14-yr-old Girl Emerges One-Day Lagos Governor

A 14-year-old girl, Miss Esther Etiyemonu, on Monday, symbolically took charge of state affairs as one-day governor of Lagos State.

Elected governor of Lagos State, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, temporarily stepped down from his job, yielding his seat to Miss Etiyemonu.

Miss Etiyemonu, a Senior Secondary School II student of Lagos State Senior Model College in Igbookuta, Imota, Ikorodu Division, emerged the overall winner of the 2025/2026 Spelling Bee Competition conducted for all eligible public secondary schools in Lagos.

The One-Day Governor was received by Sanwo-Olu at the State House in Marina in company of her two ‘cabinet members’, including one-day Deputy Governor, Miss Dorcas Awoyemi (a student of Ikosi Senior High School) and One-Day Secretary to the State Government, Miss Salami Jumain Olaide (a student of Angus Memorial Senior High School, Morocco Road, Yaba.)

The students were accompanied by their parents and teachers.

Miss Etiyemonu, who won the 21st edition of the Spelling Bee competition, presided over a short meeting of the State Executive Council, giving credence to the vision of the Spelling Bee project initiated by former First Lady of Lagos State and now Nigeria’s First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu.

The One-Day Governor said the initiative had continued to nurture academic excellence and leadership among students in Lagos State’s public schools, describing it as a “worthy education legacy.”

Miss Etiyemonu delved into governance matters, commending Governor Sanwo-Olu for what she described as “remarkable transformation” across key sectors, noting that the governor’s development programmes had positively impacted the lives of Lagosians.

She said: “In education, Governor Sanwo-Olu’s achievements are highly commendable. We have seen improvement in the quality of education through the reforms initiated by the current administration, including the recruitment of teachers, establishment of technical colleges, provision of digital skills training, upgrading of tertiary institutions, staff housing development, and renovation of public secondary school libraries.

“In the area of transportation, the reconstruction of roads, including the Gberigbe axis en route Ikorodu, has significantly improved accessibility. The Lagos Rail Mass Transit projects, comprising the Red and Blue Lines, have enhanced mobility and efficiency within the State. This administration’s security initiatives have contributed to improved safety and stability across Lagos.”

Responding, Governor Sanwo-Olu said the emergence of One-Day Governor from Lagos State Senior Model College had further justified his administration’s education investment in the State-owned model colleges, noting that Miss Etiyemonu’s school was one of the beneficiaries of his Government’s education interventions.

The governor said Miss Etiyemonu’s brilliance reflected the improvement in quality and academic performance being recorded in the State-owned schools.

Sanwo-Olu said: “You are a testament of the quality of education we are providing in our public schools. You are an embodiment of excellence and quality of students coming out of our public schools. This goes to show our investment in education has not gone down the drain. Year on year, we have seen improvements in the success rate of schools in external exams, such as WASSCE and NECO. This goes to justify our continued intervention in improving the physical environment and ambience in which you learn.

“We have also addressed some of the issues pertaining to the welfare of teachers, which is now reflecting in the quality of output. Your success is a challenge for us to do more. We will continue to provide support in terms of health care, road access to schools, maintenance of school structures and provision of modern facilities that will further enhance learning in our public schools. We will also protect your schools and prevent any incident that can potentially disrupt your learning.”

Sanwo-Olu said the Spelling Bee Competition has become a worthy legacy bequeathed to Lagos State by the Nigeria’a First Lady, pledging to ensure continued support for the initiative.