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).
Prince Lawal’s appointment, which takes immediate effect, was ratified on Friday during the state’s executive council meeting, a statement by the chief press secretary to the governor, Gboyega Akosile, said.
As a police officer, Lawal served as Aide-de-Camp (ADC) to former Lagos governor, Bola Tinubu.
Lawal retired voluntarily in 2008 as a superintendent of police.
He succeeds late Oba Idowu Abiodun, former Oniru of Iruland, who passed on in 2019 aged 82.
The Oniru-elect resigned his appointment as Commissioner for Agriculture on Thursday, preparatory to taking over as the first-class monarch of Iruland, which covers Victoria Island, Lagos.
Lawal born on July 24, 1970 to late T. A. Lawal- Akapo, the Ojora of Lagos (1977-1993) and Olori M. A. Lawal-Akapo.
He is a Lagos prince from the Ojora, Aromire, Shokun and Abisogun branch of Oniru royal families of Lagos.
Lawal is a seasoned administrator with over 25 years postgraduate experience with an in-depth knowledge of the public sector.
The Oniru-elect 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 among 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.
The prince 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 was a Senior Special Assistant on Special Projects to a former governor of Lagos State, Babatunde Fashola.
Lawal was then appointed Commissioner for Housing by former governor Akinwunmi Ambode in October 2015, a position he held until May 2019.
In 2019, he was appointed Commissioner for Agriculture in Lagos by Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu.
