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  • Alaba Lawson (1951 – 2023)

    Alaba Lawson (1951 – 2023)

    • An outstanding ‘Iyalode’ who touched several lives

    She held two traditional titles that underscored her standing as a woman of substance. Interestingly, her mother was opposed to her selection for the position of Iyalode of Egbaland because she felt her daughter was rather young and such a title should go to an elderly woman. She was 48 at the time. It took the intervention of the then Alake of Egbaland, Oba Oyebade Lipede, to get her mother’s backing. She was installed in August 1999. Nine years later, in August 2008, the then Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi, made her the first Iyalode of Yorubaland.

    “Iyalode means prime minister of the womenfolk. It requires someone who has integrity and who is hardworking. You must be loved by all,” Chief Alaba Lawson explained in a published interview that gave an insight into her status among the Egba people of Abeokuta, a Yoruba subgroup in present-day Ogun State, as well as her importance among the entire Yoruba people in southwest Nigeria.   

    Honoured with the award Amazon of Yorubaland by the reigning Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, Lawson, who died on October 28, aged 72, achieved notable heights in various sectors, and played significant roles beyond her ethnic base.  

    She was born in Abeokuta, where she had her primary and secondary education, and attended St. Nicholas Montessori Teachers’ Training College, England, in the early 1970s. She was the first African student to earn a first-class diploma in Education with distinction at the college. After she returned to Nigeria in 1977, she established her own school called Lawson’s Childcare Nursery and Primary School, starting with three pupils. This small seed grew to become the Lawson Group of Schools, including Crèche, Pre-Nursery, Nursery, Primary, Junior School and College. Apart from founding these schools, she gave scholarships to brilliant but disadvantaged children. “That is what I want to be remembered for, education,” she once said.

    She will also be remembered for her business life. She established Capricorn Stores Ltd. in the late 1960s, which was a distributor for Nigerian Breweries Ltd., Nigerian Bottling Company Ltd., Guinness Nigeria Ltd., and West African Portland Cement Ltd., among others.

    She joined the Abeokuta Chamber of Commerce in 1982, according to her, “as an ordinary member.” She became its executive secretary, financial secretary, treasurer, deputy president, and finally president in 1995 till 2000 when she served as the president of Ogun Council of Chambers of Commerce till 2002. In 2009, she established Abestone Microfinance Bank to support small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the country.

    When she became the first female national president of the Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines, and Agriculture (NACCIMA) in 2017, it was not only a personal accomplishment but also a triumph for women in the country who are marginalised in a patriarchal context. She was also the first female president of the Federation of West African Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FEWACCI), which showed her international relevance. 

    Read Also: Iyalode of Yorubaland, Alaba Lawson to be buried Dec 8

    She encouraged women to pursue personal development, and sought to uplift rural women and the needy through the Iyalode Egba Foundation, a non-profit making organisation she founded as a way of giving back to society. She was close to the grassroots, and inspired local traders to form trade associations and cooperatives to enhance their access to finance. Several groups embraced her as a pillar, including butchers, blacksmiths, welders and iron benders, palm oil sellers, fish sellers, and herbs and roots sellers.

    In her active years, the high-profile positions she occupied also included chairman of the board of the Governing Council, Moshood Abiola Polytechnic, Ogun State; fellow and council member, Institute of Directors (IoD); council member, Nigerian-British Chamber of Commerce (NBCC); chairman, board of trustees, Nigerian Quality Infrastructure Forum (NIQIF), and Ambassador of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal.

     The ultimate tribute from her country came when she received the Nigerian national honour Member of the Order of the Federal Republic (MFR), in 2004. 

  • Ogun to set up committee for Alaba Lawson’s burial, says Abiodun

    Ogun to set up committee for Alaba Lawson’s burial, says Abiodun

    Governor Dapo Abiodun of Ogun State has disclosed plans by the state government to set up a committee that would work out a befitting burial for the late Iyalode of Yorubaland, Chief (Mrs) Alaba Lawson.

    Iyalode Lawson died on Saturday, October 28, at the age of 72 after a brief illness. 

    The late Iyalode, a culture ambassador, educationist, entrepreneur, and past president of Nigeria Chambers of Commerce and Industry, Mines and Agriculture (NACCIMA) was the proprietress of Lawson Group of Schools Abeokuta.

    While paying a condolence visit to the family of the late philanthropist, businesswoman, and women’s rights advocate in Abeokuta at the weekend, Abiodun described the deceased as a passionate and selfless woman who was also a great advocate of women’s rights.

    The governor said he was saddened by the suddenness of her death, adding that the committee to be set up by the state government will liaise with the Lawson family to begin the process of giving her a befitting burial.

    He added: “We will be with you throughout this very trying period. We are setting up a committee of the state to interface with the family so that we can begin to plan the final rights to give Mama a very befitting passing.

    “Your mother was many things to many people. She was a very hard-working woman, a very principled woman, she would call a spade a spade, and she would say it as it is. Whatever she won’t say in front of you, she will not say it behind you.

