“All I wanted was to be an accountant,” Ambode says as he hands over to Sanwo-Olu.

Lagos State governor, Akinwunmi Ambode, has handed over to governor-elect, Babajide Sanwo-Olu on Tuesday, May 28, 2019.

The outgoing governor officially handed over to his successor during a ceremony held at the Government House in Alausa early on Tuesday.

In his farewell speech, Ambode thanked Lagosians for the remarkable journey of the past four years that he has led the state.

Describing his position as “a privilege of a lifetime”, he said he took every decision with the best interest of the people at heart.

He said, “For this administration, policies, programmes and projects aimed at lifting more of our people out of poverty and making every part of the State safe, accessible and economically viable were always the priority; the driving force behind all our decisions and plans.

“A few of our policies might have been unpopular but these were decisions taken with the best interest of our State in mind. With the benefit of hindsight, maybe we could have done some things differently but our intention was always clear, for the good of Lagos.

“Even in those tough times, your constructive feedback and patience helped us surmount the challenges and enabled us grow stronger.”

Ambode described Lagos as a land of opportunities where all he wanted, as a little boy, was to be an accountant. He said it’s the duty and responsibility of every Lagosian to ensure that the state remains the centre of opportunities and growth for everyone.

“From being just a commercial centre, our State has now become a prime destination for tourism, sports, entertainment and culture.

“And the future is even brighter with more exciting prospects and possibilities. In the near future, with God on our side, Lagos will take its rightful place in the comity of major city-States of the world.

“Fellow Lagosians, it has been a remarkable journey. One in which we have pushed boundaries and moved our State to another level. A journey in which we have transformed many aspects of our State and set the ball rolling in other sectors. But there is still a lot more to be done.

“But it is a job not for only the government; it is a responsibility for us all. In Lagos everyone counts and we all have a part to play,” he said.

The governor noted that the incoming administration will continue from where he stopped in the bid to always make the state a better place. He said those who serve the state owe their successes to prayers, understanding and support.

He appealed to Lagosians to extend courtesy and cooperation to his successor, Sanwo-Olu, and ensure that he succeeds.

Ambode was sworn in as Lagos governor in 2015 after winning a closely-fought election. Even though he contested for a second term, he lost the primary ticket of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to Sanwo-Olu.

Sanwo-Olu went on to score the highest number of votes in the March 9 governorship election to emerge victor over his closest opponent, Jimi Agbaje of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and 43 other candidates on the ballot.

Even though the election had been expected to be a close contest between the two, Sanwo-Olu beat Agbaje with a margin of 533,304 votes. The former commissioner won 739,445 votes while Agbaje finished the race with 206,141 votes.

He’ll officially be sworn in as new Lagos governor on Wednesday, May 29.