Peter OgbemudiaSo, let’s be brutally honest for a moment: If you’ve been following Nigerian political Twitter (now known as X) or reading the top blogs this June 2026, you’ve undoubtedly come across this name many times: Dr. Kadri Obafemi Hamzat.
Usually, in the wild and unpredictable world of Nigerian politics, Deputy Governors are often treated like the proverbial “spare tires.” It can be seen and very rarely heard. They smile for the pictures, cut some ribbons and remain out of the spotlight. But Babafemi Hamzat? He has changed that script.
Being the Deputy Governor of Lagos State is not all he has going for him these days. He’s trending because of the massive political earthquake which occurred earlier this year. In March 2026, after a highly-publicized, closed-door consensus meeting led by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and top All Progressives Congress (APC) powerbrokers, Femi Hamzat emerged as the chosen successor to take over the Lagos State governorship seat in 2027.
Early life and background
If you want to know why Femi Hamzat is all of a sudden such a shrewd political strategist, then you need to review his background. He was not destined to be in the corridors of power, but was virtually born there into a world of power!
Femi Hamzat was born on September 19, 1964, which means that he is 61 years old (and almost 62 years old later this year). Born into the highly influential and respected family of the late Oba Mufutau Olatunji Hamzat and late Alhaja Kehinde Hamzat.
His father was not only a monarch (Olu of Afowowa Sogaade), but an absolute heavyweight in Lagos political scene. Oba Mufutau was a notable member of the Lagos State House of Assembly and was the Commissioner of Transportation from 1979 to 1983. He later rose to become a key stalwart of the Alliance for Democracy (AD) and the Action Congress (AC), the very political parties that gave birth to today’s APC. His mother was Alhaja Kehinde, who was proud of her Lagos Island heritage from Iga Egbe.
Imagine growing up in a house where traditional royal duties collided with late-night political strategy meetings. Young Femi was privileged to witness the inner workings of governance, grassroots mobilisation and leadership. Rather than riding on his father’s back, however, he chose to establish a strong intellectual identity of his own.
Education
We have people in Nigerian politics who have not done well in school. Femi Hamzat is the exact opposite. A certified, bona-fide genius, his educational record is as solid as they come.
He began his school education at the Odu-Abore Memorial Primary School in Mushin, Lagos. After that, he went to the famous Olivet Baptist High School in Oyo State.
His mind was always on how things could work, hence he was able to gain admission into Nigeria’s best university, The University of Ibadan (UI) where he studied Agricultural Engineering and graduated in 1986.
However, a bachelor’s degree wasn’t sufficient for him. Hamzat packed his bags in the late 1980s and went to the United Kingdom. He was accepted at Cranfield University, which is a top-notch science and engineering university worldwide. By 1992 he was able to successfully complete his Ph.D. in System Process Engineering.
Yes, his name is now Dr. Kadri Obafemi Hamzat. He’s different from career politicians because he has a deep background in systems, data and engineering.
Career
Here is a rhetorical question for you: If you had a Ph.D. from the UK and were making massive amounts of money in the global corporate world, would you leave it all behind to deal with the stress, noise, and chaos of Nigerian politics? Most people would say no. But Hamzat isn’t most people.
Prior to politics, Hamzat was a big man in the private sector. He obtained his doctorate, and would go on to serve global financial institutions such as Merrill Lynch and Morgan Stanley in the US and UK. He was immersed in a world where the stakes are high and the people are in finance and IT, and he was the one who constructed systems handling billions of dollars.
In the end the need to go back home and do something became overwhelming. He moved to Nigeria and eventually worked as Chief Information Officer (CIO) for one of the biggest indigenous energy firms in Africa, Oando Plc. He was at the absolute peak of his corporate career when the political world finally came knocking.
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The Political Ascent
Femi Hamzat’s entry into government is a classic example of preparation meeting opportunity. Then Governor of Lagos State, Bola Ahmed Tinubu (now President of Nigeria), was actively recruiting the brightest talents from the private sector to modernize Lagos State in 2005. Tinubu spotted Hamzat and appointed him as the Commissioner for Science and Technology.
Hamzat’s influence was immediate and irrefutable. He pushed the Lagos State civil service into the digital era kicking and screaming. He established the basis for automating the government processes and significantly reduced ghost workers and financial leakages.
