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Summary
Mojisola Meranda’s becoming the first female Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly is a giant stride towards amplifying women’s voices in politics, policy, and governance.
Mojisola Meranda has emerged as the Lagos State House of Assembly speaker after the impeachment of former speaker Mudasiru Obasa. Prior to the impeachment, Mojisola had been the deputy speaker of the house as a representative of Apapa Constituency I. Obasa, who is serving his third term as Speaker and representing Agege Constituency 1, was impeached by fellow lawmakers over alleged abuse of office and gross misconduct. They also voted unanimously for Mojisola Meranda to take over as Speaker.
Mojisola Meranda, born August 1980 in Lagos, Nigeria, holds a B.Sc. in Public Administration from Lagos State University (LASU). In 2020, she obtained a Master’s in Public and International Affairs (MPIA) from the prestigious University of Lagos. Mojisola received a Certificate in Software Development (Network Engineering) from NIIT and is currently pursuing a Master of Business Administration (MBA) in Public Sector Management at the University of York, UK.
She joined the public service as a personal assistant to the senior special assistant in information technology. She later became the personal assistant to the Director of the Land Information System Support Unit (LISSU) in the Surveyor General’s office.
She is also the founder and managing director/CEO of Worthline International Services Limited. Mojisola also served as the senior special assistant on Intervention and Inter-Governmental Relations in Apapa Local Government and later as supervisor for Health in the same local government.
Her entry into the political scene started as a member of the defunct Alliance for Democracy (AD). The party later became the Action Congress (AC), the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), and currently the All Progressives Congress (APC). In 2015, Mojisola contested and won an election to represent the Apapa 1 constituency in the Lagos State House of Assembly.
During the 8th Assembly, she chaired the House Committee on Women Affairs and Poverty Alleviation (WAPA). She also chaired the House Committee on Establishment, Training, Pension, and Public Service.
Since she was sworn in as speaker, congratulations have been pouring in, as many are confident that she will do a great job given her confidence, experience, and skills.
Oba Abdulwasiu Gbolahan Lawal, the Oniru of the Iru kingdom, has taken to his Instagram page to congratulate her. He wrote,
“I am thrilled and excited that Providence has provided her with a bigger platform to serve the good people of Lagos State. I pray to Almighty Allah to give her wisdom, strength and courage to discharge her duties without fear or favour. Amin!”
Nigeria currently has three females out of 109 lawmakers and 17 out of 360 seats in the House of Representatives (4.7%), a reduction from the seven in the 9th Assembly. Women still remain the minority in politics and governance in a country where women account for 49.4% of the population.
