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Lynn Austin, American author of numerous Christian fiction novels and winner of numerous awards, once said: “Bitterness is like a weed. Remember how difficult it always was to pull out thistles once they took root? Remember how deep those roots grow, and how if you pulled off the end, the plant would grow right back? You have to dig deep. Let God search your heart. Let Him show you what is there and help you uproot it all. that bitterness. Then you can pray for forgiveness.”
Bitterness is a very dangerous disease. If not addressed quickly, it can damage the heart. This disease is what Bolaji Sanusi, a lawyer and former Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of the Lagos State Signage and Advertisement Agency (LASAAA), suffers from.
Quite pitifully, Sanusi refused to take the healing pill as per Austin’s wise advice, venting his heart of bitterness.
Those who know the path of his interesting career, including some associates who still believe him to be redeemable, are now shocked to discover that his deep bitterness and frustration may have turned him into a fool who has lost his mind.
This was clearly shown in an article titled “Hamzat and the future of Lagos”, published by some online platforms on May 29. A sequel arrived yesterday, titled “King – Hamzat and the future of Lagos. Flatterers at work – my last words”. Final words? Not so fast, sir.
Sanusi’s first article was delivered partly in broken English in which the attention-seeking lawyer and aspiring politician launched vitriolic and multi-pronged attacks on the administration of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, Hon James Faleke, as well as the overall political system in Lagos State. As expected, Faleke’s camp responded with a sledgehammer, hammering some sense into Sanusi’s head.
He was merciless in his attack on Governor Sanwo-Olu. What exactly is the source of Sanusi’s bitterness towards the governor, the one many have hailed as a true “Omoluabi”, whose excellent performance has been widely acknowledged by discerning commentators.
Well, Mobolaji Sanusi was removed from office by Sanwo-Olu in December 2019. Officially, his exit was framed as an expiry of tenure. Sanusi was appointed by former governor Akinwunmi Ambode in September 2015 for a four-year term which technically ended on September 13, 2019.
Instead of renewing his nomination for a second term, Sanwo-Olu replaced him with Prince Adedamola Docemo. Do you now understand why the war writer is so bitter towards the governor?
While the government cited a natural end to his term, reports from the political and marketing sectors highlighted several underlying conflicts and controversies that contributed to his unceremonious exit.
Sanusi’s tenure has been heavily criticized by the Outdoor Advertising Association of Nigeria (OAAN) and the Advertising Practitioners Council of Nigeria (APCON). Stakeholders accused him of arrogance, refusing to pay outstanding debts to practitioners and introducing large tariffs that threatened local businesses.
Having lost his job at LASAA, ever the desperate boy that he is, Sanusi attempted to become president of Ojokoro LCDA. Knowing its unsavory and toxic track record, political leaders and stakeholders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) frustrated the plan.
Can you now understand why the stomach infrastructure writer is so bitter about the party structure in Lagos State?
Now, going back to the rubbish where he tried to be half-smart, the imbecile and arrogant fellow attacked the Sanwo-Olu administration, accusing it of non-compliance.
He nevertheless praised Deputy Governor and APC governorship candidate for next year’s elections, Dr Obafemi Hamzat, to the skies, as if both men were running different administrations.
He did so because he lost in the political chess match in Lagos. Who would want to associate with a man of no political value anyway?
Sanusi has shamelessly displayed his servile behavior, obviously with the hope that Dr Hamzat will offer him a position when (by the grace of God) he becomes governor from May 29 next year, and as if the deputy governor cannot read between the lines. Sanusi is like a double-faced rodent, biting someone’s foot and blowing breeze on the wound!
While pretending to be a lover of Hamzat and a hater of Sanwo-Olu, he could also be called “Ganusi” (apologies to Fuji master Wasiu Ayinde) due to the gluttonous behavior he displayed.
He writes: “Now, whether Sanwo-Olu likes it or not, Hamzat, God willing, will be his successor. Such is the unpredictability of life’s trajectory!”
Those who do not really know the political composition of the state might think that Sanwo-Olu is against Hamzat’s candidacy. But this is far from true. Affirming his support for Hamzat’s nomination after the governorship primaries that ultimately approved him, Sanwo-Olu said: “We have worked side by side for years and I know first-hand his deep love for Lagosians, his brilliance and his unwavering dedication to progress. The work ahead is enormous, but with Femi I am absolutely confident that our State will achieve even greater heights. Let us remain united and continue to move Lagos forward.” It is therefore a figment of Sanusi’s shaky imagination that Sanwo-Olu does not want Hamzat to succeed him.
