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Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has urged Lagos residents to re-elect President Bola Tinubu and support Obafemi Hamzat in the 2027 elections.
Sanwo-Olu made the call on Thursday during activities marking Nigeria’s 66th Independence Anniversary at the Mobolaji Johnson Arena, Onikan, Lagos Island. The event featured an Independence Day parade by the Nigeria Police Force (NPF), paramilitary agencies and students.
Sanwo-Olu took the salute before the ceremony also featured the cutting of the Independence Anniversary cake. The governor delivered his eighth and final Independence Day address as Lagos governor. He said Nigeria’s survival through the civil war, military rule, economic hardship and political upheavals showed the resilience of its people.
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The Governor also highlighted the venue’s historical importance. He recalled that the Union Jack was lowered near the arena at midnight on October 1, 1960. The Nigerian flag was then raised to mark the country’s independence.
“Independence was not a rumour that reached Lagos late. It was born in Lagos, in the hearing of Lagosians,” he said.
Sanwo-olu said Nigeria had remained one country despite its difficult history. He also noted that the country had recorded 27 uninterrupted years of constitutional democracy. According to him, this is the longest period of civilian rule in Nigeria’s history.
“Here we are, 66 years, one country, one flag,” Sanwo-Olu said.
He acknowledged the hardship caused by recent economic reforms. The governor said rising food and transport costs had affected households across Lagos.
“I’ve asked a great deal of ordinary families. The price of a bag of rice, the price of a bus to work, every household in Lagos has felt it, and I’ve felt it,” he said.
However, he said the focus should remain on ensuring the reforms improve living standards. Sanwo-Olu described Lagos as a microcosm of Nigeria, with people from across the country living and working in the state.
“Lagos does not succeed in spite of Nigeria, and Nigeria does not succeed without Lagos,” he said.
The governor also highlighted his administration’s projects in transport, healthcare, education and digital governance. He cited the Blue and Red rail lines, road and bridge projects, healthcare facilities and expanded tertiary institutions.
Sanwo-Olu credited Lagos residents for the progress recorded under his administration.
“I did not build these things; Lagosians built them with me. With your taxes, your patience, your complaints, your holding us to account, the governor’s name fades on the plaque, but what remains is the people,” he said.
As his tenure draws to an end, Sanwo-Olu said he wanted to leave strong institutions behind. He said these institutions should continue working beyond any individual governor’s tenure. The governor also identified youth development and democratic participation as important to Nigeria’s future. He cited the contributions of young Lagosians to the creative, technology and entrepreneurial sectors.
Turning to the 2027 elections, Sanwo-Olu declared his support for the All Progressives Congress (APC). He urged Lagos residents to support Tinubu’s bid for a second term. He also backed his deputy, Obafemi Hamzat, for the Lagos governorship.
“ I am asking you, first, to re-elect President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for a second term of four years.
“He did what every President before him knew had to be done and none of them dared to do. You do not change the pilot when the aircraft has finished climbing and is about to level out.
“Vote the broom across the board for Dr Kadri Obafemi Hamzat, my brother and my Deputy these seven years, as the next Governor of Lagos State, so that nothing we have started is abandoned,” Sanwo-Olu said.
Hamzat is the APC’s candidate for the Lagos governorship election, following his emergence as the party’s candidate in May. Sanwo-Olu urged Lagos residents to participate peacefully in the 2027 elections.
“Vote peaceably, vote in your numbers, vote with your eyes open,” he said.
He also noted that Lagos had recorded peaceful transfers of power since the return to democratic rule in 1999. Returning to the symbolism of the Nigerian flag, Sanwo-Olu said it had remained flying despite the country’s difficult history.
“The flag has never come down. Sixty-six years after, those flags are still flying through war, through hardship, through long nights of trial, through every prophecy of collapse that clever people have written about this country since 1960,” he said.
The governor urged Nigerians, especially young people, to protect the country’s unity. He also called on them to build on the legacy inherited from previous generations.
“It is not our hour to retire, it is our hour to build,” he said.
Sanwo-Olu also paid tribute to security and paramilitary personnel who participated in the parade. He commended the schoolchildren who represented the next generation.
“To the school children in this arena who’ll see the 100th anniversary, this is your inheritance. Guard it, protect it, improve on it, and hand it to your own next generation,” he said.
The event was attended by government officials, traditional rulers, security agencies, students, members of the diplomatic community and other Lagos residents.