    “She was a very intentional woman, very passionate woman, a very selfless woman, she was a big philanthropist, she gave with her heart and soul.

    “Besides being a foremost educationist, she advocated for everything that stood for the emancipation of women.

    “Anything that spoke for women, anything that gave women a voice, anything that interpreted to mean a better representation for the women fold, she was at the vanguard of it.”

    Abiodun added that President Bola Tinubu, upon hearing about the demise of Iyalode of Yorubaland, has instructed that a condolence message is announced in respect of the late women’s advocate.

    He added: “We are very happy that Iyalode lived a very impactful life and when I informed Mr President this morning, it didn’t take him five minutes to instruct that a condolence message should be immediately announced in respect of her person.”

    Responding on behalf of the family, the son of the deceased; Akinola Lawson, while thanking Governor Abiodun for supporting the aspirations of their mother, also acknowledged him for looking out for the welfare of their late mother during her period at the hospital.

  • Tinubu, Obasanjo, Abiodun, others mourn Alaba Lawson

    Tinubu, Obasanjo, Abiodun, others mourn Alaba Lawson

    President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, former President Olusegun Obasanjo and Ogun State Governor Dapo Abiodun joined many other Nigerians yesterday to mourn the Iyalode of Yorubaland, Chief (Mrs) Alaba Lawson who passed on in the early hours of yesterday.

    Announcing her death in a statement yesterday, the Executive Secretary of Abeokuta Chambers of Commerce and Industry, Mines and Agriculture (ABEOCCIMA), AbdulRahman Maku, said the family would announce her burial arrangements at a later date

    The late Lawson was a businesswoman, a former President of the Nigeria Chambers of Commerce and Industry, Mines and Agriculture (NACCIMA) and proprietress of Lawson Group of Schools, Abeokuta.

    Mourning the death of the late businesswoman via a statement issued by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Ajuri Ngelale, yesterday, President Tinubu described her as an enterprising, courageous, astute and distinguished businesswoman and leader.

    “Iyalode Lawson epitomised enterprise, brilliance and ingenuity. Her death is a very painful loss. May the Almighty God grant her eternal rest,” the President said.

    Also mourning her passing yesterday, former President Obasanjo described the late Iyalode of Egbaland and Yorubaland as a woman who lived a worthwhile life and a very generous individual.

    In a release issued by Obasanjo’s Special Assistant on Media, Kehinde Akinyemi, he said the late educationist and industrialist contributed immensely to the development of Nigeria in general.

    Obasanjo said: “Iyalode Lawson lived a worthwhile life and she did well in life. I knew she had been down, but I didn’t really know the cause.

    “She was a fantastic human being and she was a no-nonsense person, hardworking and a very generous personality.

    “I will miss her sorely.”

    The former president had honoured the late Lawson with the award of Member of the Order of Federal Republic (MFR) in 2004 in recognition of her contributions to the economic growth of the country and community development.

    Ogun State governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun, described the death of the Iyalode as a huge loss to the nation.

    Read Also: Tinubu mourns Iyalode Alaba Lawson

    Abiodun, who said he received the news of the passing of the business magnate, educational entrepreneur and administrator with great shock, said he took solace in the fact that the deceased left her marks across the Nigerian landscape and would be remembered for being a blessing to thousands of Nigerians whose paths crossed hers.

    The Ogun State governor added that as an epitome of excellence, the late Lawson represented the very best of womanhood and was a model to generations of women.

    In a statement issued by his Chief Press Secretary, Lekan Adeniran, in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital yesterday, Abiodun said: “The passing of Chief (Mrs) Alaba Lawson is without doubt a shocking development. But we are consoled by her sterling record of service to humanity and unblemished contributions to the development of Ogun State.

    “Born into the highly distinguished Jibolu-Taiwo family of Abeokuta, Chief (Mrs) Lawson was an exemplar of the popular Yoruba dictum of one born into nobility but who goes on to achieve self-rebirth, showcasing the timeless Omoluabi qualities that the Yoruba hold so dear.

    “From her education in Nigeria to her sojourn in the United Kingdom, teaching in several schools while studying at the St. Nicholas Montessori Teachers’ Training College at Prince’s Gate, England in 1973 where she set a record by becoming the first African to obtain a First Class Diploma in Education, Chief (Mrs) Alaba Lawson showcased uncommon commitment to excellence.

    “When she returned home, she established a string of schools that have shaped the lives of generations of students and contributed immensely to Ogun State’s profile as Nigeria’s education capital.

    “Whether as the first female president of NACCIMA; chairman of the board of the Governing Council, Moshood Abiola Polytechnic, Ogun State; Otun Iyalode of the Egba Christians or the Iyalode of Yorubaland, Chief (Mrs) Lawson was the quintessential definition of a pacesetter. She was thoroughly accomplished and distinguished.

