21 Facts About Babajide Sanwo-Olu

Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu was born on 25 June 1965 and is a Nigerian politician who has served as the governor of Lagos State since 2019.

Babajide Sanwo-Olu is a graduate of the University of Lagos, London Business School, Lagos Business School and the John F Kennedy School of Government.

Babajide Sanwo-Olu has a BSc in Surveying and an MBA from the University of Lagos.

Babajide Sanwo-Olu is an alumnus of the John F Kennedy School of Government, the London Business School and the Lagos Business School.

Babajide Sanwo-Olu is an associate member of the Chartered Institute of Personnel Management and fellow of the Nigeria Institute of Training and Development.

Babajide Sanwo-Olu was the treasurer at the former Lead Merchant Bank from 1994 to 1997, after which he moved to the United Bank for Africa as the head of foreign money market.

Babajide Sanwo-Olu then proceeded to First Inland Bank, Plc as a deputy general manager and divisional head.

Babajide Sanwo-Olu later became the chairman of Baywatch Group Limited and First Class Group Limited.

Babajide Sanwo-Olu began his political career in 2003, when he was appointed a special adviser on corporate matters to the then deputy governor of Lagos State, Femi Pedro.

Babajide Sanwo-Olu was later made the acting Commissioner for Economic Planning and Budget until 2007, when he was appointed as the Commissioner for Commerce and Industry by Governor Bola Tinubu.

Babajide Sanwo-Olu set up and was the pioneer board chairman of Lagos Security Trust Fund.

On 16 September 2018, Babajide Sanwo-Olu formally declared his intention to run for the office of the governor of Lagos State under the platform of the All Progressives Congress making him a major contender to the incumbent governor Akinwunmi Ambode.

Babajide Sanwo-Olu's declaration attracted endorsements from major stakeholders in Lagos State politics, including the famous in-house political group, Lagos chapter of the All Progressives Congress, the Governor's Advisory Council and members of the Lagos State House of Assembly.

Babajide Sanwo-Olu won the Lagos gubernatorial primaries of the All Progressives Congress on 2 October 2018.

Babajide Sanwo-Olu was sworn in as the 15th governor of Lagos State at the Tafawa Balewa Square Lagos Island on Wednesday 29 May 2019.

Babajide Sanwo-Olu has been working on different development activities, one of which is massive road construction in major areas across the state.

In 2020, Babajide Sanwo-Olu asked that the statue of Fela Kuti that was erected by Akinwunmi Ambode be removed from Allen Avenue in Ikeja, to ease the situation of traffic in that area.

Babajide Sanwo-Olu commissioned the Oshodi - Abule-Egba BRT Lane amongst other projects in 2020.

Babajide Sanwo-Olu was reelected governor under the umbrella of the All Progressives Congress during the 2023 Lagos State gubernatorial election held on 18 March defeating Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour of the Labour Party who came first runner up and AbdulAzeez Olajide 'Jandor' Adediran of the Peoples Democratic Party who came second runner up in a deeply violent and hate speech charged election that fuelled ethnic tensions.

The re-election of Babajide Sanwo-Olu was contested by both Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour of the Labour Party and Olajide Adediran of the Peoples Democratic Party.

Babajide Sanwo-Olu has obtained a variety of awards in his career, some of which include:.