Oniru of Iru, Oba Abdulwasiu Omogbolahan Lawal, has called for robust investments in knowledge-driven institutions to enhance urban governance and economic resilience.

The monarch delivered the 2026 Distinguished Personality Lecture Series of Lagos State University (LASU) at the school on Lagos-Badagry Expressway, Ojo, Lagos.

The lecture, titled “Urban Governance and the Knowledge Economy: Strengthening Institutions for a 21st Century Lagos,” was held at the university’s main campus in Ojo, Lagos.

Lawal explained that discussions on urban governance in Africa often focus on failure and institutional weakness, noting that Lagos presents a contrasting experience.

He noted that despite rapid population growth, overstretched infrastructure, congestion, and regulatory challenges, the city has continued to function by adapting its institutions rather than relying on rigid or static systems.

According to him, governing a megacity like Lagos in the 21st century is not about perfect systems or fixed models, but about the capacity of institutions to learn, reform, and respond continuously under pressure.

He stressed that population growth, technological change, climate risks, public health shocks, and inequality make it impossible for policies to remain permanent.

The monarch described urban governance in the knowledge economy as an exercise in institutional learning, where governance structures must remain flexible enough to evolve while retaining public trust, legitimacy, and stability.