    “Among other imperishable legacies, the Lawson’s Group of Schools comprising Lawson’s International Private School, Lawson’s Continuing Education Centre, Alaba Lawson Royal College, Abeokuta and Alaba Lawson School of Advanced Studies will continue to bear eloquent testimony to her genius.

    “She will be sorely missed.”

    Governor Abiodun commiserated with the Alake of Egbaland, Oba (Dr) Adedotun Gbadebo, and his chiefs, the Lawson family and the nation in general on her demise and prayed that the Almighty God would grant them the fortitude to bear the irreparable loss.

    In a press statement made available to the media in Ibadan by his Personal Assistant (Media), Oladele Ogunsola, the Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Lekan Balogun described Lawson’s death as the loss of a gem to Nigeria in general and Yorubaland in particular.

    The Olubadan, who described report of the death of the woman of fame and glamour as shocking and unbelievable, said the fact that there’s nothing in the public space of recent suggestive of ill-health or anything untoward about her made it painful and sad.

    Recalling the last time the late Chief Mrs. Lawson, in her capacity as Iyalode of Yorubaland, led other women and groups from across the Southwest to his Alarere residence to felicitate him on his ascension to the Olubadan throne, Oba Balogun described her death as a monumental loss to the Yoruba race in particular and Nigeria in general.

    The statement said: “The late woman leader was an entrepreneur of high class with focus and vision. Her love for the younger generation was impeccable and her respect for the traditional institution undiluted.

    “She held the position of Iyalode of Yorubaland with gait and poise and offered the women folk unique leadership.

    “Her death, no doubt, would create a vacuum that would be difficult to fill because of her various engagements in diverse business areas, all of which she made success of.

    “Her activities in the Chamber of Commerce and Industry bear eloquent testimony to her relevance and contributions to humanity.”

    Oba Balogun also recalled her philanthrophic gestures, describing them as imperishable legacy. He asked her immediate and extended families, the business community, the people and government of Ogun State, the Yoruba race, the beneficiaries of her humanitarian gestures and Nigeria government to take solace in the good life the late Chief Lawson lived.

    The late Alaba Lawson was the founder of the popular Alaba Lawson Group of Schools and assisted many indigent pupils with scholarships in the school.

    After initial rejection by her late mother, she was eventually installed with the title of Iyalode of Egbaland in August, 1999. She later became the Iyalode Yorubaland in August, 2008.

  • Abiodun mourns Alaba Lawson

    Abiodun mourns Alaba Lawson

    Ogun Governor Dapo Abiodun has described the death of the Iyalode of Yorubaland, Chief (Mrs) Alaba Lawson, as a huge loss to the nation.

    Abiodun, who said he received the news of the passing of the business magnate, educational entrepreneur and administrator with great shock, said he took solace in the fact that the deceased left huge landmarks across a broad spectrum of the Nigerian landscape and would be remembered for being a blessing to thousands of Nigerians who crossed paths with her.

    He added that as an epitome of excellence, the late Chief (Mrs) Lawson represented the very best of Nigerian womanhood and was a model to generations of women.

    In a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Lekan Adeniran in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital, on Saturday, Abiodun said: “The passing of Chief (Mrs) Alaba Lawson is without doubt a shocking development, but we are consoled by her sterling record of service to humanity and unblemished contributions to the development of Ogun State.

    “Born into the highly distinguished Jibolu-Taiwo family of Abeokuta, Chief (Mrs) Lawson was an exemplar of the popular Yoruba dictum of one born into nobility but who goes on to achieve self-rebirth, showcasing the timeless Omoluabi qualities that the Yoruba hold so dear.

    “From her education in Nigeria to her sojourn in the United Kingdom, teaching in several schools while studying at the St. Nicholas Montessori Teachers’ Training College at Prince’s Gate, England in 1973 where she set a record by becoming the first African to obtain a First Class Diploma in Education, Chief (Mrs) Alaba Lawson showcased uncommon commitment to excellence.

    “When she returned home, she established a string of schools that have shaped the lives of generations of students and contributed immensely to Ogun State’s profile as Nigeria’s education capital.

    Read Also: Be patient, Tinubu committed to abundant life, Abiodun tells Nigerians

    “Whether as the first female president of NACCIMA, chairman of the board of the Governing Council, Moshood Abiola Polytechnic, Ogun State; Otun Iyalode of the Egba Christians, or the Iyalode of Yorubaland, Chief (Mrs) Lawson was the quintessential definition of a pacesetter. She was thoroughly accomplished and distinguished.

    “Among other imperishable legacies, the Lawson’s Group of Schools comprising Lawson’s International Private School, Lawson’s Continuing Education Centre, Alaba Lawson Royal College, Abeokuta and Alaba Lawson School of Advanced Studies will continue to bear eloquent testimony to her genius.

    “She will be sorely missed.”

    Governor Abiodun commiserated with the Alake of Egbaland, Oba (Dr) Adedotun Gbadebo, his chiefs, the Lawson family and the nation in general on her demise and prayed that the Almighty God would grant them the fortitude to bear the irreparable loss.