One Year After: OTN News Remembers Late Iyalode Alaba Lawson, Describes Her As Simply Unforgettable
Exactly one year after the departure of the late Chief Mrs. Alaba Oluwaseun Lawson from this world, OTN News CEO, Olufemi Orunsola fondly celebrates the life, times and legacies of the iconic women leader and Matriachal figure, describing her as "simply unforgettable".
By:Israel Adeleke, AbdulWasiu Akintunde
The Chief Executive Officer of Open Television Naija (OTN) News has celebrated the life, times and legacies of the late Chief Alaba Lawson one year after her departure to the great beyond, describing her as simply unforgettable!
The Chief Executive Officer of OTN News, Olufemi Orunsola who penned an emotional remembrance tribute about the late Yoruba Matriachal figure wrote on the official X handle,
"Hmmm! So, it's already one full year since Iyalode Alaba Oluwaseun Lawson departed from this side of planet earth. October 28 reminds the world that you indeed came, saw and conquered. Continue to rest in peace! Iyalode of the universe."
Concluding the emotional tribute, Orunsola wrote, "You are simply unforgettable!"
OPEN TELEVISION NAIJA (OTN) News recalls that exactly a year ago, the frontline women empowerment advocate, Yoruba race Chieftain, educationist and first female President of the National Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (NACCIMA), Iyalode Alaba Lawson bid the world farewell at her residence in Abeokuta after a brief illness aged 72.
Chief Alaba Oluwaseun Lawson (18 January 1951 – 28 October 2023) was a Nigerian business magnate and academic. She served as the first female president of NACCIMA and chairman of the board of the Governing Council, Moshood Abiola Polytechnic, Ogun State.
Chief Lawson was also the president pro-tempore of the Forum of Female Traditional Rulers in Nigeria.
In her life time, she served as a Matron to countless professional bodies among which was the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), women rights and empowerment groups, religious groups, associations and non governmental organizations in Nigeria, Africa and beyond the African continent the reference to her as Iyalode of the Universe by Evangelist Prof.Ebenezer Obey-Fabiyi.
OTN News recalls that the parents of the late Iyalode Oluwaseun Alaba Lawson joined the Jehovah Witness sect the year she was born. So, she spent her early years travelling with them as they served as itinerant evangelists. Before she turned five, she started taking lessons at an open class in front of St. John’s Church Igbehin, Abeokuta. Between 1957 and 1962, Alaba attended St. James’ African Primary School in Idi-Ape, Abeokuta, for her primary education. The West African School Certificate was earned at the Abeokuta Girls’ Grammar School, also known as the Anglican Girls’ Grammar School, from where she moved on to study abroad, training as a Certified Teacher.
Alaba got married to Chief Oladeinde Lawson’s son Kehinde Lawson in 1968, who had also served as one of her mentors. Over time, the couple got divorced, but remained cordial. They had six boys, and one of them, Akinola Lawson, served as a Special Adviser to former Ogun Governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, on Agriculture.
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