In a historic move, Mojisola Lasbat Meranda has emerged as the Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, becoming the first female to take charge of the legislative body in the southwest state.
Meranda’s election followed the impeachment of Mudashiru Obasa during the House’s plenary session on Monday.
Before her emergence, she was the deputy speaker of the House. Meranda represents Apapa Constituency I.
The lawmaker took the oath of office on the floor of the House and reaffirmed her commitment to the Assembly.
“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,” the 44-year-old said while she was sworn into office.
Since its inception in 1979, the Lagos State House of Assembly has produced nine different assemblies.
The most recent one was inaugurated in 2019. However, until Meranda’s election, no female has been elected as the speaker.
Mojeed Fatai was also elected as the deputy of the Lagos State House of Assembly.
Obasa’s impeachment came after a series of corruption allegations against him. Some weeks back, he was accused of spending N17 billion to fix a gate that leads to the Assembly, a claim he denied.
“It is so funny. How much is the allocation of the Assembly in the whole year that we will decide to spend N17 billion on a gate? They even claimed that we expended 200 million on thanksgiving which did not hold,” Obasa said then.
“We are aware that at a period like this when we are approaching elections in 2027, we should expect such things. I think some people are scared and I don’t know why. This House did not and has not embarked on any such project. We are not that reckless.”
