillars: Making life simpler for the people and making life happier for the people. This, without doubt, is informed by the timeless utilitarian values of the necessity of government in pursuing the greatest happiness of the greatest number of the people.
Towards the realization of these goals, Ambode has effected some institutional reforms. These include establishing a new Ministry of Wealth Creation and Employment Generation while eliminating the extant Ministry of Rural Development and devolving its responsibilities to other relevant agencies of government. Similarly, he has upgraded the Office of Civic Engagement in the Office of the Governor to more fully tap the potentials of civil society in governance while also creating the Office of Overseas and Investment, which coordinates all investment related activities. The objective, clearly, is to enhance the quality and impact of governance while reducing the associated administrative costs.

During his campaigns, Ambode consistently pledged to return governance in Lagos to the people. As someone who began his public service career at the local government level and rose to the peak of the Local Government Service, he certainly knew what he was talking about. As Mwalimu Julius Nyerere once said, it is only a given people that can develop themselves. Development cannot be imposed on people by an all knowing monarch from the top. Development is nothing if it is not self- development.

It is equally instructive that within the very short period he has been in power, Ambode has met with key agencies of government that regularly interface with the public such as the Lagos State Traffic Management Agency (LASTMA) as well as the Kick Against Indiscipline (KAI). The aim is not just structural administrative adjustments to elevate the quality of governance but also attitudinal re-orientation of public officers for more positive engagement with the populace. It was indeed in this spirit that the engagement with the media was organized. Stressing the constitutional oversight role of the media, Mr Ambode described the press as the ‘control valve’, which has a responsibility of speaking truth to power and pointing out where government is going wrong.

It is also often the case that leaders are called to perform in novel situations that require them to act wisely or to improvise and adapt from experience. In fact, leadership itself is an adaptive process. In the quest for rejuvenating the State Public Service and to strategically strengthen it to face the challenges ahead and maintain its special status as the number one Public Service in the Federation, the governor recently appointed 19 new Permanent Secretaries to steer the ship of the State’s public service.

Without a doubt, Ambode has demonstrated that his administration has what it takes to move Lagos to new heights. Cynics and unabashed critics are, therefore, in for a major shock as the Governor is not only set to consolidate past gains in the State but equally poised to cover new grounds.