Once upon a trip – For KOH at 60

By Gbenga Omotoso

It was a one-hour trip for a two-hour meeting, but the memories have remained boldly etched in my mind since that day – some three years ago.

The search for a flight was long and tedious. First, the flights were fully booked, but there was no giving up because the alternative – going by road – was not on the cards in any way.

“We have a flight now, but there is another problem,” the young official handling the protocol told me on the phone. “What is the problem?” “All the business class seats are sold out; there are only economy class seats,” he said with a tone tinged with frustration.

“Business Class? I usually fly economy o; you don’t need to get me a business class ticket. Economy is okay for me.” I told him. “That’s fine sir. My worry is my boss. I don’t know if he would like to fly economy,” he said.

The next day at the airport, we joined the queue to board the flight to Abuja. We sat in the economy cabin. Many faces were staring at us. I was sure we were on the right seats, but necks kept turning in our direction. Is anything the matter? Could it be our dresses? Aren’t we mere public officials and not celebrities whose presence ignite some special excitement? I really don’t know how to place the situation in which we found ourselves.

“Good afternoon, Your Excellency,” some said. Others simply came up to us to shake his hands. It was not my first encounter with Deputy Governor Dr Kadri Obafemi Hamzat’s humility, but it was so symbolic – at a time when it is fashionable for many in his class to travel by private jet or simply charter a plane.

At the meeting of the Progressives Governors Forum Communications Committee (chaired by Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, who was represented by Dr. Hamzat and attended by Commissioners for Information), the Deputy listened to all reports and suggestions. He then directed that a committee be set up to ensure that the decisions of the meeting were followed up.

Meeting over, it was time for lunch. A long table with an array of dishes. I joined the queue to have a taste of Abuja’s culinary offering. I had thought somebody was serving the Deputy Governor. How wrong I was. I settled down next to him to appease my complex palate. There he was just watching and pressing his phone.

“Won’t you eat, sir?” “Not now,” he replied me. I was a bit embarrassed.  The Deputy Governor waiting for me to finish a meal?” What will he be thinking about me? A glutton? A gastronome? A foodie? I really did not know. Honestly, I thought I shouldn’t have joined the queue; I should have watched to see if my boss would eat or not.

Later at the airport on our way back to Lagos, as we waited for the flight, Dr. Hamzat’s aide brought some fruits. He grabbed an apple and began to bite away gently. It was about 6pm. I was to discover later that Mr. Deputy Governor had been fasting all day.

This is another pointer to the character of Dr Hamzat. He is spiritual and disciplined, with so much self-control. But then, there are so many sides to the character of the Deputy Governor – his sartorial exquisite, his remarkable sense of humour, his firmness and principled stand on issues, his erudition and his philanthropic gestures.

The argument was hot at a meeting some time ago. One of the government agencies was planning a programme, but some officials at the meeting were of the opinion that the event should be stepped down because it might portray the government as profligate and spendthrift. These are tough times, said those who insisted that we should call off the event. They got support. When the Deputy Governor weighed in, the argument changed. “Ladies and gentlemen, let us be very careful. Agencies are set up to perform specific roles. Are we going to kill an agency because the times are hard? No. We can’t do that,” Dr. Hamzat said. That was the end of the matter. The event was merely postponed; not cancelled as some advocated.

Dr. Hamzat could be brutally frank in making a point he believes in.

Besides, he is also a symbol of loyalty. Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu once told a gathering of eminent citizens how he had urged Dr. Hamzat to make him his Chief of Staff, if he was lucky to be the party’s candidate and win the governorship election. But, fate, that unseen hand in human affairs, had a different plan for the two friends. Mr. Sanwo-Olu became the Governor and Dr. Hamzat the Deputy Governor. For men of little minds, this would have been enough a setting for acrimony and bitterness. Not with Dr. Hamzat. He has remained “a brother and reliable companion” in the complex journey to “a greater Lagos”, as Mr Governor, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu often remarks.

Dr. Hamzat did not stray into public service. He was making his mark in the private sector when Lagos State Governor Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu – as he then was; now President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces – invited him from the United States to join his team of stars whose footprints are seen all over the State today. He was appointed Commissioner for Science and Technology in 2005. Since then, Dr. Hamzat has been climbing on the ladder of success.

Today is not a day to enunciate Dr. Hamzat’s glowing character – as a public official and a family man. Nor is it a day to trace the trajectory of his remarkable rise in Lagos politics. Nor is it a day to talk about his intellectual capacity and numerous cerebral exertions. Nor is it a day to talk about his love for Lagos. Nor is it a day for speculations, postulations and calculations. No. September 19 is his birthday.

How will Dr. Hamzat spend this day? Will he have just prayers by clerics? Will he find a quiet place to reflect on his journey so far? Will he throw a big party with a musical giant on the bandstand? Will there be a seminar at which national issues – so many of them nowadays – will be discussed?

For us at the Lagos State Executive Council, it does not really matter how Dr. Hamzat chooses to spend this day. What is sure is that we cherish his contributions to the rising profile of Lagos State. We all wish him a memorable birthday – and more exciting and fulfilling years ahead.

Omotoso is the Commissioner for information and Strategy, Lagos State