Mojisola Meranda Becomes First Female Speaker of Lagos State House of Assembly

Photo Credit: Oba Abdulwasiu Gbolahan Lawal/Instagram

Mojisola Meranda, a Member of the Lagos State House of Representatives representing Apapa Constituency I and former deputy Speaker, has made history as the first female Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly.

This groundbreaking achievement follows the impeachment of the former Speaker, Mudashiru Obasa, today, January 13 during plenary, according to reports.

After taking her oath of office, Meranda expressed her commitment to the role, stating: “I affirm that I will be faithful as the Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly; that I will perform my functions honestly to the best of my ability, faithfully, and in accordance with the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”

Since its inception in 1979, the Lagos State House of Assembly has had nine different assemblies, with the current one inaugurated on June 7, 2019. Remarkably, no woman had ever been elected as Speaker until now, making Meranda’s election a historic milestone for both the state and the country.

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Quick facts about Mojisola Meranda:

• Meranda was born on August 16, 1980, to the family of late Ojora of Lagos, T. A Lawal Akapo and Princess M. A. Lawal-Akapo of the royal families of Ojora, Aromire, Onitana, Oloto, and Oniru. (Her late father was a legislator at the local level before becoming the Ojora of Lagos).
• She attended Anglican Girls Grammar School and later Ansar-Ud-Deen Secondary School, earning her West African Senior Certificate (WASC) in 1998.
• Meranda obtained a Certificate in Software Development (Network Engineering) from NIIT in 2005.
• Between 2007 and 2008, she worked in the oil and gas industry as a procurement manager at Cirrus Nigeria Limited.
• She began her political journey in 2008, first serving as Senior Special Assistant on Intervention and Intergovernmental Affairs to the then Chairman of Apapa Local Government, Ayodeji Joseph, and later as Supervisory Councillor for Health.
• In 2013, Meranda earned a B.Sc. in Public Administration from Lagos State University (LASU) and went on to obtain a Master’s in Public and International Affairs (MPIA) from the University of Lagos in 2020.
• In 2015, she was elected as a member of the House of Assembly, representing Apapa Constituency I.
• In 2023, she was elected the Deputy Speaker in 2023
• Currently, she is pursuing a Master of Business Administration (MBA) in Public Sector Management at the University of York, UK.
• As an advocate for gender equality, Meranda has consistently called for greater representation of women, particularly in political spaces, championing their rights to fair and equal opportunities.