Sanwo-Olu Babajide Olusola
Sanwo-Olu Babajide Olusola is a Nigerian politician from Lagos. They have contested 1 election (1 win) across 1 party, receiving 762K total votes. Most recent: 2023 Gubernatorial Elections as All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate.
Biography
Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu (born 25 June 1965) is a Nigerian politician who has served as the governor of Lagos State since 2019. Sanwo-Olu became governor under the platform of the All Progressives Congress after winning the APC gubernatorial primaries against then-incumbent governor, Akinwunmi Ambode who had fallen out of favour with his alleged political sponsor. He is a graduate of the University of Lagos, London Business School, Lagos Business School, and the John F. Kennedy School of Government. Before his gubernatorial ambition, he was the managing director and CEO of Lagos State Property Development Corporation (LSPDC).
Sanwo-Olu briefly attended Government Demonstration School, Gbaja Surulere before moving to Ijebu-Ife Grammar School, Ogun State to complete his secondary education. He has a BSc in Surveying and an MBA from the University of Lagos. He is an alumnus of the John F. Kennedy School of Government, the London Business School, and the Lagos Business School. He is an associate member of the Chartered Institute of Personnel Management (CIPM) and fellow of the Nigeria Institute of Training and Development (NITAD).
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. He then proceeded to First Inland Bank, Plc (now First City Monument Bank) as a deputy general manager and divisional head. He later became the chairman of Baywatch Group Limited and First Class Group Limited. 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. He 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. After the General Elections of 2007, Sanwo-Olu was appointed Commissioner for Establishments, Training and Pensions by Governor Babatunde Fashola.
Sanwo-Olu was made Managing Director/CEO of the Lagos State Development and Property Corporation (LSDPC) by Governor Akinwunmi Ambode in 2016. Some of his notable public sector achievements include supervising the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE) privatisation projects. He set up and was the pioneer board chairman of Lagos Security Trust Fund. The LAGBUS System and the Control & Command Centre in Alausa Ikeja were established under his directives. On 16 September 2018, 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 (APC), attracting endorsements from major stakeholders, including the APC Lagos chapter and the Governor’s Advisory Council. He won the APC primaries on 2 October 2018. At the APC flag-off campaign rally on 8 January 2019, Governor Akinwunmi Ambode and other political parties pledged support for his candidacy. Sanwo-Olu was elected governor in a landslide victory over Jimi Agbaje at the 2019 Lagos gubernatorial election on 9 March 2019. He was sworn in on 29 May 2019.
In 2020, Sanwo-Olu requested the removal of the Fela Kuti statue from Allen Avenue in Ikeja to ease traffic congestion. He commissioned the Oshodi–Abule-Egba BRT Lane among other projects. He was reelected governor in the 2023 Lagos gubernatorial election on 18 March, defeating Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour of the Labour Party and AbdulAzeez Olajide ‘Jandor’ Adediran of the Peoples Democratic Party. The Lagos State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal affirmed his victory on 25 September 2023, rejecting petitions from Rhodes-Vivour and Adediran.
Sanwo-Olu has received various awards, including the Platinum award from the Lagos State Public Service Club, the 2009 Best in Human Capital Development award from the Industrial Training Fund (ITF), Merit awards from the Association of National Accountants of Nigeria, the Chartered Institute of Personnel Management in Nigeria (CIPMN), and the Association of Professional Women Engineers of Nigeria (APWEN). He also received the LSDPC Impactful Leadership and Recognition Award, Media Nite-Out Award for Best Governor of the Year (2020), and was a Special Guest of Honour at the Ikoyi Club 1938 Table Tennis event (2025). Sanwo-Olu is married to Ibijoke Sanwo-Olu and is Christian.
Political Career
Party Positions
Policy positions from the All Progressives Congress (APC) party manifesto.
Agriculture
Launches the Irrigate Nigeria Project as a public-private partnership to develop small-scale irrigation and water catchment systems using modern technology to boost agricultural productivity.
Security & Defense
Will deploy modern aerial surveillance and advanced technology to monitor and deter intrusions into oil pipelines, power stations, and other critical national infrastructure in real time.
Environment & Climate
Accelerates the environmental cleanup and re-establishment of fisheries and profitable aquacultural activities in the Niger-Delta region to counter violent extremism and poverty-driven disaffection.
Economy & Trade
Will implement the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) and additional favorable policies to attract investment in deep-water assets within 6 months, including encouraging signature bonus negotiations and royalty reliefs.
Infrastructure
Creates regional industrial hubs in specific zones (North West, North East, South East, South South, South West, North Central) to focus on labor-intensive manufacturing, with tailored investments (e.g., textiles, dry ports, glass, pottery, solid minerals, regulated mining).
Enterprise grant support
Work with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to simplify loan processes for commercial banks, mandate federally owned banks to provide low-cost loans to youth-led enterprises, and expand business incubation centers to support youth innovation.
Energy
Will mandate gas metering equipment on all facilities where gas flaring occurs within 6 months and establish a special enforcement unit to monitor compliance with the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) on gas flaring reduction, with non-compliance leading to financial penalties for affected communities.
Governance & Reform
Reserve at least 3 cabinet positions for individuals under 40 and 6 more positions for members under the age of 40, and mandate that at least 20% of political appointments to Ministries/Dangomas (MDAs) be reserved for individuals under 40.
Education
Raises the priority of addressing out-of-school children, establishes a task force to review and strengthen programs like school feeding, and aims to reduce disaffected youth recruitment by violent groups.
Healthcare
Will establish a network of upgraded, equipped, and staffed general hospitals in every Local Government Area, tertiary facilities in each State, and world-class specialist hospitals in each geo-political zone to improve healthcare accessibility and quality.
Technology & Digital
Supports the development of MSMEs through partnerships with fintech players to expand access to capital and business development services.
Reliefs and scholarships
Commits to a conditional income support program requiring recipients to meet human capital goals (school attendance, healthcare, nutrition) in exchange for payments.