Babajide Sanwo-Olu in Magodo: Fiasco or Victory?

The events that saw an unknown CSP refuse, albeit respectfully, the request of the Lagos State Governor to evacuate his men from Magodo Shangisha, has led to a number of varying interpretations, ranging from the pedestrian, to politically motivated, and even to the downright ridiculous. The commentaries mainly centered around the Governor’s presence at ground zero and allied events.

Here are my thoughts;

1. He engaged the parties with a view to giving them the justice that has been denied them by every other Governor of Lagos State since 1984. (You can fill in the names of those who had the opportunity to have fixed the issue, and they include very notable names.) By refusing to deflect, and buy time, he showed courage, he took responsibility – he showed leadership.

2. He respected the views of a CSP and made no attempt to bully. Instead, he engaged him with logic, common sense, and respect for his office. This is a strength, not a weakness. It would have been easier to wield the might of his office, in his home tuff, with a supporting cast of residents. Instead, he showed restraint, maturity, and respect for the common folk, who just came to do his job. This is Leadership.

3. I didn’t like the Governor’s handling of the EndSars protest and the ensuing events, but I agree with Reno Omokri that his reaction to the CSP at Magodo, strongly refutes the notion that this Governor has the capacity or the temperament to have ordered soldiers to massacre protesters during the EndSars. I’d think not.

4. More importantly, his presence at the theatre of war, as it were, significantly de-escalated the situation. He involved himself in the murky waters of age-old issues at a time when it would have been more convenient to do the opposite. He brought peace and security even at a personal cost, a cost, that I judge “equity well-spent”. This is what it truly means to be the Chief Security Officer. He risked his personal reputation to achieve peace and security using means that cost no damage to life or property. This is LEADERSHIP – SELF SACRIFICE!

Thus far, on this issue, I think we can see that the Governor has shown profound respect for the human person, he has been dignified while being vilified, he has shown courage, and he has shown an uncommon sense of responsibility and accountability even for the sins of past Governments.
This is IMPECCABLE LEADERSHIP if ever there was one.

I hope that he goes on to execute the terms of the peace speedily in order to sustain the peace efforts. I am confident he won’t fail in this after investing so much personal equity.

Chief Leonard Eteh Ebute