“Leadership is a privilege to better the lives of others. It is not an opportunity to satisfy personal greed.”
—Mwai Kibaki, former Kenyan president
By Enyeribe Ejiogu
It has been 13 days since the massive political earth tremor that shook the ground under Hon. Mudashiru Obasa happened and caused him to be removed by his colleagues as the Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, the first most senior principal officer of the state’s legislature to lose his position through impeachment, on January 13, 2025.
His removal from office came in the wake of allegations of gross misconduct, abuse of office, and authoritarian leadership style. The accusations made against him ranged from misappropriation of funds, particularly the ₦43.5 billion meant for backup vehicles for lawmakers to other financial issues that raised questions. In general terms, his colleagues were unhappy with his handling of the Assembly’s finances and his frosty relationship with Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, who he was alleged to have shown contempt. Obasa, it was said, had not hidden his ambition to contest for governor in 2027, and gave indication of it on the floor of the Assembly in his remarks when Governor Sanwo-Olu formally presented the 2025 Appropriation Bill to the legislature. From that moment, the political wheels that have controlled and stabilized governance in the state spun furiously, pulled Obasa out of the Speaker’s chair and took the gavel away from him while he was on vacation in the United States.
The emergence of Mojisola Lasbat Meranda as the first female Speaker of the 10th Lagos State House of Assembly is historic in every way. A true blue blood of Lagos State, scion of prominent royal houses, she was born on August 16, 1980, to the family of late Chief T. A. Lawal Akapo (Ojora of Lagos) and Princess M. A. Lawal-Akapo of the royal families of Ojora, Aromire, Onitana, Oloto, and Oniru.
Meranda’s late father was a legislator at the local level before he became the Ojora of Lagos. Her mother is from the popular Oniru family in Lagos. Her brother is the Oniru of Iru land, Oba AbdulWasiu Omogbolahan Lawal.
Meranda is a three-term member of the legislature and former deputy speaker. She was elected for the first time in 2015, to represent Apapa Constituency 1, and subsequently re-elected twice in 2019 and 2023. In the Ninth State Assembly, she was the Chief Whip. Prior to being elected to the House, she had served the Apapa Local Government in different capacities and also worked in the private sector.
There is excitement about her ascension to the Speaker’s chair, from where she is expected to bring a fresh perspective and leadership style to the Assembly. Most importantly, there is genuine and very reasonable expectation that she will use the appropriation and oversight powers of the Lagos State Assembly to bring the touch of a wife and the milk of kindness of a MOTHER to governance in the state as Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu continues his stride like a stallion to entrench the THEMES+ Programme, which is the blueprint of his administration.
Residents of Lagos expect Speaker Mojisola Meranda to provide ardent, effective legislative support as well as back channel, behind-the-scenes advice to the governor without turning the Speaker’s raised podium into a magisterial pulpit for haranguing the Executive Branch, confrontation and the show of contempt as happened in the past, which was not considered healthy for the smooth functioning of the Executive Branch. What is required from the House leadership is that legislative and oversight responsibilities are carried out and seen to have been done in the best interest of the tax-paying residents of Lagos, both human and corporate bodies.
It is important at this juncture to succinctly reiterate how the Lagos State House of Assembly under the leadership of Rt Honourable Mojisola Meranda can deploy the Appropriation and Oversight powers to nudge the Babajide Sanwo-Olu administration to do the needful without being confrontational. Rather, Meranda should be intentional about promoting, projecting and protecting the legitimate and common sense best interest of the citizenry while smoothening and lubricating the wheels of good governance in Lagos State, which sloganises itself as the Centre of Excellence. Speaker Meranda should ensure that such excellence is seen in the governance KPIs (key performance indicators) of Lagos State.
One glaring instance of poor and insensitive governance will suffice to illustrate this: the pathetic situation of Awoja-Alonge Island in Ojo Local Council Development Area. Awoja-Alonge Island shares boundary with Obadore. While Obadore is in Alimisho LGA, Awoja-Alonge Island is helmed in by both Obadore and Ijagemo. It has the unenviable distinction of being encircled by a canal that empties into a section of the lagoon that runs under the Obadore Bridge on the dual carriage LASU-Isheri road constructed by a Chinese firm.
This community has been consistently inundated by flooding that sacks the community – because the Chinese contractor extensively blocked the space under the bridge, therefore compelling flood water to flow into the Awoja-Alonge Island for most of the year, causing dislocations, death and unquantifiable losses to the people. Unfortunately, the Executive Branch of the Lagos State Government has failed to implement appropriate remedial measures despite being alerted three times by the Sun Newspaper (first under former governor Akinwunmi Ambode and twice under Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu) about the situation since 2017.
By building a solid reinforced bridge across the canal and constructing the road that runs through the centre of the community, Awoja-Alonge Island would be connected to Obadore, thereby giving Awoja residents access to the LASU-Isheri road. Moreover, the bridge and asphalt road constructed in Awoja community will link it through Ijagemo and New Isheri road to Jakande Estate in Isolo Local Council Development Area and onwards to other parts of Lagos (Okota, Mushin, Mile 2, Apapa, etc)
As the face and voice of the Legislative Arm of the Lagos State Government, it is not out of place for the Speaker to make quiet, unannounced visits (without siren and long motorcade) to off-the-radar parts of Lagos just as she can visit populated areas like FESTAC, Abaranje, Ijanikin, Ijegun, to see the deplorable state of the roads. She should drive through Isijola Street, Ikotun, which records claim has been tarred. This way, she will be able to assess the implementation of the budget and utilization of appropriations approved by the House. Such useful firsthand information can be passed to the Executive Branch directly through the governor, when she holds cordial discussions with him on matters of state. Also, such information can be passed to relevant MDAs of the administration through the relevant chairmen of House committees that interact with the MDAs as part of their oversight functions. This is how effective governance that produces beneficial results works.
It is heartwarming that in her first address to the House as Speaker, Rt. Hon Mojisola Meranda sounded a very welcome tone which indicated that a breathe of fresh air is blowing in the inner precincts of the chamber of the Lagos State House of Assembly.
Promising that her leadership style will be focused on transparency, accountability, and inclusivity, she stressed that the assembly would avoid controversies while promoting governance guided by integrity and fairness.
She said: “Dear colleagues, as we begin this new chapter, let us be reminded that we are not just lawmakers, but also leaders. As speaker, I commit to prioritising the needs of our constituents through you. We will work to ensure that their voices are heard, their concerns are addressed and their welfare is protected. “Our goal is to create a more inclusive and participatory democracy where citizens are actively engaged in decision-making processes that impact their lives.
“Rest assured that we are all going to work together in this current commitment to achieve our lofty vision for the state.”