OgasTv Governance Profile · Know Your Chairman Series.
- Profile
• Name: Hon. (Princess) Surah Olayemi Animashaun, FHTI
• Local Government/LCDA: Epe Local Government, Lagos State
• Political party: All Progressives Congress (APC)
• Date elected/assumed office: First declared winner and sworn in following the July 2021 LG council election, becoming the first woman ever elected Chairman of Epe Local Government. Public records indicate she secured a second term following the 2025 council elections.
• Term of office: Standard LG chairmanship term under Lagos State law (3 years); currently serving her second term.
• Previous public experience: Not yet independently verified in detail by OgasTv beyond her public profile as a member of the Epe royal family — she is described as the daughter of the Oba of Epe. Specific prior administrative or professional roles before her first election are data in progress. - What Citizens Should Know
• Annual budget: Not yet independently verified by OgasTv — data in progress.
• Major revenue sources: Not yet independently verified — data in progress. Given Epe’s economic base, fishing, agriculture, and trading are likely significant contributors to local economic activity, though this is not the same as confirmed council revenue data.
• Population served: Not yet independently verified — data in progress.
• Number of wards: Eight wards, per a Lagos State House of Assembly oversight report referencing “equitable distribution of developmental projects across the eight wards of the council.”
• Major markets: Not yet independently verified — data in progress, though the administration has engaged market representatives directly in security stakeholder meetings, indicating active market-community engagement.
• Primary healthcare centres: Not yet independently verified — data in progress, though healthcare service delivery has been named by the chairman as an area of focus.
• Public primary schools: Not yet independently verified — data in progress, though education has been named as an area of focus, including bursary support for tertiary students.
• Road network: Not yet independently verified in detail — data in progress, though rural road rehabilitation has been named as a standing administration priority.
• Flood-prone communities: Not yet independently verified — data in progress.
• Major economic activities: Epe is described as “the fish basket of Lagos State,” with fishing, agriculture, and trading forming the core of the local economy. The area is also positioned as an emerging tourism and investment destination, and benefits from proximity to the Lekki Free Trade Zone and the Dangote Refinery corridor.
OgasTv is actively sourcing the figures marked “data in progress” from Epe LG’s budget records, LASIEC, and the Lagos State Ministry of Economic Planning and Budget, and will update this profile once confirmed. - Responsibilities
As Executive Chairman, Hon. Animashaun holds statutory responsibility across the following areas:
• Environmental sanitation: Named as a standing administration priority; specific project-level detail not yet independently verified.
• Primary healthcare: Healthcare service delivery has been cited by the chairman as an area where the administration has positively influenced grassroots outcomes.
• Primary education support: The administration runs a monthly ₦10,000 entrepreneurship/bursary grant supporting students and indigent youth at tertiary institutions.
• Local roads and drainage: Rural road rehabilitation is a named, ongoing administration priority.
• Markets: Market representatives have been directly engaged in council security and stakeholder meetings.
• Motor parks: Statutory responsibility; specific initiatives not yet independently verified.
• Waste management: Statutory responsibility; specific initiatives not yet independently verified.
• Birth registration support: Statutory responsibility.
• Community security collaboration: A clearly documented area of active work — the administration provides monthly stipends to security agencies operating in Epe, has donated patrol vehicles and motorcycles to the Tactical Squad and the “Ibile Vigilante Group,” and has convened multi-LG security meetings (with Eredo LCDA and Ikosi-Ejinrin LCDA) specifically addressing vandalism of power infrastructure.
• Youth and women development: The monthly ₦10,000 entrepreneurship/bursary programme, along with disbursements to artisans and market men and women to boost their businesses, are documented initiatives in this area. - Citizen Questions
• What has changed since this chairman assumed office? The Lagos State House of Assembly’s oversight committee publicly commended the administration in late 2024 for equitable distribution of development projects across all eight wards, and specifically cited progress in sports, tourism, arts and culture, and infrastructure over roughly two-and-a-half years in office. Security infrastructure (patrol vehicles, motorcycles, stipends to security agencies) has also been documented as a concrete addition.
• Which promises have been fulfilled? OgasTv has verified the monthly ₦10,000 entrepreneurship/bursary grant as an active, ongoing programme, along with recurring Ramadan palliative programmes. A full first-term promises-vs-delivery assessment, and an evaluation of what has carried over into the second term, will be addressed in the follow-up Performance Scorecard.
• What projects are ongoing? The administration has stated it is working to acquire farmland to boost food production and strengthen food security — this appears to be an active, not yet completed, initiative as of the most recent reporting. Security-sector support (stipends, vehicles, motorcycles) is described as continuing and ongoing.
• What challenges remain? Public reporting as recently as mid-2026 shows the chairman still actively addressing security challenges (vandalism of power infrastructure, general crime prevention) as an unresolved, ongoing concern rather than a solved problem — she has directly linked this to unemployment, hunger, and poverty in the area. Detailed budget, ward-by-ward infrastructure data, and healthcare facility specifics remain unverified and residents are encouraged to request this information directly from the council secretariat. - Opportunity Watch
• Monthly entrepreneurship/bursary grant: ₦10,000 monthly grant supporting entrepreneurship and bursary needs for indigent tertiary students — residents should contact the council secretariat in Ita-Marin for current eligibility and application details.
• Ramadan Palliative Programme: A recurring seasonal relief initiative for residents facing economic hardship; timing and eligibility are announced ahead of each Ramadan period via the council secretariat.
• Artisan and market trader support: The administration has disbursed funds to artisans and market men and women to support their businesses — contact the council for current disbursement cycles.
• State-wide opportunities residents also qualify for: Lagos State-wide agricultural, fishing-sector, and SME support programmes remain open to Epe residents given the area’s fishing and agricultural economy; OgasTv’s Opportunity Watch series covers these on a rolling basis.- About This Series
Know Your Chairman is an OgasTv Governance Profile series covering all 57 Local Government and LCDA chairmen in Lagos State. Each profile is researched from public records, official statements, and verified news reporting. Where information is not yet publicly available, OgasTv states this plainly rather than guessing. A follow-up Performance Scorecard will be published for each chairman once sufficient time in office has passed to assess delivery. Residents with corrections, updates, or local knowledge to contribute can reach OgasTv via WhatsApp. +2349044506384
- About This Series