In another display of foolishness, he writes: “Surprisingly, the Sanwo-Olu administration in which he (Hamzat) is currently serving as deputy governor does not possess the captivating legacy of the three daring governors (sic); referring to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and former governors Akinwunmi Ambode and Babatunde Fashola, SAN)… There is nothing new infrastructurally or socio-economically notable in The Mandate of Sanwo-Olu, so far.
In his demented mind, Sanusi forgot that Sanwo-Olu was supported as governor by Asiwaju’s tireless political machine in Lagos.
Therefore, every attack on Sanwo-Olu is indirectly an attack on Tinubu. Simple logic. As they say, you can’t love me and hate my dog!
Claiming that “there is nothing new infrastructurally or socio-economically in Sanwo-Olu’s tenure” is the highest level of weakness from a lunatic who claims to live in Lagos.
Only a frustrated devil’s advocate like Sanusi could not see the giant strides of the Sanwo-Olu administration in all aspects of life. Until his deep delusion subsides and he wakes up from the sleep into which he had been cast by obstinacy, Sanusi will never know that the Sanwo-Olu administration has increased the state’s gross domestic product (GDP) to a staggering $259 billion in the last seven years, representing 20% of the country’s total GDP, and making Lagos the second largest city in Africa, after Cairo, Egypt.
Since he pretends not to see any infrastructural development in the Center of Excellence, this fool must be told that several new housing estates have come up in different parts of Lagos in the last seven years, courtesy of the Sanwo-Olu administration. They include residential developments in Sangotedo, Amuwo-Odofin, Ikate, Lekki, Igando, Ogba, Agbowa, Lekki Phase Two, Surulere, Ikorodu and others.
Sanusi mischievously refused to acknowledge Sanwo-Olu’s great achievements in the transport sector, where he completed and commissioned the Lagos Blue Line Railway and the Lagos Red Line Rail. Tinubu laid the foundation, Fashola built on it and Sanwo-Olu completed it. Since then the two lines have moved over 100,000 Lagosians a day.
Added to this is the construction of 362 roads (approximately 347.17 km) and bridges, such as the iconic Opebi-Ojota link bridge, a record 23 residential complexes (10,623 housing units), 433 classroom blocks and the provision of hundreds of new BRT buses. Twenty-eight piers were completed. The Ogombo community schools in Eti-Osa and Vetland in Agege are a testament to the creativity of the Sanwo-Olu administration. The beautiful Tolu cluster of schools (36 in one community) is unrivaled in terms of aesthetics, a true reflection of architectural and engineering ingenuity.
Hypocritical writers like Sanusi will never see or hear about the creation of nine schools with a combined population of 4,588 pupils, the recruitment of over 2,000 teachers, the construction of the largest school complex in Africa, the rehabilitation of 433 school buildings and the creation of two more universities.
Even in the healthcare sector the story is fantastic. The Sanwo-Olu administration has built five Mother and Child Centers (MCCs). Added to this is the ongoing construction of a general hospital in Iba, as well as the ongoing construction of the Massey Street Children Hospital, which, when completed, will be the largest pediatric center in West Africa. Over 2,200 health professionals have been hired to man the state’s health facilities.
Food security is also a priority of the administration, which has completed the Lagos rice mill in Imota, Ikorodu, the largest in Africa. The Epe Food and Logistics Center is born.
In terms of security, Lagos remains the safest, thanks to the Sanwo-Olu administration’s unwavering support for security agencies.
The achievements of the administration are so manifold that one is shocked by Sanusi’s deliberate stupidity in not recognizing them. It’s a display of intellectual stupidity on his part.
According to Dr. Martin Luther King (Jr), “Nothing in the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity.” His views also coincide with those of Albert Einstein: “The only thing more dangerous than ignorance is arrogance.”
Unfortunately, Sanusi combines the infamous qualities of ignorance and arrogance! Anyone who knows of a cure for these debilitating ailments should lend it to him. He is in desperate need of redemption.
*Omolale, journalist, sent this piece from Lagos.
