Lagos State governorship candidate of the Labour Party, Rotimi Odunaike, has declared that the quality of life of Lagos residents will be the central focus of his vision for the state, arguing that the success of governance should ultimately be measured by how people live, work, and move around the city.
Speaking on Daily Digest with Jimi Disu on Nigeria Info, Odunaike said that his motivation for seeking the Lagos governorship was rooted in his personal experience of growing up in the state and his concern about what he described as the erosion of the quality of life available to Lagosians.
“Lagos raised me”, he said, recalling the Lagos he knew before spending part of his professional life abroad.
Odunaike said that the Lagos of his childhood was not perfect, but argued that it possessed qualities he believes have progressively been lost over the years.
He said his concern was less about headline economic statistics and more about the practical experience of ordinary residents.
“When I look at the state of things and the quality of life, I’m not talking about numbers and I’m not talking about statistics”, he said. “I’m talking about the impact to Lagosians on their quality of life”.
He used his own journey to the radio station that morning to illustrate his point. Living in Ikeja, Odunaike said he left home shortly before 7 am to ensure he arrived on time, but spent approximately an hour travelling to the station. “That is not living. That is surviving. It’s not even thriving”, he said.
For him, mobility is therefore not simply a transport issue but a quality-of-life issue with wider implications for the Lagos economy. He argued that better mobility would improve people’s access to jobs, businesses and opportunities across the state. A resident of Ikeja, for instance, should be able to travel to Epe for business without the journey becoming a major constraint.
Odunaike also linked mobility and infrastructure to the vulnerability of informal-sector workers, particularly traders whose businesses can be disrupted by flooding and other environmental challenges.
He described traders as a critical component of the Lagos economy and argued that the daily difficulties they face in operating their businesses should form part of the assessment of governance and public policy.
His broader proposition is that Lagos should pursue excellence across the fundamentals that shape everyday life. Rather than relying principally on the description of Lagos as a “Centre of Excellence”, Odunaike said the state should demonstrate excellence through the actual quality of governance and public services, citing governance, mobility, the economy, housing and hospitality among areas where he believes higher standards should be established.
Odunaike said his political focus was therefore not primarily on competing personalities but on articulating what he described as his vision for Lagos and demonstrating how it would affect residents. Underlying that vision, he stated, is therefore a concern about the role of values in leadership and public service.
Reflecting on his upbringing, particularly the discipline instilled by his mother, a Nigerian Army officer, and his years in military schools, Odunaike said the values he acquired as a child continue to shape his understanding of leadership.
He argued that although circumstances may test or weaken an individual’s values, a deeply rooted value system can ultimately bring a person back to their core. “You might meet different people. You might deviate a little bit here and there, but your core brings you back”, he said.
For Odunaike, the challenge of leadership therefore goes beyond political parties or personalities. He argued that Nigeria needs a stronger culture of values and service in public life. Ultimately, he said, his ambition is to build a campaign and a vision for Lagos, centred on the people. “At the end of the day, it is about them”, he said, referring to Lagos residents.