In Lagos, where politics rarely allows for long leases, Speaker Mudashiru Obasa has done the improbable: he’s survived ten years as the iron-willed conductor of Nigeria’s most influential legislative chamber.
That’s no metaphor. Just this January, Obasa was ousted in what lawmakers called a clean sweep. A new speaker was sworn in. Gavel passed. Then the courts struck—and so did Obasa. By March, he was back in his seat, with a legal ruling, N500,000 in damages, and a political swagger that borders on feline.
First elected in 2003 at 31, Obasa has transformed from an eager legislator to the state’s longest-serving Speaker, presiding over a house that’s passed laws fueling Lagos’ economic ascent: from safety corps to pandemic response and even mental health reform. His Agege base, once a chaotic sprawl, now bears signs of his infrastructural ambition. As the state’s GDP balloons north of $250 billion, few dispute that the legislature has kept pace, sometimes even led.
