Dr.Lawal holds BSc General Agriculture, MSc Agricultural Economics and a PhD Agricultural Economics and an Advanced Diploma in Law, a Certificate in Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation from Wageningen University, the Netherlands and alumni of Harvard Kennedy School of Government where he obtained a Certificate on Driving Performance in Government. His professional working experiences span over 20 years as a Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation Specialist with International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and the World Bank Assisted Projects in Nigeria before joining the National Planning Commission.