As she holds another mega empowerment programme today, Wednesday, August 19, at the Blue Roof, LTV, Ikeja, Senator Idiat Oluranti Adebule reflects on her journey from studying Islamic Studies to public service, legislative representation and grassroots empowerment. Rasheed Abubakar writes>>
When Senator Dr. Idiat Oluranti Adebule chose to study Islamic Studies at Lagos State University, LASU, in 1987/88, some people around her questioned the decision. They wondered what career prospects the course could offer and whether she would eventually end up teaching Arabic.
Years later, that decision has become an important part of the story of a woman whose career has taken her from the classroom to the highest levels of public administration and national politics.
Sen. Adebule, who currently represents Lagos West Senatorial District in the Nigerian Senate, previously served as Deputy Governor of Lagos State from 2015 to 2019.
She is also an educationist with a doctorate in Curriculum Studies from Lagos State University, where she began her tertiary education with a Bachelor of Arts in Education in Islamic Studies.
Her remarkable journey was reflected in remarks she made during a recent engagement at The Fajr Qur’an Memorisation Centre in Ikorodu, Lagos, where she spoke about her educational background, the influence of Islamic learning on her life and the importance of raising young people who combine faith with knowledge and service.
A Choice That Was Once Questioned
Adebule recalled that Islamic Studies was not even her original choice when she sought admission to university. “I actually didn’t apply during JAMB to study Islamic Studies. When I was offered it, I gladly took it and went for it,” she said.
Her decision, however, attracted questions from people who could not immediately see where the course would take her.
“I remember when I went to the university to study Islamic Studies, the majority were saying, ‘What is she going to do with Islamic Studies?’ Someone said to my father, ‘Will she come back and be teaching Arabic? Why didn’t she go and learn it in madrasa?’” she recalled.
The young Adebule did not allow the doubts of others to determine the value of her educational choice. Instead, she embraced the opportunity, continued learning and gradually developed a career that would combine education, administration, leadership and public service.
Her academic journey continued at Lagos State University, where she obtained a master’s degree in Curriculum Studies before completing her doctorate in the same field in 2012.
I Didn’t Understand Arabic That Much
Interestingly, Adebule’s decision to study Islamic Studies did not mean she had mastered Arabic from the outset.
She spoke candidly about her early experience with the language, recalling that she did not understand Arabic very well at the time.
“I didn’t understand Arabic that much then,” she said.
However, the limitation did not discourage her from pursuing Islamic Studies or growing in her understanding of the subject.
Rather, her experience became part of a wider lesson in perseverance and the willingness to embrace an opportunity even when one does not have all the answers at the beginning.
Her journey shows that a person does not necessarily have to start as an expert before choosing a field of study. With determination, learning and the right environment, an initial challenge can become part of a much bigger success story.
The Influence of MSSN and Islamic Vacation Course
Sen. Adebule has also not forgotten the Islamic environment that helped shape her outlook and understanding of service.
Addressing the 27 prospective graduating students of The Fajr Centre, guests and parents, the Senator reflected on her formative years and highlighted the influence of the Muslim Students’ Society of Nigeria, MSSN, particularly through its annual Islamic Vacation Course, IVC.
She recalled how the programmes exposed young Muslims to the importance of acquiring knowledge and using it to benefit others in this life and the Hereafter.
“Going to Islamic Vacation Course, even before going there, we all had our dreams and aspirations, but within the MSS, we were made to understand the importance of being a teacher and being able to impact knowledge that will be useful in this life and the hereafter,” she said.
From Islamic Education to Leadership
Sen. Adebule began her professional career as a lecturer in Religious Studies at Michael Otedola College of Primary Education, Epe, before later joining Lagos State University, where she worked in the field of Curriculum Studies.
Her story is particularly significant because education has remained a central thread throughout her career.
Her professional progression took her from academia into public administration.
She served in the Lagos State Post Primary Teaching Service Commission, later served on the Lagos State Scholarship Board and was appointed Secretary to the Lagos State Government in 2011.
In 2015, she became Deputy Governor of Lagos State, where she also played a prominent role in the state’s education sector, serving as Coordinating Commissioner of the Ministry of Education.
Her transition from an academic background in Islamic Studies to senior responsibilities in education and governance offers a powerful response to the questions that once surrounded her choice of course.
The woman some people wondered might simply become an Arabic teacher eventually found herself participating in decisions affecting education, administration and public policy at the highest levels of Lagos State.
In 2023, she took another major step in her public service journey when she was elected Senator representing Lagos West.
Her growing connection with the people of Lagos West has also earned her the affectionate nickname “Mama West”, reflecting the relationship she has built with constituents across the senatorial district.
Sen. Adebule is seeking re election to the Senate in 2027 on the platform of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, after securing the party’s ticket to represent Lagos West again. Her bid reflects her determination to continue representing the district at the National Assembly.
From Representation to Legislative Impact
Since joining the Senate, Sen. Adebule has continued to combine legislation with constituency representation. She has reported sponsoring 12 bills and co sponsoring six others, bringing her total to 18 bills, while two of her motions have been adopted by the Senate.
Among the issues associated with her legislative work is the proposed reform of the management of assets recovered from unlawful activities. Her Proceeds of Crime legislation sought to establish a more centralised and accountable framework for the management and disposal of recovered assets.
Adebule initially served as Chairman of the Senate Committee on Sustainable Development Goals, SDGs, before moving to her current role as Chairman of the Senate Committee on Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction. In her present capacity, she provides legislative oversight on issues relating to humanitarian interventions, social protection and efforts to reduce poverty and improve the welfare of vulnerable Nigerians.
The new committee assignment also complements the grassroots focus that has increasingly characterised her representation of Lagos West, particularly through empowerment programmes, skills development and other interventions targeted at improving livelihoods.
Her legislative journey has therefore extended the education and development focus that characterised much of her earlier professional life.
Taking Representation to the Grassroots
Beyond the Senate chamber, Adebule has placed considerable emphasis on constituency interventions across Lagos West.
In January 2026, she empowered more than 1,000 constituents through a mega empowerment programme involving vocational tools, equipment and financial support. Beneficiaries received items including laptops, sewing machines, catering equipment, hairdressing equipment, barbing equipment and other tools to support economic activity.
Her reported constituency interventions have also covered healthcare, education, youth development, water supply, skills acquisition and community infrastructure.
Among the projects she has highlighted are two primary healthcare centres, a multipurpose youth development centre in Badagry, more than 1,000 solar streetlights, solar powered boreholes, classroom blocks and a skills acquisition centre.
In June 2026, Adebule described the youth development centre under construction in Ibereko, Badagry, as one of the major projects of her tenure. The facility is designed to include youth focused amenities such as an ICT centre, computer based testing centre, civic centre, boarding facilities, skills acquisition facilities and sports infrastructure.
She is also scheduled to hold another mega empowerment programme on Wednesday, August 19, at the Blue Roof, Lagos Television, LTV, Ikeja.
These interventions reflect a pattern that has followed her career from the beginning: using education, skills and access to opportunity as instruments of human development.
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