Daily News24 brings you a biography of Babatunde Raji Fashola.
Babatunde Raji Fashola CON SAN, born 28 June 1963, is a Nigerian lawyer and politician who currently serves as Nigeria’s Federal Minister of Works and Housing. From May 29, 2007, to May 29, 2015, he was the Governor of Lagos State.
Early LifeÂ
He earned his First School Leaving Certificate [FSLC] at Sunny Fields Primary School in Adelabu Surulere, Lagos, before moving on to Birch Freeman High School in Surulere, Lagos, and later Igbobi College in Yaba, where he earned his West African School Certificate [WASC].
He then attended the University of Benin in Benin City, where he earned a Bachelor of Laws [LLB Hons] degree in 1987. After completing the statutory training for Barristers and Solicitors, he was admitted to the Nigerian Bar in November 1988.
Legal CareerÂ
During his nearly fifteen-year private legal practice, he gained significant expertise and vast experience in areas such as Litigation, Intellectual Property [trademark registration], Commercial Law, Mergers, Acquisitions, Right of Issues, Ownership of Shares and Equity of Corporations, Land Disputes, and Chieftaincy Matters.
He was admitted to the Nigerian Bar in November 1988 as a solicitor and advocate of the Supreme Court of Nigeria after completing the professional training programme at the Nigerian Law School in Lagos between 1987 and 1988.
Babatunde Raji Fashola successfully pleaded many cases at High Courts, various divisions of the Court of Appeal, and the Supreme Court during his distinguished legal career at Sofunde, Osakwe, Ogundipe, and Belgore; the law firm of K.O.Tinubu & Company and as Managing Partner, Lead Counsel, and he was elevated to the class of Nigerian Elite Lawyers in August 2004 when he was conferred with the rank of Senior Advocate of
Babatunde Raji Fashola successfully pleaded many cases at High Courts, various divisions of the Court of Appeal, and the Supreme Court during his distinguished legal career at Sofunde, Osakwe, Ogundipe, and Belgore; the law firm of K.O.Tinubu & Company and as Managing Partner, Lead Counsel, and he was elevated to the class of Nigerian Elite Lawyers in August 2004 when he was conferred with the rank of Senior Advocate of Nigeria.
Political CareerÂ
He was appointed Chief of Staff by the former Governor of Lagos State [Governor Emeritus], Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, whom he later succeeded in office and served from August 16, 2002 to November 6, 2006, during which time he was a member of the State Tenders Board, the State Executive Council, the State Treasury Board, and the State Security Council, amongst several other Ad-Hoc Committees/Panels.
Fashola succeeded Tinubu as governor of Lagos State on 14 April 2007 as the candidate of the Action Congress party, which has since been renamed the All Progressives Congress party. On April 26, 2011, Fashola was re-elected.
Fashola prioritized infrastructure rehabilitation in Lagos. These infrastructures had been neglected for years after Abuja was designated as Nigeria’s new capital in 1991. The modernization of Lagos, begun by Tinubu, accelerated during Fashola’s governorship. The project’s implementation involved both the private and public sectors.
President Muhammadu Buhari appointed Fashola as Minister of Power, Works, and Housing on 11 November 2015; he was reappointed as Minister of Works and Housing on 21 August 2019.
Under Fashola, the Second Niger Bridge in Onitsha, which had been the subject of political debate since the 1980s and was seen as a byword for stagnation, was pushed forward and is nearing completion (as of January 2022).
Fashola is estimated to be worth more than $450 million
