Esther Agbaje becomes the first Nigerian elected into the Minnesota House of Representatives

NIGERIAN-born lawyer Esther Agbaje has been elected as a member of the Minnesota House of Representatives making her the first Nigeria n-American to become a lawmaker in the state.

Ms Agbaje, 35, is the daughter of an Episcopal priest and a librarian, both Nigerian immigrants. Esther, contested to represent District 59B in the Minnesota House of Representatives on the platform of the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party, an affiliate of the US Democratic Party.

Yesterday, she defeated Republican Alan Shilepsky and Green Party candidate Lisa Neal-Delgado to represent downtown and north Minneapolis in the state House of Representatives. Ms Agbaje has a law degree from Harvard and a master’s degree from the University of Pennsylvania.

Professionally, she spent a stint in the US State Department, working with city government, and has also worked for a prestigious law firm. In many ways, her resume seems tailor-made for a run for public office.