The story of Olumide Kola-Lawal can be described as that of grit and determination. He is a phenomenal young leader, who believes in taking full responsibility in one’s quest for attainment and success.
As at the age of nine, he was already taking responsibility for his education. As a young boy, he paid his way through secondary school and got sponsorship for his university education.
Olumide came into limelight in 2015 when he aspired to represent Surulere Constituency in the Lagos State House of Assembly, contesting with established names like the incumbent Hon. Desmond Elliot and his predecessor, Hon. Kabiru Olajide Lawal, to clinch the APC party nomination.
His interest in politics became obvious as a Congress member in the University of Lagos. He had projected contesting for the Speakership of the University of Lagos Student Union up till the time student union activities were proscribed in Unilag in 2006.
Olumide has over five years experience in the National Assembly as a Legislative Assistant and currently serves as a consultant to Honourable members. His expertise is in policy formulations that strengthen democratic institutions and create opportunities for youths to be actively involved in governance.
He currently runs Modaville Centre for Development, a not-for-profit geared towards encouraging youth inclusion in governance and promotion of transparency in government; he is also on a professional practicum assignment with International Centre for Leadership Development. He is the coordinator of the Not Too Young to Run Campaign in Lagos. He has traversed the 20 local government and 37 LCDA’s in Lagos State, creating awareness on the bill to the youths and lobbying members of Lagos State House of Assembly on the importance of endorsing the bill once it scales through National Assembly.
A 2016 Mandela Washington Fellow, a flagship exchange program of the US State Department aimed at investing in the next generation of African leaders, he was posted to Virginia Commonwealth University where he studied Public Policy and Administration under the public management track.
Olumide is the National President, Mandela Washington Fellowship Alumni Association of Nigeria (MWFAAN). He led MWFAAN to the United Nations in February and March 2017 to the 55th Session of the Economic and Social Commission and the 61st Session of the Commission on the Status of Women conferences respectively. MWFAAN is a network of the brightest young minds in Nigeria at the moment.
He’s Nigeria’s representative in the African Youth Union Commission, a youth l-led organisation whose aim is to further advance youth development agenda; and to ensure a relevant, vibrant, effective, and prosperous continent of Africa towards the realization of AU 2063 agenda and the UN SDGs protocol.
For him, the urgent imperative for Nigerian youths is not to lose faith in the greatness we see ahead of us in spite of or despite our current realities. No doubt, we are disappointed and dismayed by the direction of our country at the moment, however, we need to stand tall in this time of adversity because we need to be unified by hope and inspired by the possibilities of bequeathing a future of prosperity for our children and generations to come. He believes politics is a great platform to positively impact the lives of multitude, hence, his quest for 2019 aspiration. He is happily married and blessed with two lovely children.
