The Governor of Lagos State, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has identified self-reliance, continuity, partnership, and long-term planning as key principles behind the state’s development.
Sanwo-Olu spoke on Tuesday while delivering the centenary anniversary lecture of the Yoruba Tennis Club in Lagos, where he reflected on the club’s 100-year history and its relationship with the development of Lagos as a commercial, political, and civic center.
The governor, who is also a member and vice patron of the club, said the institution’s history offered lessons on the character of Lagos and its people.
He recalled that the club was founded in 1926 after Nigerians were excluded from the European club in colonial Lagos, describing the establishment of the indigenous club as an assertion of dignity, identity, and self-determination.
According to him, the founders did not wait for the colonial authorities to create an alternative social institution for Nigerians but took the initiative themselves.
Sanwo-Olu said the attitude had become part of what he described as the “Lagos Spirit”—a culture of courage, creativity, openness, and an unwillingness to remain constrained by circumstances.
“Every time a gate has been closed to Lagos, Lagos has built a house across the road and thrown a better party,” he said.
He cited several historical examples, including Lagos’ role in the pro-democracy struggle following the annulment of the June 12, 1993, presidential election and the state’s response to the withholding of its statutory allocation by the Federal Government in 2004.
Rather than succumb to the financial pressure, Sanwo-Olu said Lagos embarked on reforms to strengthen internally generated revenue and develop a more self-sustaining fiscal system.
“Lagos did not become a beggar. It turned to its own people,” he said, adding that the state subsequently developed one of the strongest internally generated revenue systems in the country.
The governor also identified continuity in governance as a major factor in Lagos’ development since the return of democratic rule in 1999.
He said the state had consistently built on the development blueprint initiated under former Governor Bola Tinubu, arguing that successive administrations had resisted abandoning existing plans when new governments assumed office.
“I inherited a plan, not a blank page—and my successor will similarly inherit the plan,” Sanwo-Olu said.
He urged political leaders to look beyond the four-year electoral cycle and embrace long-term development planning, stressing that some of Lagos’ major infrastructure projects were products of decisions taken by successive administrations.
Sanwo-Olu cited the Lagos Blue and Red rail lines as examples of projects whose completion was made possible by successive administrations maintaining a common development direction.
ALSO READ: Sanwo-Olu declares ‘small state of emergency’ on Lagos waste crisis
He said Lagos’ governance model was also anchored on partnerships between government, citizens, and the private sector.
According to him, the Lagos State Security Trust Fund, the Bus Rapid Transit system, and developments around the Lekki corridor demonstrated the benefits of government working with private citizens and businesses rather than relying exclusively on federal intervention.
Sanwo-Olu said the impact of governance on ordinary residents should remain the ultimate measure of government performance.
He said government policies should address practical issues such as whether health workers could get to work on time, whether children had access to basic learning facilities, and whether traders and transport operators could conduct their businesses efficiently.
“The true measure of our work in Lagos is whether a doctor or nurse in Alimosho or Ibeju-Lekki can get to work on time, whether a child in Ajegunle has a desk and school books, or whether a trader in Mile 12 can get her tomatoes or fish to market before they rot,” he said.
Reviewing his administration’s record, Sanwo-Olu highlighted the establishment of two public universities, the Imota Rice Mill, investments in data infrastructure, the development of the John Randle Centre for Yoruba Culture and History, and ongoing work on a children’s hospital.
He also cited the planned Lagos Central Food Security System and Logistics Hub at Ketu-Ereyun as part of efforts to strengthen the state’s food supply chain.
The governor used the centenary of the Yoruba Tennis Club to highlight the role of civic institutions in sustaining democracy.
He said social clubs, professional associations, market unions, and other self-organizing groups had helped Lagos develop a culture of participation, leadership, accountability, and peaceful disagreement.
According to him, institutions such as the Yoruba Tennis Club provide spaces where members learn to conduct elections, manage resources, resolve disputes, and engage people with divergent views.
He urged the club to preserve its founding values while adapting to changing realities, particularly by attracting younger and more diverse members.
Sanwo-Olu said the club’s survival for a century demonstrated that institutions could remain relevant by adapting without abandoning their core principles.
He also turned to contemporary politics, warning against what he described as “change merely for the sake of change.”
The governor said Lagos’ development experience showed that political transitions should not automatically lead to the abandonment of policies and projects already delivering results.
He said this principle would guide his party’s political campaign, declaring that the opposition should present credible alternatives rather than seek power by promising change.
“Our challenge to the opposition remains the same—to put forward credible ideas that are able to compete with ours, instead of seeking change for the sake of change,” he said.
Sanwo-Olu also praised the administration of President Bola Tinubu, saying the gains of its reforms were becoming visible in areas including foreign exchange, education, agriculture, and security.
Looking ahead, he urged the Yoruba Tennis Club to maintain high standards in admitting new members, preserve its archives, and create opportunities for younger members to assume leadership responsibilities.
He said the objective should be to ensure that when the club marks its bicentenary in 2126, future generations would still find an institution capable of adapting to its environment while retaining the values upon which it was founded.
Earlier, the Chairman of the Yoruba Tennis Club, Bro Chief Olawumi Gasper mni, while welcoming Governor Sanwo-Olu, Deputy Governor Dr Kadri Obafemi Hamzat, the Chief Launcher, Bro Chief Dr Kesington Adebutu GCON KJW, represented by Bro Engr Kola Oyefeso, and other guests, described the centenary as a landmark occasion in the history of the club and its relationship with Lagos.
He said the Yoruba Tennis Club, founded in 1926, had remained a symbol of friendship, brotherly love, tradition, culture, and community leadership, adding that the centenary provided an opportunity to celebrate the institution’s journey and reflect on its responsibilities to future generations.
“When the Yoruba Tennis Club was founded in 1926, Lagos was a very different city. Colonial rule shaped the social and institutional landscape, and racial barriers limited the participation of Nigerians in several spheres of public and social life,” he said.
Gasper noted that rather than accept the limitations of their circumstances, the founding fathers chose to build an institution that would outlive the conditions that gave birth to it.