Ambode awards scholarship to one-day gov, says a woman will soon run Lagos

Akinwumi Ambode, governor of Lagos, says the state will have its first female governor in no distant time.

Ambode made this statement on Wednesday when he received Zuffon Bukola, an SS2 student who became one-day governor of the state after winning the annual Spelling Bee competition.

In a statement shared with TheCable, Ambode said the emergence of two female students as one-day governor and deputy was a sign of what the future holds for the state.

“This is a significant day for Lagos state and it also signals what the future actually holds for Lagos State in which we have seated here, two female strong members of the new state executive council and we have a female governor and a female deputy governor,” the statement signed by Habib Aruna, chief press secretary, read.

“It is also telling us a story about what the future of Lagos is all about that one day we would find seated here, not just a day governor, but for a period or tenure of four years, there would be a female governor in this State.

“We’ve had female deputy governors in this state; it also says something that these younger ones are telling our women in Lagos to rise up and actually take their position.

“I want to congratulate her and her cabinet members for also showing to us that the future of education in Lagos is strong. We believe that the resources we are spending in the educational sector are not going to be a waste and they have also shown that they are ready to succeed us as long as we encourage them.

“So we’ll do everything just like what we have been doing in the last two years to continue to pay greater attention to education and also make sure that we do so much in youth development to allow them to be mentally capable of succeeding us even as we move away from all the things we have done in the public service.”

Ambode also awarded a full scholarship to the one-day governor and her deputy, Rosemary Ogidan, while also announcing a cash donation of N1 million each to them.

He also gave a cash donation of N500, 000 each to members of their one-day cabinet.

The Spelling Bee competition was introduced by Oluremi Tinubu in 2000 when she was the first lady of the state.