Akinwunmi Ambode

Akinwunmi Ambode was born on 14 June 1963 in Epe, Lagos, into the family of Festus Akinwale Ambode and Christianah Oluleye Ambode. Akinwunmi Ambode is one of ten children of his father Festus Ambode.[4]

Akinwunmi Ambode attended St. Jude's Primary School, Ebute Metta, Lagos State, from 1969-1974, where he sat for the National Common Entrance Examinations.

From 1974-81, Ambode, attended Federal Government College, Warri, Delta State. From 1981-1984, he attended University of Lagos where he studied Accounting, graduating at the age of 21.[5]

He also has a master's degree in Accounting from the University of Lagos, and he qualified as a Chartered Accountant.[5]

Ambode was awarded the Fulbright Program scholarship for the Hubert Humphries Fellowship Programme in Boston, Massachusetts. He also attended the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania for Advanced Management Programme. Other institutions he attended for courses and programmes include Cranfield School of Management, Cranfield, England, the Institute of Management Development, Lausanne, Switzerland, INSEAD, Singapore. Moreover, he attended the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, Cambridge, USA.[6]

From 1988-91, Akinwunmi Ambode was the Assistant Treasurer, Badagry Local Government, Lagos State, Nigeria. In 1991, he was posted to Somolu Local Government, Lagos State, as an Auditor. He has also held the position of Council Treasurer in Shomolu Local Government in later years.

He also previously served as Council Treasurer at Alimosho Local Government, Lagos State. In 2001, he became acting Auditor General for Local Government, Lagos State, Nigeria. This position was confirmed by the State House of Assembly. In January 2005, Ambode was appointed the permanent secretary of the Federal Ministry of Finance.

From 2006- 2012, Ambode was the accountant general for Lagos State, in charge of all the financial activities of the state and directly responsible for over 1400 accountants in the state service. Under his watch, the State Treasury Office (STO) revolutionized the way Lagos State finances were raised, budgeted, managed and planned. In his six years as the Lagos State accountant general, the state's financial performance improved visibly with the budget performing at a remarkable average of 85% annually.[7]

After 27 years in the civil service, Ambode voluntarily retired in August 2012. He founded Brandsmiths Consulting Limited to provide Public Finance and Management Consulting services to government at all levels, its parastatals and agencies.[8]

Ambode is an active member of the Federal Government College Lagos, Warri Old Students Association (FEGOCOWOSA) and is credited with revitalizing the Lagos branch of the Association. Ambode was a two-time chairman of the Lagos State Branch, and, until recently, was the National President of the Association, a position he held for three years. In those three years, he executed key projects in the school in conjunction with the alumni network to improve the educational and living standards of the students.[9]

In 2013, he founded the non-profit La Roche Leadership Foundation. Its recent goal is to install Nigerian and Lagos State flags in all government owned schools in Lagos State.[10]

In 1991, Ambode married Bolanle Patience (née Odukomaiya) Ambode. They have twins, a boy and a girl.[4] Ambode is a Christian.[11]

Lagos state generates over 78 million tons of waste between 2007 and 2013  with collection rate of 28% . The gap in the rate of refuse collection in the state exposes the state to environmental epidemics.[12] On 1 March 2017, the governor Ambode's administration introduces Visionscape a private foreign-owned waste management company to take charge of the activities of waste management in Lagos state. [13] The governor's action  was criticized for his decision to dump Lagos State Waste Management Authority ( LAWMA) the state-owned agency created for the management of waste disposal . According to Leadership “More than 10 months after commencing work with colourful vehicles and waste bins, Visionscape has failed to deliver. After its shaky start which made its promoters to hastily broker a deal to partially recall the PSP Operators, no tangible progress has been recorded in the waste management department.” in the same vein. The speaker of the state house of assembly, Hon.Mudashiru Obasa also said “We are seriously working on it and the PSP will soon return. Visionscape remains unknown in Lagos State, it is a ghost in the state and we are not going to embrace it,” said Obasa. The political bent to the issue would later come to the fore weeks[13]

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission ( EFCC) had secured a court mandate to freeze three accounts traced to the former governor of Lagos state. According to Punch " EFCC Secures Freezing Order on Accounts Linked to Ex-Gov. Ambode over Alleged N9.9bn Fraud’, said Justice Chuka Obiozor of the Federal High Court sitting in Ikoyi, Lagos, on Tuesday ordered the freezing of the sum of N9.9bn belonging to the Lagos State Government. The funds are domiciled variously in First City Monument Bank account number 5617984012; Access Bank account number 0060949275; and Zenith Bank account number 1011691254, respectively".[14]

• Lagos State Executive Council

• Official website