Lagos Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu swapped the business of government for the catwalk on Saturday night, walking the runway for menswear designer Ugo Monye at Lagos Fashion Week 2026.
Main image: DGBN graphic. Photo: Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0
The governor appeared on the final evening of the main shows at the LagosFW tents at the Federal Palace Hotel, Victoria Island, joining professional models to present Monye’s collection. Reports from the venue describe loud cheers from the audience as he took to the runway.
“Part-time model” for one night
Sanwo-Olu shared the moment on social media soon after, joking that he was a full-time governor and public servant and, for one night only, a part-time model. He said Lagos keeps growing as a home for fashion, creativity and culture, and that he is always glad to back the people driving that growth. In a further post he praised the city’s creatives for putting Lagos on the global fashion map.
The governor posted about the walk on his official X account:
A return to the runway
This was not the governor’s first turn on the catwalk. In October 2023 he closed the show for designer Emmy Kasbit, an appearance that drew wide attention online. Saturday’s walk is his second documented runway appearance since taking office in 2019.
Monye’s closing segment also featured the labels Fruché and Ejiro Amos Tafiri, according to Premium Times.
Lagos Fashion Week at 15
Founded in 2011 by Omoyemi Akerele, Lagos Fashion Week has grown into one of Africa’s most influential fashion platforms, linking designers with buyers, retailers, investors and international media. The 2026 edition ran from 28 October to 1 November under the theme “CRAFTED: Heritage. Innovation. Circular Futures.”, with more than 60 designers taking part.
Why it matters
Nigeria’s creative economy, from Afrobeats and Nollywood to fashion, has become one of the country’s strongest exports and a major point of pride for the global diaspora. A sitting governor lending his face to a homegrown menswear label sends a clear signal that Lagos sees fashion as an industry, not a sideshow. It also fits the state’s wider pitch to investors, which DGBN covered this week: Sanwo-Olu Sets Lagos on Path to $1 Trillion Economy by 2052.