‘I’m president at home’ – Fashola rules out presidential ambition

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File: Babatunde Fashola

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Former Lagos State Governor and ex-Minister of Works, Babatunde Fashola, has said that he’s not interested in contesting for the presidency, saying he is satisfied with his current life and has no intention of seeking Nigeria’s highest political office.

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Fashola made the declaration during an interview on TVC on Wednesday, where he dismissed speculation linking him with a presidential bid.

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Asked if he would contest for president, the former minister gave a direct response: “No.”

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When the interviewer sought further clarification on whether he was considering the presidency, Fashola replied with a smile, “President of what? I’m president at home.”

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Reflecting on his over two decades in public service, the former Lagos governor described his career as an extraordinary privilege and expressed hope that his journey would inspire younger Nigerians.

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“My journey has been an unimaginable privilege, and I hope that it, in some way, inspires another generation about the possibilities of this country,” he said.

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Fashola added that Nigeria remained a country where people could rise from humble beginnings to positions of prominence.

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“Particularly because when we celebrate dreams across the Atlantic, our country is also a place where there are so many stories of rags to riches and grass to grace. I hope that it inspires another generation,” he said.

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On how he would like to be remembered, Fashola declined to shape his legacy, saying history should make its own judgment.

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“Let history write whatever history wants to write. It is not in my place,” he said.

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The former minister also declined to revisit debates over his preferred successor before the 2015 Lagos governorship election, refusing to comment on speculation involving Deputy Governor Kadri Hamzat and former Attorney-General Olasupo Sasore.

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Fashola confirmed that he remains a member of the Lagos State Governance Advisory Council, stressing that there is “a thin line between intervention and interference.”

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He also called for stronger public confidence in the judiciary, advocated a vibrant opposition to deepen democracy, urged greater national consensus on key policy issues, backed the establishment of state police while cautioning it would not be a quick fix to insecurity, and attributed Lagos’ recurring flooding partly to indiscriminate waste disposal despite the state’s coastal geography.

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