Financial expert and public servant, Fuad Kayode-Laguda, popularly known as FKL, has emerged as the candidate of the All Progressives Congress for the Surulere 1 Constituency House of Representatives by-election. He won the party’s primary election held on Saturday in Lagos.
The bye-election, fixed for February 3, 2024, is meant to replace the former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, who represented the constituency before President Bola Tinubu appointed him as his Chief of Staff.
FKL was born on July 23, 1977, to the family of Ramota Olanrewaju and Muyideen Akinola Laguda of the Laguda Family of Lagos Island in Lagos State.
Educational background
He had his primary education at K. Kotun Memorial Nursery and Primary School, Surulere, Lagos before proceeding to Ansar-ud-Deen High School, Falolu, Surulere for his secondary education, which he completed in the year 1993.
He earned his Bachelor of Science degree (Hons.) in Economics in 2000 from University of Maiduguri, Borno State. He had his mandatory National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) at the Debit Management Office of the Central Bank of Nigeria in 2001/2002.
He completed his Master’s in Public Administration (Public Policy) from the University of Lagos (Unilag), and also holds an MBA degree from the University of Lagos Business School.
Professional membership
Fuad Laguda is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Taxation of Nigeria (CITN); an Associate of the Nigerian Institute of Management (NIM); and an Associate of the Institute of Chartered Economists of Nigeria (ICEN).
He is an Alumnus of the Harvard Kennedy School/Executive Education, Boston where he was awarded a Certificate in Implementation of Public Policy; and likewise holds a Certificate in Entrepreneur Management from the Enterprise Development Centre, Pan-Atlantic University.
He has undergone series of trainings and courses both locally and internationally in Management, Public Policy, Leadership, Tax Administration, Human Resources and Management, Personal Development, and Entrepreneurship among others.
Career
In 2003, FKL joined the Lagos State Board of Internal Revenue as an Inspector of Taxes II and was posted to the State Treasury Office as a Treasury Officer in 2005, later to the Office of the Chief of Staff as a Protocol Officer and rose to the rank of Inspector of Taxes I in 2006.
In 2008, the board became autonomous and was named Lagos State Internal Revenue Service, (LIRS) where he started as an Assistant Revenue Manager/Personal Assistant to the Executive Chairman. In 2012, he was elevated to the rank of Deputy Revenue Manager, and doubles as the Personal Assistant to the Executive Chairman as the Head of Public Sector Unit, where he verifies taxes of individual transactions with the MDAs. In July 2015, he rose to the rank of Revenue Manager and served as the Head of Public Sector Unit, and Head of Lagos Internal Revenue Service/Lagos State Physical Planning Permit Authority (LIRS/LASPPPA) Liaison Unit.
In 2016, he joined the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) as a manager, and worked at the Relationship Management Unit and Sector Account Management Unit in the Office of the Executive Chairman, afterward became the South West Nigeria Coordinator, Relationship Management Unit – Government Business Sector, and was transferred in 2020 to the International Tax Department – Non-Resident People’s Tax Office, and assumed office as the head of Value Added Tax Unit, where he served till recent time.
Political life
Fuad Kayode Laguda is a member of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), where he served as the Chairman, All Progressives Congress, Surulere Local Government; Publicity Secretary, Conference of APC 57 LGA/LCDA Chairmen in Lagos State; and Secretary, Lagos Central Senatorial District APC Party Chairmen.
In 2001, he aspired for the position of a Councillor for Ward G under the then Alliance for Democracy (AD). He was also a Lagos State House of Assembly aspirant in Surulere 1, likewise 2022, under the All Progressives Congress (APC).
During the 2015 general election, FKL served as the Chairman, Advisory Committee for Surulere Local Government Campaign Committee and in 2018, he was a Member, Planning and Strategic Committee for Independent Campaign Group of Babajide Olushola Sanwoolu Mandate Campaign Organisation.
He was made the Director, Media and Publicity Committee, Independent Campaign Group, Femi Gbajabiamila Team Continuity Campaign Organisation in 2018; Member, Planning and Strategy Committee, Lagos State Campaign Committee in 2018; Deputy Director, Welfare Committee WES Lagos Central Senatorial Campaign 2022/23 and the Director-General, Surulere (TGSEE) Campaign Council in the just concluded 2022/23 General Election.
