Esther Agbaje is one of the beautiful seeds that has planted joy in the heart of Nigerians, as she emerges her new office as a representative of District 59B in the 134-member House on the platform of the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party (DFL), an affiliate of the U.S. Democratic Party.
She’s a Nigerian-American, who hails from Aramoko, Ekiti State. She was raised by her father who is a Priest and her Mum, a Librarian.
Esther Agbaje was declared the winner of the house of representative election with 17,396 votes or 74.7 per cent of the total ballots cast to defeat her closest rival, Alan Shilepsky of the Republican Party who polled 4,128 votes, representing 17.7 per cent of the total.
Esther Agbaje has pulled all strings with her educational prowess to ensure that the welfare citizens around her were catered for, especially on issues related to housing. She has a degree in political science from George Washington University, Washington, D.C., Masters degree in Public Administration from the University of Pennsylvania, and also a law degree from Harvard University. During her schooling days at Harvard, she served as a student attorney at the Harvard Legal Aid Bureau, where she worked on issues related to housing justice. Esther Agbaje was part of the volunteer lawyers who sought after fair rents of Citizens.
“I have always had a focus on public service, always a desire to make sure that I’m using my skills and talents to help people and to make the community around me a little bit better,” she said.
She was equally part of the team of lawyers that solicited on the behalf of prisoners with the Minnesota Department of Correction to allow qualified prisoners to be given Hepatitis medication. For her good records, in 2019, Esther Agbaje was awarded Attorney of the Year.
Her victory as the legislative representative at Minnesota caught the attention of Nigerians who congratulated her on her appointment. Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM) boss said her victory is proof that Nigerians can be trusted with power. The governor of Ekiti State, Governor Fayemi also congratulated her for her victory via his Twitter account.
In appreciation for the support of citizens who voted her in, Esther Agbaje wrote on, “I’m honoured to have earned the support and trust of my neighbours to serve as their representative for #MN #HD59B. From North #MPLS to North Loop, Elliot Park to Bryn Mawr, I will work hard every day to represent this entire district with empathy, compassion and pride.#ThankYou”.
