It’s a carpenter! No, it’s a civil engineer!

Here’s the starting point of this story. The next time I shall return to it, it would be the point of no return. It starts as you drive into Joel Ogunnaike Street from the Police College end in GRA Ikeja. It seems like men have been at work here forever. Let’s cut now and see you at the ending part.

I am sure every indulgee who resides in Lagos State, or who occasionally strolls into this business capital of Nigeria, unashamedly goes about shouting, “Eko Ooni Baje o!” They do that effortlessly, almost in reverence! No, adjust that slightly, to something more like, in honour of the man at the helm of affairs in the state who, I can claim to be my friend, from mid-distance. Yes, not long, and not short either; it’s that kind of friendship, lest one bad belle indulgee accuses me of name-dropping!

“Phillip Isakpa! Get on with it and stop tagging along,” that’s what you are likely to hear from this particular indulgee, seeking, with all the voice muscles he can muster, to bring me down to earth in front of my fellow, distinguished indulgees, who have been waiting for a good rib-cracker at this Square Table, for a while, after weeks of being exposed to some political intervention sketches by this Chief Indulgee! But I am going to spoil this spoiler’s fun in a bit! And that’s by stretching the matter a little longer.

The last time he (yes, the same man, who is at the helm of affairs in the state now better known as “Eko Oni Baje”) called me was a year or a year and a half ago. I was inside a banking hall when the phone rang; and just seeing his title come up, meant I had to take the call and suspend my banking transaction to listen to what he had to say.

It reminded me of that part in the good ol’ King’s College school song that goes like this: “When the call is sounded … All must answer here!” No, don’t bother asking! It’s in our civics, and civics is in most King’s men’s DNA. It’s the type you acquire, nothing to do with hereditary! Go on, do some LILing, my friend. After all, if you are in a public place and you can’t LOL, then you must be LILing (for those who don’t know, that’s for Laughing In Loud).

Yes, I was saying he called a year or a year-and-a-half ago. And I felt his message. You always felt his message whenever he brings his particularly infectious passion and work ethic into it.

But I still saw him last week, like I have done many times since the last time he called my phone. And we shook hands when we met. He is all human. Like me and you. And he knows and accepts it. Maybe that’s why he does the things he does, the way he does them – because he knows he’s human, that he’s like me and you! Good leaders, because they are able to feel that they are human, know they have no choice but to work for the common good! I think that’s working for him, the Eko oni baje man.

I still remember nearly eight years ago, when he burst on the Lagos political campaign scene. At first the advertising was very funny and it made me laugh to no end, every time it came on.

I then really began to feel sorry, wondering who had advised him to come into a territory where they not only bite, but also eat people up! His was a simple and straight-forward message. It was delivered with none of those politicians’ gravitas or bravados.

I actually wondered what he was really out to achieve in the primaries of his political party, let alone in the real contest itself! There were formidable and more established opponents in the race that he was up against! You then added to that the fact that his television campaign ads were funny. I used to take particular interest in them, especially in evenings after work when I had time to watch them.

All that changed when Eko oni baje won and got down to the business of running the government of Lagos State. Babatunde Raji Fashola, now more widely regarded as the most focused governor in the last quarter of a century in Nigeria, has gone on to do great things, including running an efficient, economy-driven state administration. He has seen to the building of good roads among other things.

Good roads are good. They are good to drive on. They are good to walk on. When they are well built they last. If you started reading this from the beginning, this is the ending part I mentioned earlier. For those familiar with the Joel Ogunnaike-Isaac John streets axis of Ikeja GRA, work has been going on on them for some time now.

In fact, plenty time was spent by the contractors handling the road on building drainages. Fantastic work they did in many parts regarding the drainage. But there was then a long wait for the real road construction to get started. It’s been a long wait; and indeed, drainage work on Isaac John hasn’t finished and that road now gets flooded easily.

So, to Joel Ogunnaike street the contractor went to begin proper road construction. Equipment were drafted to site, excavations took place, surfacing happened. Then what appeared to be asphalt was poured. “Well done,” you were tempted to say to them. That’s until you noticed that what they seem to have done looks like a carpenter mistakenly went there to work.

They have not moved their equipment out of site, because they have really not gotten to the Country Club end of the road. But if what they have done at the Police College entry of the road is supposed to be the real deal, I think Mr Eko oni baje should not let them get away with it. I stand to be corrected, but this is what you call real ‘rubbish’ work.

My consolation would just be someone telling me, “Phillip Isakpa, this is the first pouring of asphalt. They have not really started.” That’s when I will be at rest, because Eko oni baje, must not be bajed by some carpenter wanting us to believe they are civil engineers!

PHILLIP ISAKPA