The time for a female governor of Lagos State has arrived, according to Princess Abiodun Islamiat Oyefusi, who has urged for the appointment of a female governor.
She called Lagos “a city of greatness, restless, ambitious, and unstoppable,” stating that the megacity, driven by the aspirations of more than 20 million people, requires a new type of leadership based on inclusivity, empathy, and balance.
Lagos, the beating heart of Nigeria and the economic hub of West Africa, is at a turning point in its development, she claims.
“As the city keeps expanding and changing, one fact becomes clear: it’s time for a woman to lead Lagos,” she declared.
As a fervent supporter of gender inclusion in government, Oyefusi thinks that having a female governor would not only represent advancement but also mark the beginning of a new age of strategic and human-centered change.
The state has been guided through waves of urbanization, economic change, and modernization by competent male governors for decades, she claims.
But in spite of these advancements, the city continues to struggle with severe disparities in opportunity, healthcare, housing, and education. Persistent issues are profoundly human in nature rather than merely administrative. And in addition to infrastructure and policy, tackling them calls for empathy, equilibrium, and a fresh viewpoint.
“A female governor would stand for both strategic transformation and symbolic change.”
According to Oyedusi, research continuously demonstrates that women in leadership roles produce inclusive, transparent, and long-lasting outcomes worldwide. From New Zealand’s Jacinda Ardern to Liberia’s Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, female leaders have shown a unique capacity to combine empathy and efficiency, vision and responsibility, and compassion with competence.
Lagos requires a special kind of leadership that listens, works together, and inspires people in Nigeria, where governance has far too frequently been characterized by aggressiveness, ego, and exclusion.
“Economic inclusion, healthcare, education, and community well-being are all naturally given top priority in a woman’s approach to government since these factors have a direct impact on the standard of living for regular Lagosians.
It is more probable that a female governor would see development as people and potential rather than just steel and concrete.
Women in Lagos are already driving the city’s economy; from Lekki to Alimosho, from Balogun Market to Yaba Tech, they form the backbone of the city’s economy.
They work as bankers, teachers, nurses, traders, inventors, transporters, craftspeople, and business owners. They maintain communities’ social cohesion by managing homes and small enterprises.
But where it counts most, at the top, they are underrepresented. Although women make up more than half of the population in Lagos, they are still rarely heard when executives make decisions.
It is unfair and foolish to disregard the population that powers the state. It is intelligent governance to elect a female governor; it is not a token gesture.
Lagos women have already demonstrated leadership, intelligence, and tenacity in every areas except the most important one: political power.
Lagos is now wealthier, wider, and higher. It must now become more inclusive, safer, and equitable. The next frontier of Lagos’ development must focus on the people who use the roads and rails, not just the infrastructure.
Who could be a better leader of that change than a woman? The everyday struggles of the market lady who gets up before the sun comes up, the mother who has to drive her child to school on dangerous roads, the nurse who experiences burnout in a public hospital, and the young girl who wants to be a techie but cannot afford data are all understood by ladies.
Humanizing governance is what a female governor would do. She would judge Lagos’ progress in terms of quality of life rather than the number of kilometers of motorways.
Let’s be honest: the public is sick with politicians as usual. They are drawn to leaders who are moral, sympathetic, and genuine. Women have consistently demonstrated greater integrity in public office. According to studies conducted by organizations such as the World Bank and the United Nations, female leaders are frequently more open, less corrupt, and more receptive to the concerns of the populace.
After achieving great economic success, Lagos now requires moral capital and trustworthy leadership. In Nigeria’s most important state, a woman in charge can rebuild that trust and reshape what political leadership looks like.
The state that has always guided Nigeria’s future is Lagos. Urban innovation, the growth of the internet economy, and the creative industries were all led by it. By choosing the state’s first female governor, Lagos can once again take the lead.
Progress is at stake here, not just gender. Lagos may once again set the standard for the rest of Nigeria, demonstrating that vision and outcomes, rather than gender, define great leadership.
The woman in charge of Lagos will not only motivate young women throughout the state, but she will also send a message to the rest of the nation that the days of gender inequality in politics are over.
“In terms of innovation, technology, and infrastructure, the current administration has established foundations. In addition to continuity, the governing culture must change for the next stage.
A female governor can maintain the progress while shifting the focus to healthcare, education, young empowerment, and inclusivity. She has the ability to improve upon current policies while reorienting them to prioritize the welfare and dignity of persons.
Essentially, she is able to blend what has been lacking with what exists.
According to Oyefusi, the moment has come for Lagos to have a female governor for sentimental or charitable reasons. Strategically, morally, and developmentally, Lagos needs a female governor.
“An innovative and progressive state cannot keep using the same leadership style and expect different outcomes. A new rhythm that is characterized by empathy, intelligence, inclusivity, and strength is what Nigeria’s heart needs.
Lagos is worthy of a woman’s touch—not as a gesture, but as a momentous occasion. Lagos’s next governor needs to be a woman. Additionally, she needs to succeed for the benefit of all of us, not just the present governor.
