The combination of affluence, generosity, and humility hardly come together for one person, but here they are for a successful corporate lawyer turned public official, Barrister Tokunbo Phillip Wahab. For the dynamic Lagos Commissioner in charge of Environment and Water Resources, his humility, particularly, has often given many high self-esteem whenever they get the chance to relate with him. A very urbane Wahab may not have inherited the riches of his parents, but he has indeed inherited their wealth of virtues. The Ketu-Epe born Wahab is a man of integrity and panache. He is also a man of great repute. He treats people with such regard that makes him easily relatable.
It was thus not unexpected when on Friday 17 May, the amiable dude added a new age to his illustrious years on earth and every space was literally occupied —online and offline— by hundreds of well-wishers who celebrated him. There was a small thanksgiving prayer in the morning at his Banana Island, Ikoyi, Lagos home, followed by a felicitation visit to Wahab’s Office in Alausa, Ikeja by the Lagos State top technocrats led by the Head of Service, Mr. Bode Agoro. Later in the evening, select family members and a circle of friends of Wahab stopped by his modest posh home in that elitist hood for a ‘quiet time,’ where the guests had a good time. A tasty selection of local and continental cuisine was on the menu list with choice drinks.
Wahab, a former President of the University of Benin Law Students Union, is a member of the Nigerian Bar Association and the International Bar Association. He is also an Alumnus of the prestigious Harvard Kennedy School of Government and the Wharton University of Pennsylvania.
Wahab has been one of the major influences that contributed in no small measure to the success of Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu as the Governor of Lagos State. For his major interventions as the Special Adviser on Education during the Governor’s first term tenure, Wahab was elevated as a full-fledged Commissioner in September 2023 with a very strategic portfolio to secure a clean, healthy and sustainable environment that promotes tourism, boosts economic growth and enhances the overall well-being of every Lagosian. And he has been going about his work with the passion of a man who understands that if success were to be a room, it takes skill to get one’s feet at its door.