Right of reply By AbdulAzeez AbdulAzeez Olumide
Opinion writing serves democracy best when it challenges assumptions without becoming captive to them. Steve Osuji’s recent commentary, “E KOH E RE: What Can Kadri Hamzat Do?”, raises what at first glance seem like legitimate questions about leadership and governance in Lagos State. However, as the piece unfolds, the author attempts a complex rhetorical dance. On one hand, he cannot help but admire the stellar credentials of the Deputy Governor of Lagos State, Dr. Kadri Obafemi Hamzat (KOH), correctly describing him as “well-read,” a “technocrat,” and “arguably the best man for the Lagos top job come 2027.” On the other hand, the author quickly retreats into tired, speculative tropes of political fatalism, operating under the assumption that institutional synergy must equal institutional weakness.
Mr. Osuji’s premise relies on a classic fallacy: that effective governance must always look like a chaotic, scorched-earth war between leaders and their political foundations. Lagos has chosen a different path, a path of continuity, consensus, and institutional stability. To suggest that its leaders function as mere “puppets” is not just an oversimplification of complex administrative systems; it completely ignores the deep institutional progress achieved over the last two decades.
