The Lagos State
Executive Council, under the leadership of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, having
satisfied all
legal requirements, has approved the nomination and appointment
of Prince Gbolahan Lawal as the new Oba-Elect of Iruland (the Oniru-Elect of
Iruland).
A statement by the
Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Mr. Gboyega Akosile, on Friday stated
that the appointment of Prince Lawal as the Oniru-Elect, which takes immediate
effect was made on Friday afternoon, during the State’s Executive Council
meeting, where final ratification was made on his nomination.
Prince Gbolahan Lawal,
succeeds late Oba Idowu Abiodun, former Oniru of Iruland, who passed on in year
2019 at the age of 82.
Gbolahan Wasiu Lawal
born on July 24th 1970 to late Chief T. A. Lawal- Akapo, the Ojora of Lagos
(1977-1993) and Olori M. A. Lawal-Akapo. Gbolahan is a Lagos Prince from the
Ojora, Aromire, Shokun and Abisogun branch of Oniru Royal families of Lagos
State.
He is a seasoned
administrator with over 25 years postgraduate experience with an in-depth
knowledge of the workings of the Public Sector. He is driven, focused,
steadfast and passionate. Prince Lawal’s excellent leadership, communication,
collaborative and organizational skills have over the years sharpened his
ability to identify, analyse and proffer strategic transformational
change.
Prince Lawal holds an
Executive MSc in CITIES (LSE, Cities) from the London School of Economics and
Political Science. He also obtained an MSc in Violence, Conflict and
Development from the School of Oriental and African Studies [SOAS], University
of London in 2008; a BSc Hons. in Botany from the University of Port-Harcourt
in 1992 and a product of the famous St. Gregory’s College, Lagos.
In addition, he has
completed several courses and programmes amongst which are the International
Housing Finance Program (IHFP) in 2018 and Advanced Management Programme (AMP)
from The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, USA in 2015. He is also a
product of the Harvard Kennedy School of Government and the World Bank
Institute, Washington D.C. In the last 8years, he has been on the board of the
Lagos State Security Trust Fund.
Prince Lawal started
his career as a Scientific Officer with the Raw Materials Research and
Development Council at the Federal Ministry of Science and Technology in 1994.
He later joined The Nigerian Police Force and was commissioned as a Cadet
Assistant Superintendent. While in the force, he held several duty posts
amongst which was serving as an Aide-de-camp [ADC] to the former Governor of
Lagos State, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu. He retired voluntarily from the
Nigerian Police in 2008 as a Superintendent of Police.
Prince Gbolahan Lawal
was a Senior Special Assistant on Special Projects to a former Governor of
Lagos State, Mr. Babatunde Raji Fashola (SAN). In this capacity, he coordinated
the Agriculture-Based Youth Empowerment Scheme (AgricYES). The success of the
innovative Agric-Yes paved way for his appointment as the Honourable
Commissioner for Agriculture and Cooperatives in Lagos State in 2011.
His impeccable public
service record and his ability to address urban challenges also led to his
appointment as the Honourable Commissioner for Housing by former Governor
Akinwunmi Ambode of Lagos State in October 2015, a position he held until May
2019.
A lot of programmes
and landmark projects were achieved under his watch as the Honourable
Commissioner such as the Rent-to-own home ownership program, Master Craftsman
program, Lagos Affordable Public Housing (LAPH), and The 4-IN-14 days bungalow
housing development.
In 2019, Gbolahan
Lawal was reappointed as the Honourable Commissioner for Agriculture in Lagos
State by the current Governor of the State, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu essentially
based on his sterling performance and quality leadership he provided in his
first stint in the office. Suffice it to say that during his first reign
as the Commissioner for Agriculture and Cooperatives in Lagos State, Gbolahan
was the brain behind programmes and projects such as the School Agric
programme, the Agric-YES summer school for senior secondary schools and the Eko
Rice Mill, Imota.
During his second
spell as the Honourable Commissioner, he has brought to bear his previous
experience and expertise in the field. He came up with the idea of an
Agricultural Stakeholders Summit in furtherance of the efforts of the State
Government to make Lagos a 21st century economy with the agricultural sector
playing a vital role in sustainable food security and diversification of the
economy. Essentially, the Summit developed strategies that will ensure the State
attains sustainable food security, improved nutrition, generate employment and
create wealth through a combination of business and development platforms in
partnership with the private sector.
As an offshoot of the
Summit, he also saw to the development of a five-year Agricultural Roadmap for
the State (2020-2025). The roadmap focuses on the development of agricultural
value chains where the State has competitive and comparative advantages
including the provision and availability of improved inputs, increased
productivity and production. Suffice it to say that he was similarly
instrumental to the organisation of a roundtable discussion on the
implementation of the Roadmap in order to ensure adequate planning to
circumvent risks and uncertainties in the sector.
Prince Lawal is also
the brain behind the reforms and development of the Red Meat Value Chain in
Lagos State; Agricultural Value Chains Empowerment Programme, a programme
targeted at farmers, service providers, transporters, input manufacturers and
suppliers within the system whose services are required for the successful
implementation of increase productivity in Agriculture; an appraisal of Farm
Estate and Settlements in the State; Lagos Agriprenuership Programme; the very
popular Lagos Seafood Festival and the EKO City Farmers’ Market.
Lawal also
successfully midwifed and superintended the State Government's food security
and palliative efforts during the COVID-19 public health emergency. Suffice it
to say that to curtail the spread of the disease, the Lagos State Governor, Mr.
Babajide Sanwo-Olu declared a lockdown in the state and initiated various
interventions in the areas of health, food and security to ameliorate the pains
that the lockdown had on the citizenry. And it was Lawal’s Ministry of
Agriculture that successfully coordinated and to the admiration of all, the
twin efforts of the Emergency Food Response and the Temporary Food
Markets.
He also has several
awards in recognition of his outstanding performances in both sectors he served
as Honourable Commissioner.
He is happily
married with children, a sports, music and arts enthusiast.
No comments:
Post a Comment