INSTITUTIONS, KNOWLEDGE KEY TO LAGOS URBAN RESILIENCE-ONIRU

 

  ONIRU OF IRU KINGDOM WITH THE VC OF LAGOS STATE UNIVERSITY 

2026 DISTINGUISHED PERSONALITY LECTURE 

By Marvelous Udoruisi  

Lagos, 14 Sept. 2025 – The Oniru of Iru Land, Oba Abdul Wasiu Omogbolahan Lawal, says Lagos has continued to function as a megacity largely because of its capacity for institutional learning and knowledge driven governance.

  Lawal said this on Monday while delivering the keynote lecture at the 2026 Distinguished Personality Lecture Series of the Lagos State University (LASU), held in Lagos.

The lecture, titled “Urban Governance and the Knowledge Economy: Strengthening Institutions for a 21st Century Lagos,” focused on how strong institutions, data and adaptive governance have enabled Lagos to manage rapid urbanisation pressures.

“By all conventional measures, Lagos should have collapsed under the weight of its population and infrastructure deficits, yet it continues to adapt through institutional learning,” he said.

He further noted that institutions, not individuals, were the true drivers of sustainable governance, stressing that knowledge must be effectively deployed through systems to create impact.

“Technology alone does not define a knowledge economy. What matters is how institutions convert knowledge into decisions, policies and services,”

Lawal cited the Lagos Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system as an example of institutional learning, noting that it had transported over 550 million passengers since 2007 and reduced transport costs to between five and seven per cent of household income.

“The BRT system shows how data, co-ordination, and adaptive planning can improve urban mobility and affordability,” 

He also emphasised the role of traditional leadership in supporting modern governance by providing legitimacy, social trust and community engagement.

“Traditional institutions play a stabilising role in governance, especially during periods of disruption and reform,” he said.

Earlier speaking, the Vice-Chancellor of LASU, Prof. Ibiyemi Ibilola Olajide-Bello said the lecture series was designed to expose students and staff to ideas that connected academic knowledge with real-world governance challenges.

               Prof Ibiyemi Olatunji Bello gives her.                                    welcoming address. 

She said universities had a responsibility to produce graduates who could think critically and contribute meaningfully to societal development.

“Knowledge becomes valuable when it is applied responsibly to solve societal problems,” she said.

In her goodwill message, the Deputy Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Mrs Mojisola Lasbat Meranda, described the lecture as a platform that bridged scholarship, leadership and public policy.

Meranda, an alumna of the university, said the lecture theme underscored the importance of strong institutions, informed leadership and inclusive governance as Lagos continued to evolve as a global megacity.

She reaffirmed the commitment of the Lagos State House of Assembly to legislative frameworks that promoted good governance, economic resilience and institutional strength.

“Urban governance in a megacity like Lagos requires institutional strength, innovation and collaboration across all sectors,” she said.

       The Reading of the citation of Oniru

     In his remarks, the Chairman of the lecture, Prof. Dapo Asaju, called for a renewed appreciation of Africa’s intellectual and governance heritage, noting that traditional rulers had historically played key philosophical and leadership roles in society.

The lecture ended with a call for students, academics, and policymakers to demonstrate integrity, courage, and responsibility in addressing urban and governance challenges in Lagos and across Africa.