Babatunde Raji Fashola, SAN is a Nigerian politician who is currently the Federal Minister of Power, Works and Housing and was Lagos State Governor from May 29, 2007 to May 29, 2015. He was born in Lagos on 28 June 1963 and is of Yoruba origin. He is married to Mrs. Abimbola Emmanuela Fashola and they have children.
Fashola attended Birch Freeman High school Lagos and Igbobi College Lagos. He studied Law at the University of Benin from where he graduated with a Bachelor of Laws, LL.B.(Hon), degree in 1987.
He was called to the Nigerian Bar as a solicitor and advocate of the Supreme Court of Nigeria in November 1988 after completing the professional training programme at the Nigerian Law School, Lagos.
He began his legal career in the law Firm of Sofunde, Osakwe, Ogundipe and Belgore, where he cut across such wide-ranging areas of specialisation as, intellectual property (registration of trade marks), commercial law, covering general contracts, company activities, mergers, acquisitions, right 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.
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Fashola, a Notary Public of the Supreme Court of Nigeria, has been variously honoured with awards and certificates of merit including the Distinguished Alumnus Award conferred on him by the University of Benin Alumni Association in recognition of contributions to the Alumnus association and humanity. He is also a recipient of Lagos State public service club Platinum Award for outstanding contribution towards development. As well as Alliance for Democracy ” Igbogbo Bayeku Local Government Award” in recognition of activities towards the success of the party.
As a candidate of the Action Congress party, now known as the All Progressives Congress, Fashola succeeded Bola Ahmed Tinubu, on 14 April 2007, and was sworn in on 29 May 2007. He was re-elected on 26 April 2011. On November 11th 2015, he was appointed by President Muhammadu Buhari to be the Minister of Power, Works and Housing.
Babatunde Fashola is also a Patron of the Law Students Association of the University of Benin and he is 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 professional rank of Senior Advocate of Nigeria. He is also the First ever Chief of Staff to be so honored. He is a member of the Nigerian Bar Association, the International Bar Association and an Associate of the Chartered Institute of Taxation of Nigeria.
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He was Chief of Staff to his predecessor, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu. During his tenure as Chief of Staff, Fashola also also dubbed as the Honourable Commissioner to the Governor’s office. He was the first person to hold both offices simultaneously. Fashola has served in several offices in Lagos. He was the Secretary of the Lands Sub-Committee of the Transitional Work Groups in 1999. In 2000, he was a member of the panel of Enquiry into allocation of houses on the Mobolaji Johnson Housing Scheme at Lekki. He also served as Chairman Ad-Hoc Committee on the Review of Asset distribution among Local Government.
