Jemimah Marcus, a 17-17-year-old student of Angus Memorial Secondary School in the Somolu area of Lagos, became the one-day governor of the state on Monday, 20th December 2021.
Babajide Sanwo-Olu, the State Governor, swapped places with Marcus, who won the 2020 edition of the Spelling Bee Competition.
According to a statement by the Governor’s Chief Press Secretary, Gboyega Akosile, Marcus earned the honour of becoming the one-day Governor when she won the competition.
The Edo State indigene presided over the weekly Executive Council meeting as Sanwo-Olu temporarily stepped aside and observed the proceedings.
While presiding over the meeting, she lauded Sanwo-Olu saying, “Mr. Governor, I commend your team for excellent leadership, as well as proactiveness in critical sectors. In education, the State Government has embarked on revamping schools and delivering new ones to improve access. This effort has been complemented with massive innovative programmes, such as EKO EXCEL, Lagos Learns Together, Read Loud, EKO Digital School, and job initiative.
“These laudable programmes have impacted on students, teachers and the out-of-school learners, as the initiatives have improved teaching and learning with excellent outcomes. With the deployment of technology, I can say teaching techniques across Lagos schools are no longer what they used to be. The success of these programmes is evident in the performance of students in their academics.
” She solicited more funding for her school, and schools where students learn under harsh circumstances, while also asking the Governor to support her parents to help her realise her future ambitions.
On the Governor’s official Instagram page, he wrote,
“I literally yielded the seat of authority to Ms. Jemimah Marcus to step in as one-day Governor of Lagos State, where she also presided over the State Executive Council meeting.
“Jemimah Marcus, a 17-year-old student of Angus Memorial Secondary School in Somolu, and an indigene of Edo State won the 2020 edition of the Spelling Bee Competition, thereby earning the honor to become the one-day Governor.
“The Spelling Bee competition, a contest between public schools across Lagos, is one of the legacy programmes in the State’s education sector pioneered in 2001 by the then First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu through her New Era Foundation.
“I am delighted to say that this initiative has been achieving its desired vision and objectives by affording winners the opportunity to not only improve their learning skills, but also give them an exposure on the rudiments of public administration.
“Our one-day Governor requested that we commit more investments in digital literacy across public schools in the state, and ensure the metropolitan fibre optic being laid across Lagos drops in public schools as promised.
“I accepted her requests while letting her know that we are already doing that, and we will continue to do more”.
See pictures below,
