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The Lagos State Executive Council 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 Babajide Sanwo-Olu, 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.
Lawal, succeeds late Oba Idowu Abiodun, former Oniru of Iruland, who passed on in year 2019 at the age of 82.
Gbolahan Wasiu Lawal was born on July 24 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.
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.
He 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.
Lawal was a Senior Special Assistant on Special Projects to a former Governor of Lagos State, Mr. Babatunde Raji Fashola (SAN) and was appointed Commissioner for Agriculture and Cooperatives in Lagos State in 2011.
He also served as Commissioner for Housing under former Governor Akinwunmi Ambode of between October 2015 and May 2019.
In 2019, Lawal was reappointed as the Commissioner for Agriculture in Lagos State by Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu.