By David Olalekan.
The immediate past Secretary to Government of Lagos State, Mr. Tunji Bello, has labelled the administration of former Lagos State governor Akinwunmi Ambode as the worst regime in the state, since the first civilian administration of governor Lateef Jakande, in the second republic.
Mr Bello attributed this to Ambode’s lack of emotional intelligence in the administration of the state.
The former SSG disclosed this in a statement he entitled ‘Time to say good bye to colleagues on this platform.’
The statement read in part, said: “The exit bell has sounded and it is time to say goodbye to colleagues. We must seriously thank our Governor, Mr Akinwunmi Ambode for bringing all of us together in the last four years.
“Yet as we depart on our individual sojourn, we must never forget to learn from our glaring weaknesses and failures. Since we are all part of the success stories we must also share in the weaknesses and failures.
“Our main drawback is our government’s inability to apply enough emotional intelligence in the administration of the state. Emotional intelligence includes interpersonal skills, interpersonal relationship, humility, respect for the well established mores of governance, disregard for the accomplishments of others. The belief that our way is the best without considering other options in a democratic setting, absence of wider consultations, distance from the governed, lack of effective communication skill or amateurish display of government acts and political immaturity, deliberate and open alienation of others.
“We undertook gigantic projects without the soul. We were too self opinionated and narrow in our approach to governance.
“It is a big drawback which prevented the administration from returning because it was punished for its lack of inclusiveness in a democratic setting. In leadership, emotional intelligence is 70 per cent of application while individual brilliance is only 30 percent. Successful leaderships across the world in history have thrived on this fact.
“Besides, and apart from lack of enough camaraderie compare to previous administrations, our cabinet has been less rigorous, less fulfilled, less engaged and less accomplished. And for the first time since the time of Governor Lateef Jakande, this cabinet departs unappreciated and disenchanted”, the statement said.