The Special Adviser to the Lagos State Governor on Central Internal Audit, Dr. Oyeyemi Ayoola, has described her decades of service under successive administrations as “interesting and rewarding,” noting that Lagos has consistently been blessed with visionary and hardworking leaders.

Ayoola, an Igbobi-Sabe-born chartered accountant with a PhD in Accounting, reflected on her career under Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Babatunde Fashola, Akinwunmi Ambode, and Babajide Sanwo-Olu. She credited President Tinubu with laying the foundation for inclusive governance by involving civil servants in decision-making and investing in their capacity development, a model sustained by his successors.

“Our governors are cerebral and people-centric. President Tinubu is a talent hunter. After him, Governor Fashola was very cerebral and hardworking. Governor Ambode was hardworking, and Governor Sanwo-Olu is cerebral. But you just have to give it to President Tinubu; he is the father of all,” she said.

Ayoola explained that her continued service after retiring as Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Finance was inspired by role models such as First Lady Senator Oluremi Tinubu and WTO Director-General Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala. She founded the Women Inclusion in Policy Advancement Organisation (WINPAO) to promote women’s participation in governance.

A Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN), Ayoola outlined her contributions to policy development, including financial feasibility reports for the LAKE Rice project, the Agric-YES youth empowerment scheme, and initiatives such as Insurance Week, staff welfare programs, and the LOLA payment platform for Land Use Charge collection.

In her current role under Governor Sanwo-Olu, she has introduced innovations such as the Payment Voucher Tracker and biometric staff auditing to enhance transparency and accountability in public service.