Governors Who Have Shown Leadership In First 24 Hours In Office

Barely 24 hours after being sworn-in as Governors of their respective states, few of the State’s Chief Executives have hit the ground running with laudable initiatives and actions.

The actions of these new governors no doubt have increased the hope and belief of their citizens and Nigerians in general that the desired change might not be long in coming.

But only time would tell whether the momentum would be sustained throughout their four-year tenure.

So far, below are the few governors who have shown they mean business.

Babajide Sanwo-Olu (Lagos State)

Immediately Babajide Sanwo-Olu was sworn-in as the new Governor of Lagos State, one of the major actions he took was the signing of an executive order on waste management, traffic management, and Public works.

Sanwo-Olu shared the news on his Twitter handle, @jidesanwoolu. He said,” I signed an executive order on indiscriminate refuse dumping, traffic management and public works.”

In a video, going viral on social media, the Governor said the executive order wasn’t meant to arrest residents but to ensure that the state is clean.

It was also revealed that the executive order now puts the closing time of operatives of the Lagos State Traffic Management Agency at 11:00 p.m.

This particular action of the governor according to many analysts is most commendable bearing in mind the lack of effective waste management that has bedeviled the state in recent time as well as the traffic condition of the state because of its population.

Seyi Makinde (Oyo State)

Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, is another governor who has hit the ground running. During his inauguration speech, he surprised parents and teachers in the state when he announced the abolition of school fees. He also announced the donation of his entire salary to teachers’ pension fund.

Hear him: “I donate my entire salary to the Teachers’ Pension Fund”,

“I am not happy that Oyo State which is a pacesetter state has over 400,000 children out of school. We want enrollment to go up. We want children out of the streets”, he added.

Not done with hitting the ground rolling, Governor Makinde also proscribed the activities of the notorious National Union of Road Transport Workers, NURTW, in the state.

Makinde, while declaring the activities of NURTW illegal, also announced the immediate take-over of all motor parks in the state.

Nasir El- Rufai (Kaduna State)

During his inauguration as Governor of Kaduna State for a second term, Malam Nasir El- Rufai swung into action by announcing an extension of maternity leave for female public servants from three to six months.

The announcement by the governor was greeted with great joy by civil servants and groups in the state.

One among such groups is Nigeria, Alive and Thrive. The Programme Director, Mr. Victor Ogbodo described El-Rufai’s announcement as an ‘investment in human capital development.’ 

Emeka Ihedioha (Imo State)

Imo State Governor, Emeka Ihedioha showed how controversial his tenure could be when he reportedly ordered the demolishing of monuments erected by his predecessor, Rochas Okorocha. Although he had denied giving any such order, the monuments were demolished within 24 hours of his assuming office.

Dapo Abiodun (Ogun)       

One governor that has shown uncommon readiness to carry out his duty as a Chief Executive is the Ogun State Governor, Dapo Abiodun.

That not enough, Governor Abiodun on his first day in office immediately set the ball rolling when he led his team to inspect key ministries including the Ministry of Finance, Civil Service Commission, Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs.

He also mooted the idea of declaring a state of emergency in the state’s education sector.