By Funsho Arogundade
Renowned prose stylist, author and entrepreneur, Dr Lanre Alfred is back at what he loves best: writing. Alfred, well-known for his lyrical style and meticulous documentation of contemporary Nigerian history, has once again delivered a compelling account of leadership forged in adversity and refined by vision with a new seminal work titled ‘The Man Who Carried a City’, a richly layered literary biography of Lagos State Governor, Mr Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu.
The release of the book marks a heartfelt tribute to the governor’s incoming 60th birthday —Sanwo-Olu will join the elders’ club on June 25, 2025. In ‘The Man Who Carried a City,’ Alfred celebrates and meticulously captures the evolution of Sanwo-Olu’s public life, from his formative years to his emergence as the governor of Nigeria’s most complex metropolis.
Published by Old English Partners, the all-colour, all-gloss coffee table book spans 14 chapters and over 250 pages, adorned with high-resolution photography and rendered in Alfred’s signature poetic prose. This new landmark title on Sanwo-Olu, which stands as Alfred’s eighth book, joins a distinguished collection of works including The Titans…The Amazing Exploits of Nigeria’s Greatest Achievers; Dapo Abiodun: The State House As His Pulpit; Nigeria At 60; and Highlife – Amazing Lifestyles of Nigeria’s Rich and Famous.
Alfred explained that the decision to write “The Man Who Carried a City” was not merely a literary endeavour, but a heartfelt tribute to a man whose governance defies the noisy theatrics of politics and replaces it with quiet, consistent devotion to the people. “I wrote this book because Sanwo-Olu’s story —his sacrifices, his vision, his silent triumphs— must not be left to the mercy of rumour or forgetfulness,” stated Alfred, who added that the governor’s legacy is not just brick and mortar, rails and bridges, “it is the quiet strength of a man who bore the weight of Lagos with uncommon composure, from the darkest moments of 2020 to the enduring pressures of rebuilding a megacity.”
The foreword to the book was penned by Olawale Olaleye, Deputy Editor of ThisDay newspaper, who describes the biography as “probing and profound”. He added that Alfred’s book has not only done justice to the leadership of Sanwo-Olu as he steps into the sixth floor on June 25th, 2025, it has also done so without taking anything away from the truth of the accounts of his stewardship thus far.