LAGOS, NIGERIA, 6 November 2026. Olalekan Biliamin Oba, civic leader, strategist and Senior Special Assistant to the Governor of Lagos State on Social Development, has launched his first book, One Rung at a Time: Echoes from the Ladder of Becoming. The launch, held recently, brought together senior government officials, political and community leaders, civil society, young professionals and students.
Written for the next generation of leaders, the book sets out eighteen short, practical lessons on growth, leadership and mentorship. Each one draws on the author's own journey, from student leadership in Ikorodu to the chairmanship of the National Youth Council of Nigeria, Lagos State Chapter, and into public service.
“This book is my way of giving back to the young ones,” Olalekan Biliamin Oba said in his address. “One Rung at a Time is not just an admonition; it is an opportunity to rise above the noise. We must learn to see the ladders that others overlooked.”
He described the book as a call to patience, discipline, diligence, loyalty, resilience and trust in the process. “Everyone has their own journey and story, but one of the things that will set you apart is finding time to set your own journey and believing in yourself,” he said. “Nobody leaps to the top. We climb one rung at a time.”
For the author, the book is itself one rung in a longer climb. His vision is a Lagos, and a Nigeria, where every young person has a place to stand. In that future, leaders build platforms, people and institutions that outlast them, and those who rise reach back to lift others. As he puts it: “It is not about reaching the top alone. It is about building enough rungs for others to climb.”
Dignitaries at the launch included Senator Adeseye Ogunlewe, former Minister of Works; Ms Abisola Olusanya, Lagos State Commissioner for Agriculture and Food Systems, who unveiled the book; Mr Mobolaji Ogunlende, Lagos State Commissioner for Youth and Social Development; Dr Seriki Muritala, Lagos State Youth Leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC); and Mr Deen Sanwoola, Director-General of the iCare Foundation.
In their goodwill messages, speakers praised the author's character, his growth as a leader, and his contributions to young people and to society. They pointed to his systems thinking and resilience, and spoke with confidence about what he will achieve next.
“What stands out about Olalekan is his character,” said Senator Ogunlewe. “He has grown from a young man with ideas into a leader with results, and he has done it the right way. This book is a record of that journey, and every young Nigerian should read it.”
“Olalekan thinks in systems,” said Ms Olusanya. “He builds structures that keep working long after he has moved on, and this book hands young people the same tools. It was an honour to unveil it.”
“We have worked alongside Olalekan in communities across Lagos, and we have seen his resilience up close,” said Mr Sanwoola. “His best is still ahead of him. To the young people here, my charge is simple: always read, and read good books. This is one of them.”
Dr Joachim Adebayo Adenusi, the book's lead reviewer, described it as practical and grounded in lived experience. “This is not a book of borrowed theories,” he said. “Every chapter comes from something the author has lived through. You can't get to the top without drawing from those who have gotten there, and this book lets young readers do exactly that.”
The programme closed with the formal unveiling and a book signing by the author, who ended his address with a question for every guest: “Are you ready to climb your own ladder, one rung at a time?”
One Rung at a Time is available now at biliaminoba.org/book, where schools, organisations and youth groups can also order copies in bulk. See more photos from the day on the launch page.
About the book
One Rung at a Time: Echoes from the Ladder of Becoming is a leadership and personal-development book in eighteen short chapters on growth, leadership, mentorship and becoming. The foreword is by His Excellency Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu, Governor of Lagos State. Dr Joachim Adebayo Adenusi is the lead reviewer.
About the author
Olalekan Biliamin Oba is a civic leader, strategist and author from Ikorodu, Lagos, whose work spans youth development, social development and institution building. He serves as Senior Special Assistant to the Governor of Lagos State on Social Development. He was State Chairman of the National Youth Council of Nigeria, Lagos State Chapter, from 2020 to 2024.
Media contact: obalekan2@gmail.com · Media kit. Photos by Chucklesphotography.