Brigadier Mobolaji Olufunso Johnson was the first man to ever govern Lagos State. He held that office for about eight years and two months — from May 1967 to July 1975. No single governor of Lagos since 1960 has served longer than him in one stretch. Yet here is the shocking truth : throughout all those years in power, he never built a single house for himself.
Let us put this in proper context. Lagos State is not just any state. It is the economic capital of Nigeria. It contributes roughly 26.7% of Nigeria’s total GDP and more than half of the country’s non-oil GDP. It hosts the Nigerian Stock Exchange, the headquarters of every major bank, and Murtala Muhammed International Airport — the busiest airport in the country. Its seaports at Apapa and Tin Can Island handle over 70% of all cargo coming into Nigeria. Lagos generates the highest Internally Generated Revenue of any state in the federation. If Lagos were a country, its economy would be among the largest in Africa.
Johnson had every chance, every connection, and every reason in the world to enrich himself. He could have built mansions. He could have diverted state funds into family accounts. He could have turned public land into private estates. But he refused to do any of that.
Then came the military coup of 29 July 1975. Within 24 hours, he was thrown out of Lagos House — his official residence. He, his wife Funmi, and their children suddenly found themselves homeless. They had no house to return to. It was so bad that he had to be rescued by a few friends and companies, including Julius Berger, the German construction firm, just to find shelter. Imagine that: a man who governed the richest state in Nigeria for over eight years, and he could not even point to one bungalow as his own.
When the Murtala Muhammed regime set up a panel to investigate the outgoing governors, Johnson was one of only two governors who were completely cleared. No stolen money. No hidden properties. No scandal. He walked away with his head held high.
Nigeria has seen a few others like him. Chief Michael Adekunle Ajasin, governor of old Ondo State from 1979 to 1983, came into office with a few native dresses and left with those same dresses. He built schools and industries, but he built nothing for himself. Then there was Dr. Michael Iheonukara Okpara, Premier of the Eastern Region for about six years. Like Johnson, he never owned a house while in office. After he left government, prominent Igbo businessmen reportedly came together and raised money to build a small bungalow for him at his country home in Umuegwu Okpuala Ohuhu, Umuahia North Local Government Area of Abia State. He died on 17 December 1984, but his name still stands for integrity.
These were leaders with conscience. They proved that it is possible to serve in government without dipping your hands into public funds.
Now I turn to the governors of Lagos State in this Fourth Republic — Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Babatunde Raji Fashola, Akinwunmi Ambode, and the current governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu. I am asking openly: can any one of you stand before the people of Lagos and Nigeria today and truthfully say that during your time in office, you did not touch one naira of taxpayers’ money for personal gain? Can you say that no state property was converted into a personal or family asset?
Mobolaji Johnson died on 30 October 2019. His wife Funmi had passed on three years earlier, in February 2016. He is no longer here to speak for himself, but posterity is speaking for him. History has already written his name in gold.
Can the same be said of you?
Until our present ruling class goes back to the standard set by our founding leaders — men who served without stealing public funds — Nigeria will remain stuck. We cannot move forward as a nation while those in office see government as a business opportunity. We will only move forward when public service becomes service again, and when leaders understand that the office is not a license to loot but a call to build.
Otunba Ademola Akinnola
Public Affairs Commentator | Opinion Columnist
Advocate for Good Governance
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