Yes, she spat into the air and received it in measured cadence. Yet not happened! Her family and friends bragged and bayed, yet no dice. Alas, Shulamite was sacked! But wait a minute, the sack of the dazzling Lagos State Commissioner of Tourism, Arts and Culture, Shulamite Olufunke Adebolu, must have come to many as a surprise, barely five months after she was sworn in.
To underscore how her sack is of no significance to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu and his government, her exit was not accorded a word from her employer(s). Adebolu’s exit is hidden in what appears to be a minor cabinet reshuffle that sees Uzamat Akinbile-Yusuf, erstwhile Commissioner for Home Affairs, redeployed to head the Tourism Ministry. Her sack was tactical as the governor omitted her name from the list of commissioners redeployed. The quietude with which Adebolu was sacked spoke volume of her employers’ disdain for her.
The reason for her sack remains shrouded in mystery; however, there are insinuations that her sack might not be unconnected with the largely flopped ‘Greater Lagos; event held in December where artistes refused to show up in spite of the huge financial resources sunk into the project and there was no crowd to the embarrassment of the governor.
The coming on board of Adebolu had been received with excitement in that she was bringing over 22-year experience and expertise as a Management Consultant to public service. The 46-year old lawyer, prior to her appointment, was an Associate Director in PwC’s Advisory Services where she led the West Market Area Country Management Unit, supporting the Office of the Regional Senior Partner.
It is not clear if her sack also affects her function as a subject matter expert in the formation, implementation and execution of Government Delivery Unit (GDU) where she led the first Lagos State Governor’s Delivery Unit.
Will the University of Hertfordshire Law graduate with a Second Class Upper head back to private practice? Only time will tell.
Meanwhile, eight cabinet portfolios affected by the redeployment include ministries of Local Government, Special Duties, Wealth Creation and Employment, Tourism, Arts and Culture, Home Affairs as well as Waterfront Infrastructure. Others are the Central Business District and Urban Development.
Governor Sanwo-Olu has moved three commissioners around, while two Special Advisers have been assigned new roles as commissioners. Affected commissioners and their new portfolios are: Commissioner for Special Duties, Dr. Wale Ahmed who has now been moved to Local Government and Community Affairs; Mrs. Yetunde Arobieke, formerly Commissioner for Local Government and Community Affairs has been moved to the Ministry of Wealth Creation and Employment.
Two former Special Advisers, Prince Anofiu Elegushi and Architect Kabiru Ahmed are now assigned to the Ministries of Home Affairs and Waterfront Infrastructure as Commissioners respectively.
