How Femi Pedro became Deputy Governor within a year of meeting Tinubu — Ex-Aide

A former Special Assistant to then-Lagos State Governor Bola Tinubu, Professor Dapo Thomas, has revealed in his autobiography, Lagos Boy and Lagos Politics, how the tragic 2002 Ikeja Cantonment bomb blast unexpectedly paved the way for Femi Pedro to become Deputy Governor of Lagos State within just one year of meeting Tinubu.

Following the devastating January 27, 2002 explosion, which claimed roughly 1,100 lives, Thomas was tasked with coordinating solidarity visits and donation presentations from corporate entities to the state government.

During this period, Governor Tinubu, exhausted from receiving numerous delegations, instructed that he would only personally receive donors presenting N5 million or more, directing smaller donors to his commissioners.

When Femi Pedro, then Managing Director of First Atlantic Bank, arrived to present a N1 million donation, he was at risk of being redirected. Desperate to meet the governor directly, Pedro pleaded with Thomas for assistance. 

Thomas agreed to help and strategically slipped Pedro into the governor’s office immediately after a major bank executive had handed over a N5 million cheque. 

Although Tinubu expressed surprise at the smaller amount on Pedro’s cheque, the meeting ended successfully and sparked a quick rapport between the two men.

Thomas continued to facilitate follow-up meetings between Pedro and Tinubu over the coming months. 

Less than a year later, while attending a workshop in South Africa, Thomas received the startling news that Pedro who had been a complete stranger to Tinubu prior to the donation meeting had been appointed Deputy Governor of Lagos State. 

Pedro assumed office alongside his key aides, including his Special Adviser, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, completing a rapid ascent that Thomas described as a testament to how quickly political fortunes can change.