04:26 GMT 30th January 2012
But with odds posted at over 50011 against him, stiff competition from the incumbent, Conservative Boris Johnson and his predecessor, Labour's Ken Livingstone, and a campaign yet to achieve a full head of steam, he is the first to admit that he has much to do in order to win the hearts and minds of the 7.6 million Londoners he seeks to lead through the current quagmire of record unemployment, economic instability and civil unrest.
But as far as he is concerned, victory is still within his sights. 'With the present economic situation and the foolishness of the government today, people have become even more disenchanted,' he told NewsAfrica. 'This is where I emerge from - giving the people a chance.'
He added, 'I'm giving them a reason to go out and vote because I'm an ordinary every day Londoner like them. I'm from their constituency - the constituency of Londoners who are jobless, who are tired of the failures of their mayors, who are tired of their neighbourhoods that are not safe, who are tired of the yokes that have been placed on them every year through increasing transport fares, congestion charges and council tax. I am coming from the constituency of those people who want change.'
Change, the mantra that swept Barak Obama into the offices of the once racially exclusive White House, is certainly the ethos behind Solola's candidacy. Within his first year in office he plans to halt the annual increase of London's public transport fares for a minimum three-year period, and create 'skills acquisition centres' across the city's 32 boroughs geared towards helping the growing number of unemployed.
Grand ideas but what do his electorate think? In a survey, 50 Londoners were asked what they thought of his ideas and the response was overwhelmingly positive. It is not clear, though, exactly how these ideas would be realised and, significantly, how they would be paid for. When pressed for details Solola's response is somewhat hazy. The key drivers fuelling his machinery of change are what he calls the 'aura of the office of the mayor of London' and the selflessness of Londoners.
For example, the 'skills acquisition centres', which will seek to offer training and guidance to out of work 16-30 year olds, will make extensive use of time donated by qualified and willing Londoners and facilities provided by churches and town halls without charge. Moreover, armed with the mayor's 'aura', So lola intends to approach businesses in the city, and actively encourage them to employ the centre's finished products. In his own words, 'It will not cost us a penny'.
Whilst some might consider this idealistic and unworkable, others see similarities to the Prime Minister David Cameron's concept of the 'big society', which encourages local communities and businesses to provide services without the interference of government. Solola's focus is more on the individual, who wants to work towards the greater good of their city.
'London is full of kind hearted people who are willing to contribute their quota to the development of their neighbourhood and their fellow Londoners,' he said.
Those less inclined to consider basing a strategy on generosity and goodwill may well dismiss such a statement, but in the aforementioned survey, when asked whether they would be willing to give two or more hours a week to help out at a skills acquisition centre, 68 per cent replied yes.
Although a political novice, this could work in Solola's favour, given the scandals that have surrounded Britain's political class in recent years. Hypocrisy and corruption have also turned people against their leaders, and it is a sentiment that So lola is keen to exploit.
Back in his native Lagos he gave up an 11 year career as an English teacher at the Badagry State School in Lagos State in order to fight the endemic political corruption by standing unsuccessfully as a candidate in the All Nigerian People's Party to become a legislator in the Lagos State House of Assembly in 2002/3. Saying his refusal to be 'corrupt or corrupted' had denied him victory, he left Nigeria with his wife, Swanu, 43, Nigerian by birth, but a British citizen, and moved to London in 2003. In February, Solala, a father of two, quit his job as a public community officer to run for mayor.
'Aristotle said, "Intelligent people suffer the agonies of fools ruling them when they refuse to participate in politics". It is not enough to just be screaming and shouting or talking. If you know what you ought to do and you refuse to do it, that means you are a bad person. We cannot expect to do the same thing the same way and expect a different result.'
He continues to work part time as a security officer in order to feed his family and start to build funds aimed at bolstering his campaign. His unflinching optimism and unwillingness to be pigeon-holed as a champion of African Londoners or the broader black community, in short to be a 'man of the people' will certainly win him some supporters. Some critics will ravage his manifesto as unrealistic, but Londoners disillusioned with the usual suspects may well be ready to think outside the box.
'Ifl could put my life on the line, resign from my paid job, because there is a need for someone to champion our cause, make our lives better, make the future ofthe lives of our children better, then others should join. That's my message.'
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