Babatunde Raji Fashola, SAN - An Inspirational Role Model

Babatunde Raji Fashola, SAN

Babatunde Raji Fashola, was born in Lagos at the Island Maternity Hospital on June 28th, 1963.

He was educated at Sunny Fields Primary School, Adelabu, Surulere, in Lagos, Birch Freeman High School, Surulere, Lagos and at Igbobi College, Yaba, also in Lagos.

He studied law at the University of Benin from where he graduated with a Bachelor of Laws, LL.B. (Hons), degree in 1987.

He was admitted to the Nigerian Bar as a Solicitor and Advocate of the Supreme Court of Nigeria in November 1988 after completing the professional training programme of the Nigerian Law School, Lagos, which he undertook between 1987 and 1988. He subsequently enrolled to perform the mandatory One year National service under the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) programme in Benin, in the then Bendel State, from 1988 to 1989. During that period he carried out his primary assignment as counsel in the law firm of Late Dr. G.I.S Omonuwa & Company.

His legal career of almost two decades, commenced in the law Firm of Sofunde, Osakwe, Ogundipe and Belgore, where he cut his legal teeth as a litigator over such wide-ranging areas of specialization as, intellectual property (registration of trade marks), commercial law, covering general contracts, company activities, mergers, acquisitions, rights issues, ownership of shares and equity of corporations, as well as land disputes, criminal law and chieftaincy matters, in all of which he has come to acquire appreciable expertise and vast experience.

He has also, in the course of his distinguished law career, successfully pleaded a number of cases before the Supreme Court of Nigeria, different Divisions of the Court of Appeal and a host of Federal and State High Courts across the country.

In 1993, he voluntarily resigned his engagement in the Firm of Sofunde, Osakwe, Ogundipe and Belgore, and joined the law firm of K.O. TINUBU & Company, as an Investing Partner. He was Managing Partner, Lead Counsel, and highest fee earner of the firm from 1994 to August 2002 when he was appointed Chief of Staff to His Excellency, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Governor of Lagos State

Prior to his appointment as Chief of Staff, Mr. Babatunde Fashola was privileged to have served Lagos State in various capacities. He was the Secretary of the Lands Sub-Committee of the Transitional Work Groups established by Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu following his election as Governor of the State in 1999.
He later served on the State Government’s Panel of Enquiry into allocation of houses on the Mobolaji Johnson Housing Scheme at Lekki.

He is a member of the Nigerian Bar Association, the International Bar Association, an Associate of the Chartered Institute of Taxation of Nigeria and a Notary Public of the Supreme Court of Nigeria and has been variously honoured with Chieftaincy titles, awards and certificates of merit including the Distinguished Alumnus Award recently conferred on him by the University of Benin Alumni Association.

Babatunde Fashola is also a Patron of the Law Students Association of the University of Benin and he is only the second law graduate from the University of Benin and the first member of the Nigerian Law School graduating class of 1988 to be conferred with the Rank of Senior Advocate of Nigeria and the First ever Chief of Staff to be so honoured.

On the 14th April 2007 he was elected Governor of Lagos State and Sworn in on the 29th May 2007, as the 13th Governor of the state.

He is the first Senior Advocate of Nigeria to hold office as Governor in Nigeria and the youngest elected Governor of the State.

An extrovert and a sunny personality who belongs to a number of social clubs, notably Island Club, Ikoyi Club, Eko Club, Lagos Lawn Tennis Club and Eagle Club, Surulere, Mr. Fashola is an ardent sportsman who passionately loves playing and watching soccer, besides enjoying swimming and playing occasional billiards, lawn tennis, snooker and squash-rackets.

He is married to Mrs. Abimbola Fashola and they are blessed with two children