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By Andy Ezeani
Blame it on politics. But for that and the company it imposes on all those who enlist to follow its often-convoluted track, every man out in the public arena would clearly stand on his own, assessed on the merit or demerit of his character and competence. Were it to be so, Babatunde Raji Fashola, SAN, would have been standing on his own, tall, principled and as detached as he often seems naturally inclined to. But he is in politics now, therefore, he can be found among politicians. It does appear, anyway, that man was not designed to go it alone. It speaks of who Tunde Fashola is, that, even in the political arena where he presently stands, he has maintained a distinguished profile, different.
It is not often difficult to situate Fashola, if he must be assessed. The reason is simple, he does not obfuscate. He rarely equivocates. He does not wobble either. He has a clear sense of personal integrity and bearing. Where he stands is not difficult to decipher. Whatever he puts out his hand to do, he does it with conviction and to the best of his ability. His competence and commitment are never in doubt. He is usually clear on whether he is in or out. Of course, his stance on some issues can be contested, why not? It is more so on instances when he takes a stand, obviously prompted by demands of loyalty, either to his principals or groups. He seems bound by his principles to keep faith. At such instances, however, he struggles to convince and is seen not to come across as crisply as he is known to.
Fashola’s disciplined disposition and approach to public offices have set him apart from the predominant disdainfully bearing of many others in prime positions in recent years. It was this focused-disposition and approach that defined his tenure as governor of Lagos State and accounted for the largely transformational landmarks he left in the state. His approach seems to be to first, dissect a problem and, thereafter, set about tackling it with such single-mindedness that hardly wanes until the task is accomplished. It appears he does not leave much room for distraction.
Although self-effacing to an extent, occupying the prime office of governor inevitably threw steady light on him, eventually making him at home with the klieg light and the unending inquisitions that go with the territory. His eye for detail, his uncompromising orderliness and his inclination to tackle critical social and economic challenges without resort to distortive populism gained significant national approval for him as governor. While his work spoke substantially for him at the beginning, he gradually grew into speaking for himself as well. He had to. You do not serve as governor and leave your work alone to speak for you. Not in Lagos, anyway. There are issues a governor of the impossible state simply have to explain. Fashola as governor had more than a few of his policies to explain to the public. To his credit, his work in the state continues to speak for him, even years after he left office.
His dedicated Bus Rapid Transit, otherwise known as Lagos BRT, was, for instance, a creative initiative to address one of the most intractable problems in Lagos. The BRT service may not have waved a magic wand to solve all the public transportation nightmares in Lagos metropolis but it introduced a breather that offered city dwellers a faster, decent transportation means to get to their destination, often earlier than would have been the case. So also did his construction of the Ikoyi suspension bridge that raised a prominent landmark in Lagos, provide a vital link way across Ikoyi into the Lekki axis of the state that continues to bourgeon out.
As stuffy and labyrinthian as the Lagos road networks he met as governor were, Fashola succeeded to a remarkable level to re-open, extend and refreshingly expand many city access roads in Lagos. Those who lived or knew Lagos before his tenure as governor and lived through his tenure, will always remember him positively. He made a difference. That, without doubt, is what defines a public servant, especially in a prime station. Did he take some hard decisions to get things done? Yes, he did. In one or two of such decisions, he elected, as it were, to ride a political storm. In all, his work in Lagos highlighted his proclivity to projects that addressed critical needs, in a state that had, over decades and regimes, grappled with bursting population and huge infrastructural deficit, as well as intricate challenges of transiting from a traditional to a truly cosmopolitan predisposition.
When, on completion of his tenure as governor, Muhammadu Buhari, who had just then won the presidency, tapped him for his cabinet, many read the appointment as indicating the President’s commitment to seriousness in governance. Interestingly, Buhari’s apparently saw Fashola as a superman of sorts. He, therefore, assigned him two neck-bending portfolios: Power and Works ministries at the same time. Even superman feels the heat.
The workaholic former governor went after his dual mandate with his full energy, bringing his characteristic determination to tackle intractable problem along. He was directly involved, for instance, in resolving a knotty power distribution arrangement in Aba, Abia State, which entangled the Enugu Electricity Distribution Company that had been ceded electricity supply in the eastern flank of the country in the privatization exercise and Professor Barth Nnaji’s Geometric Power company that had a prior approved government deal to take charge of power supply to Aba. He was reported to have played a critical role, including bringing the parties in the dispute to the table, leading eventually, to the resolution of the matter.
He was later to relinquish the Power portfolio. In excising the Power portfolio and leaving Fashola to man Works and Housing Ministry, Buhari must have been made to realize that it was not sensible to kill a willing horse, even if the horse was competent. Subsequently, the minister concentrated on the Works and Housing Ministry, which on its own, still provided enough headache, in a country where successive governments seemed to hold that roads must not be maintained until they totally collapse. Many roads across the country indeed, collapsed.
The vast stretch of collapsed roads across Nigeria, against the backdrop of the paucity of fund to address the problem, must have left any minister desirous of fixing many of the roads in a quandary. Even in this setting, Fashola brought his methodical approach to his assignment, to bear. His determination to ensure that any roads done under his watch met an enduring standard, positively counts for him. Perhaps, no better example than the ongoing re-construction of the Lagos-Ibadan expressway brings to clear relief the minister’s stubborn commitment to standard in delivery of projects.
As the tenure of the government in which he was serving as minister was running out, Fashola reportedly had an option of pressing the contractors handling the road project to hasten up, so it will be certified completed and commissioned with fanfare. The credit will be his, with not a little political mileage. But not him. He was said to have insisted on the road project being executed properly, to meet the quality that will endure, even if some other person commissions the project, takes credit and possibly makes some noise about it down the line. Not many Nigerian politicians will deny themselves such opportunity to shine. This after all, is a society where government officials commission projects, mount commemorative plaque bearing their names, after which work will continue on the project.
Almost exactly one month after he left office as minister of Works and Housing in the Buhari government, Babatunde Fashola turned 60. That, clearly, is in the prime of his life and public service. Without doubt, the University of Benin-trained lawyer, former governor, former minister, has brought himself to a pedestal of reckoning in public administration in the country. Ordinarily, his type should be in the fore within the corps of prospective candidates from which a serious country recruits its leadership. Not to worry, though.
Considering the evolving tendencies in Nigeria, there is still substantial time span left for Fashola to attain higher heights in political leadership. He sure has many more years ahead for him to avail the country of his quality service offering. Twenty years hence, at 80 years of age, or with some luck, well before then, God keeping him, it may come to his turn, as it goes. Why not?
