Tunji Wusu –
The State Governor of Lagos, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has appointed his cousin, Olayanju Cole, as the Managing Director of the Lagos State Number Plate Production Authority (LSNPPA), shattering hopes of public servants and others aspiring to hold the position amid claims of marginalization made by Muslims regarding the number of cabinet members appointed by the current administration in Lagos.
The governor and his media team withheld Cole’s selection as Emmanuel Sofela’s replacement because of the link between the LSNPPA’s new chief and Sanwo-Olu and the potential backlash from Lagosians. Sofela oversaw the agency during the first term of the governor’s administration in Lagos.
Even the Hakeem Muri-Okunola-led Office of the Head of Service and the Secretary to the State Government (SSG) are alleged to have withheld the circular announcing his appointment from the public, and the SSG also declined to address the media over the appointment.
Numerous governmental employees were unaware that a new Managing Director had been recruited and had taken up residence to oversee operations for the organization tasked with creating number plates for car owners in Lagos.
They learned of Cole’s appointment as the head of the LSNPPA only after a video of Cole announcing it went viral online.
A review of the video by The Guild yesterday revealed that Cole made the statement just two weeks after taking office by using his official social media account.
He said, “I’m eager and prepared to serve. This was the MD of the Lagos State Number Plate Production Authority’s (LSNPPA) first day on the job. From this point forward, let’s celebrate greater heights and accomplishments.
Members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Lagos, particularly those who actively supported Sanwo-Olu’s bid for re-election in the 2023 gubernatorial election in Lagos, have expressed anxiety over their futures in light of the disclosure.
They expressed concern over the governor’s repeated failure to keep his promises to them, his awarding of public positions to friends and associates who did not participate in the campaign, and his exclusion of party experts who used their influence in their fields to canvass for votes in order to ensure Sanwo-Olu’s reelection.
When pledges made to specialists who fiercely campaigned for him, the members believed that the governor would change his appointment method during the second term after the first.
The governor’s public office selection method, according to certain members who do not want their names published, will cause many APC members to stop supporting his policies and programs in the state, they alleged.
Cole, a professional in finance, credit risk, and quality assurance management, was working as Sanwo-Olu’s assistant before the governor appointed him. He had an office at Lagos House, Alausa Secretariat, in Ikeja.
He was appointed as Sanwo-Olu’s Senior Special Assistant (Technical) in 2019 and has since collaborated with a number of government departments in Lagos State. The governor frequently chose him as a representative for important State Government legacy initiatives.
Cole holds a master’s degree in accounting and finance from the University of Maryland University College in the United States, as well as certification courses in leadership and management from the esteemed Harvard Business School. Cole has over ten years of experience working with executive teams of both public and private enterprises throughout Africa and North America.
The new LSNPPA boss is a member of the National Association of Black Accountants, the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners, and the American Institute of Professional Bookkeepers.
He has won honors for great performance at KPMG and CapitalOne Bank, USA thanks to his expertise in financial securitization, mortgage and consumer lending, risk management, debt instruments, tax reporting, monitoring, and compliance.