He was too good to be replaced. When Babatunde Raji Fashola took over as Governor in 2007, he immediately retained Hamzat in the same role. Hamzat’s duties were elevated in Fashola’s second term and he was appointed the Commissioner of Works and Infrastructure. During his tenure, Lagos witnessed the development of several iconic legacy projects such as the Lekki-Ikoyi Link Bridge and the expansion of Lagos-Badagry Expressway.
In 2015, Fashola was appointed Federal Minister to the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and Hamzat was appointed his Special Adviser on Works.
However, the most defining event in Hamzat’s political career was in 2018. He had bought the form for running for Governor in Lagos State. He was well connected and had the money and the pedigree. Yet, in a breathtaking display of party loyalty, he stepped down during the primaries to back Babajide Sanwo-Olu.
They have run on a combined ticket, won the elections in 2019 and re-elected in 2023. Sanwo-Olu and Hamzat were an unbeatable duo, as they were two heads better than two. They divided and conquered; Sanwo-Olu took care of the front office while Hamzat was the engine room, directing the blueprints of the administration in terms of infrastructure and technology.
The 2026 Trending News
So, let’s talk about the elephant in the room, shall we? What makes Femi Hamzat so popular at the moment in mid-2026?
It’s simple: The 2027 Governorship Race.
In March of 2026, a high-stakes, strategic meeting took place, and the future of Lagos was up for discussion. The seat was eyed by top politicians like Speaker Mudashiru Obasa, Senator Tokunbo Abiru and others. However, the party leadership unanimously agreed on Femi Hamzat as the consensus candidate for 2027 with President Tinubu.
This is a historic occasion. If he is elected, he will end the “deputy governor curse” in Nigeria. This is a reminder that sometimes, it pays to be a rock in the storm, and that the final return on investment is a better one from absolute loyalty, quiet competence, and playing the long game, than from making it up with the noise.
Babafemi Hamzat Net Worth
When a politician comes into the spotlight, Nigerians always ask, “How deep are his pockets?
Femi Hamzat, like most Nigerian politicians, has not provided any public declaration of his bank statements, but financial analysts and political analysts have estimated his total assets to range in between $2 million and $5 million.
Before anyone yells “government money,” let’s take a step back. Remember his resume? No way you get to the top executive position at Morgan Stanley, Merrill Lynch and Oando Plc without having been serious and legitimate. Hamzat was already a multi-millionaire before he was ever appointed to his office of government minister.
Despite his wealth, he is known for a very understated lifestyle. Don’t expect him to be seen wearing diamond studded watches or driving an ostentatious line of luxury sports cars. He has the quiet confidence of an old money man who feels no need to prove himself.
Family Life
There is always a solid support system behind every great man and in Femi Hamzat’s case, it is his beautiful wife, Mrs. Oluremi Hamzat.
The couple lives together for decades and has a very loving relationship. When they are seen at state events or public places, the mutual respect is obvious. Mrs. Oluremi is very active in social welfare programmes in Lagos but does not like all the publicity that goes with politicians’ wives.
Together, they are blessed with children who have largely been kept out of the abrasive spotlight of Nigerian politics.
Dr. Hamzat is religiously tolerant and a devout Muslim. He is familiar with both Christian and Muslim political environments, and can attend Jumat prayers with ease, while at the same time going to church services with his principal, Governor Sanwo-Olu.
Legacies
As Femi Hamzat prepares for what could be the biggest promotion of his life in 2027, what exactly is his legacy?
1. The Digitalization of Lagos: Before Hamzat, the Lagos civil service relied heavily on paper files. He launched e-governance systems that revolutionized the tax collection, people management and tracking of Lagos’ state resources.
2. World-class infrastructure: Back in the Commissioner for Works days, his engineering hand is on the nose of nearly all of the big road expansion projects that are currently helping to ease traffic in Lagos today.
3. Redefining the Deputy Role: He will be remembered as the man who has shown that a Deputy Governor doesn’t have to be a sycophant, a rebel. He demonstrated how he could be a highly engaged, extremely smart co-pilot, advancing the state with the Governor.
Peter Ogbemudia
