Setonji David, a member of the All Progressives Congress, is the deputy chief whip of the 10th Lagos State House of Assembly, representing Badagry Constituency 2.
With a background in civil engineering, he served as a civil servant for over 25 years in various ministries within the Lagos State Government before retiring in 2014.
Mr. Setonji David is a fellow of the Nigerian Society of Engineers and the Nigerian Institute of Civil Engineers. He is also a member of the Nigerian Institute of Management.
He was first elected as a member of the House in 2015. He won re-election in 2019 and 2023.
Early life and education
Mr. Setonji David was born on December 12, 1959 but there is sparse information on his early life.
He attended the University of Lagos for his undergraduate studies and has since gone on to obtain advanced degrees in environmental resource management, business administration, and public administration.
His professional career was mainly in the Lagos state civil service where he served for more than two decades and rose to the rank of deputy director.
He retired in 2014.
In an interview, Mr. Setonji David said he left the civil service because his constituents had been encouraging him to represent them.
“I looked at these things,” he said. “I was a deputy director but I decided to come out. I thank God, I contested even against the incumbent. I was victorious at the primaries.”
Political career
Mr. Setonji David’s career in partisan politics began with his 2015 election in the House of Assembly. He was one of 32 APC members who won seats in the House that year.
Upon assuming office, he advocated for crucial infrastructure such as the expansion of the Badagry Expressway. In 2020, he described the road as a “national embarrassment.”
He is a staunch supporter of former Lagos Governor, Bola Ahmed Tinubu. In 2022, Mr. Setonji advocated for the APC to adopt Tinubu as a consensus candidate for the 2023 presidential elections.
“He (Tinubu) is the man that can deliver this country. He is in the best position to help us move forward,” Mr Setonji David said.
In the ninth House of Assembly, he served as chairman of the house committee on information, security and strategy. He has also served as chairman of the house committee on physical planning and urban development.
Legislative work
Mr. Setonji David believes the core job of a legislator is to make laws. However, expectations from his constituents means he has to be directly involved in delivering infrastructure projects.
According to him, he has provided at least eight boreholes in all the eight wards in his constituency.
He also bought electricity generators for each of the wards.
Mr. Setonji David also claims he has helped to facilitate the construction of some roads in his constituency.
In terms of his oversight responsibilities, Mr. Setonji David, as chairman of the house committee on physical planning and urban development, vowed to go after regulatory agencies in charge of monitoring building construction in 2017. He made the comment after a series of building collapses in Lagos.
“Building collapse will end soon in the state,’’ he said at the time.
In 2022, as spokesperson for the House, he denied that the House of Assembly was considering passing a Sharia bill in Lagos ahead of the 2023 elections.