- Bawa-Allah will serve a second term as Lagos FCC Commissioner.
- He was approved alongside Omidiran as chair and 36 other nominees.
- Bawa-Allah brings over four decades of administrative and management experience.
The Senate has approved the reappointment of AbdulWasiu Kayode Bawa-Allah as the Federal Character Commission (FCC) Commissioner representing Lagos State, clearing the way for him to continue in a role he first assumed in July 2020.
EKO HOT BLOG reports that the confirmation came on Thursday alongside that of Ayo Hulayat Omidiran as Chairman of the Commission and 36 other nominees representing each state and the FCT.
EDITOR’S PICKS
The decision followed the adoption of the report presented by Senator Allwell Heacho Onyesoh, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Federal Character and Inter-Governmental Affairs, who told the chamber that all nominees submitted the required documentation, underwent full screening, and had no criminal petitions recorded against them.
Bawa-Allah’s confirmation places him among a diverse slate of commissioners, including Peter Ogbonna Eze (Enugu), Mohammed Musa, who remains Secretary of the Commission, Obinna Oriaku (Abia), Lawal Ya’u Roni (Jigawa), Abubakar Atiku Bunu (Kebbi), and others representing all states of the federation.
Omidiran, the newly confirmed FCC chair, is widely respected for her legislative record, women’s empowerment initiatives, and advocacy for fairness in governance—priorities that align closely with the FCC’s mandate of ensuring equitable distribution of public offices and services.
‘My appointment has led to greater number of Lagos indigenes enlisting in the military’
In an interview with EKO HOT BLOG in December 2024, Bawa-Allah noted that there had been a paradigm shift in the enlistment of Lagos indigenes into the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA) since his appointment in July 2020.
According to the Lagos representative in the FCC, Lagos indigenes used to show low interest in joining the military until his concerted efforts to encourage enlistments.
“When I came on board some four years ago, this [high enlistment by Lagos inidigenes] was not happening and it has grown every year to this highlight today,” he said at the successful departure ceremony of the shortlisted members of the 88RRI of the 9 Brigade Nigerian Army.
“Lagos State had struggled over the years to get the interest of Lagosians to take their rightful place in the armed forces of Nigeria and it is a critical entity of Nigeria and a benefit of the federal republic of Nigeria to all Nigerians.”
Four Decades in Agriculture, Management and Public Administration
With an extensive career spanning more than 40 years, Bawa-Allah is regarded as one of Nigeria’s most experienced administrators. His background cuts across agriculture, management, operations, public sector administration, business process design, and customer service management, with both local and international exposure.
Before joining the FCC, Bawa-Allah built a strong professional portfolio in roles that intersect production, sales, training and political administration. In the early 2000s, he served as Senior Account Manager to several Fortune 100 corporations, including CNN, AT&T, Coca-Cola, UPS, Microsoft, Sony/BMG, JPMorgan Chase and Citibank, gaining experience in major-account sales and multinational operations.
He is also a trained practitioner in Dr. Deming’s Total Quality Management philosophy and a certified trainer under Developmental Dimension International’s Interactive Management system. He is a graduate of the Dale Carnegie Sales Advantage programme, which he credits for shaping his sales leadership approach and mentoring efforts.
Bawa-Allah’s achievements include transforming the production scheduling of a major U.S. multimedia firm, with his model later expanded to 18 branches. He also served as a member of the University of Minnesota International Agric Forum, a think tank focused on agricultural development in Africa and South America.
In public administration, he has led policy formulation and implementation, and as Chief of Staff in both legislative and executive settings, he championed several key programmes and projects. His early career included work at Gold Kist Poultry in Alabama before pursuing advanced studies in Agricultural and Applied Economics at the University of Minnesota, where he had previously graduated top of his class with summa cum laude honours in Agribusiness.
Beyond his professional duties, Bawa-Allah is also known for mentoring young Nigerians and supporting academic and leadership development initiatives. A long-standing member of Kappa Alpha Psi, an African-American Pan-Hellenic fraternity, he has led mentoring programmes for indigent students in the United States and Nigeria.
Married with three adult children, he also mentors professionals in both local and international business circles.
Before Bawa-Allah’s appointment as the FCC commissioner representing Lagos State, the reappointed FCC commissioner was an active participant in Lagos and national polity. He actively served in the successful 2019 presidential and governorship campaigns of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
FURTHER READING
With the new set of commissioners confirmed, the FCC is expected to intensify efforts to ensure fairness, balance and inclusiveness in federal appointments and distribution of national opportunities.
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