How Ikeja Bomb Blast Linked Tinubu, Pedro, Sanwo-Olu — Ex-Aide

A former Special Assistant to ex-Lagos State Governor Bola Tinubu, Professor Dapo Thomas, has revealed how the aftermath of the 2002 Ikeja Cantonment bomb explosion created the first meeting between Tinubu, former Deputy Governor, Femi Pedro and eventual Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu.

NEWSNGR reports that Thomas, a Professor of History at Lagos State University (LASU), made the disclosure in his autobiography, Lagos Boy and Lagos Politics, where he recounted key events that unfolded behind the scenes during the Tinubu administration.

According to him, a seemingly routine assignment following the Ikeja Cantonment tragedy would later influence the political careers of some of Lagos State’s most prominent figures.

Thomas said he had just returned to Nigeria from Kampala on January 20, 2002, when Governor Tinubu assigned him the responsibility of coordinating visits from corporate organisations, government agencies, financial institutions and prominent Nigerians following the Ikeja Cantonment bomb explosion of January 27, 2002.

The explosion claimed hundreds of lives, left thousands injured and displaced many residents.

As part of his duties, Thomas said he coordinated the order in which delegations met the governor and supervised the handling of donations before they were officially transferred to the Ministry of Finance.

Pedro Sought Audience With Tinubu

It was during the exercise, Thomas recalled, that he first met Femi Pedro, then Managing Director of First Atlantic Bank.

According to him, Pedro had arrived to present a donation to the Lagos State Government but encountered an unexpected obstacle.

Thomas said Tinubu had instructed that he would no longer receive delegations presenting donations below ₦5 million after attending to several visitors earlier in the day.

Instead, such donations were to be received by the then Commissioner for Finance, Wale Edun, or the state’s economic adviser, Yemi Cardoso.

Pedro’s bank had planned to donate ₦1 million. Thomas said Pedro was determined to meet the governor personally and appealed to him for assistance.

“I promised to try,” Thomas wrote.

Thomas said he persuaded Tinubu to receive Pedro immediately after another financial institution had presented a ₦5 million cheque.

According to him, when Pedro eventually handed over the ₦1 million donation, Tinubu glanced at the cheque and reacted with surprise at the amount.

Thomas said he quietly collected the cheque and ensured the meeting concluded smoothly. He described the encounter as the beginning of the relationship between Tinubu and Pedro.

The former aide added that he subsequently arranged additional meetings between the two, helping to strengthen their relationship.

Thomas recalled that less than a year after the meeting, while attending a Ford Foundation workshop in South Africa, he learnt that Pedro had been appointed Deputy Governor of Lagos State.

He described the appointment as remarkable, noting that Pedro had barely known Tinubu before the solidarity visit.

“When he eventually assumed duties, he came with his Personal Assistant, Yemi Lawal, and a Special Adviser called Babajide Sanwo-Olu,” Thomas wrote.

Thomas said he and Sanwo-Olu later reflected on the chain of events during a campaign photoshoot at Fototek in Opebi ahead of Tinubu’s second-term governorship election.

He recalled that he and Tinubu’s Chief Detail, Tayo Ayinde, assisted Tinubu and Pedro as they changed outfits during the session while discussing the twists of political destiny.

Reflecting on the episode, Thomas said Pedro’s rise illustrated how rapidly fortunes could change in politics.

According to him, someone who had once relied on his assistance to secure a meeting with the governor had, within a year, become Tinubu’s deputy, with Sanwo-Olu serving as his Special Adviser.