Lagos partners Oniru community on maiden business, cultural day

Abdulwasiu Lawal, Abisogun II, the Oniru of Iru Kingdom, says the maiden Oniru Business and Cultural Day will signpost a new era in public and private sector engagement in Nigeria’s commercial capital city.

The event has been slated for February 14, 2026.

Addressing a news conference in his palace, in the Victoria Island area of Lagos on Tuesday, Lawal said the event “presents a new chapter in the socioeconomic evolution of Iruland”.

“This initiative, developed in partnership with the Honourable Commissioner for the Lagos State Ministry of Commerce, Cooperatives, Trade and Investment, Mrs. Folashade Kaosarat  Bada-Ambrose, represents a deliberate move to create a formal, organised, and trusted platform,” he said.

“Beyond the one-day event, the future of this initiative lies in ongoing, structured engagement under the umbrella of the Iru Business Network.” 

The monarch said the network is envisioned as a living, evolving platform that will maintain active engagement between cultural institutions, private sector actors, government agencies, and the wider community resident in Iru Kingdom.

“This engagement underscores the recognition that Iru Kingdom occupies a strategic position within Lagos State’s commercial and investment landscape,” he added. 

“As economic activity in the Kingdom continues to expand through real estate, hospitality, services, retail, and other sectors, there is a growing need for frameworks that connect local realities with state-level policies and programmes.

“Through the Iru Business Network and the Oniru Business & Cultural Day, Iruland is being positioned as an organised, responsive, and forward-facing community that is ready to participate actively in Lagos State’s broader economic agenda, while ensuring that the benefits of growth are shared and that development remains grounded in local priorities.”

Also speaking, Folashade Bada-Ambrose, commissioner of the Lagos state ministry of commerce, cooperatives, trade and investment, said the initiative aligns strongly with the Lagos government’s THEMES+agenda.

“They support our long-term aspirations for economic diversification, job creation, improved infrastructure systems, and social inclusion,” she said.

“They strengthen our tourism potential, especially at a time when Nigeria’s visitor numbers remain significantly below global and regional peers.

“They deepen public–private collaboration and reinforce the role of community-based leadership in our development landscape.”

The commissioner added that the Iru Business and Cultural Day is an invitation to indigenous operators to formalise their businesses, join the network and “position themselves for opportunities that will follow”.

“It is an invitation to expatriate businesses and multinational firms to deepen their engagement with the community and contribute to capacity-building, investment and job creation,” Bada-Ambrose said.

She thanked the monarch, on behalf of the Lagos state government, for his “exemplary leadership and foresight”, and pledged that through data, policy, culture and capital, Lagos will continue to provide a hub for “development that leaves no one behind”.