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.

Alaba Lawson
Born(1951-01-18)18 January 1951
Died28 October 2023(2023-10-28) (aged 72)
NationalityNigerian
Other namesIyalode Alaba Lawson
Alma mater
  • Abeokuta Girls Grammar School
  • St. Nicholas Montessori Teachers’ Training College
Occupations
Years active1977–2023
EmployerNACCIMA
Board member ofChairman, Board of Governing Council, Moshood Abiola Polytechnic, Ogun State
Websitealabalawson.org

Chief Lawson was also the president pro-tempore of the Forum of Female Traditional Rulers in Nigeria.

Early life and education

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Born into the Jiboku-Taiwo family of Abeokuta, the capital of Ogun State, she completed her primary and secondary school education at St. James’ African Primary School, Idi-Ape, Abeokuta between 1957 and 1962 and Abeokuta Girls Grammar School, Abeokuta, leaving in 1968[1] before she proceeded to St. Nicholas Montessori Teachers’ Training College at Prince's Gate, England in 1973 where she obtained a 1st Class Diploma in Education.[2]

Life and career

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Lawson started her teaching career in 1969 at Children House School, Ibara and while at England, she taught at Queen's Gate Montessori Nursery School and Mill Hill Nursery and Junior School before she later came back to Nigeria in 1977 to establish her own school called Lawson's Childcare Nursery and Primary School where she started with just three students and has now grown to be Lawson Group of Schools.[3]

Lawson later established a trading/distributing firm known as Capricorn Stores Ltd, between 1968 and 1996. where she had distributing outlets with Nigerian Breweries Ltd, Nigerian Bottling Company Ltd, Guinness Nigeria Ltd, West African Portland Cement Ltd etc.[4] She became the President of the Abeokuta Chambers of Commerce in 1995 and later became the President of Ogun Council of Chambers of Commerce in year 2000 and headed it till 2002. And in 2009 she established a Microfinance Bank known as Abestone Microfinance Bank to boost SMES.[1]

On 25 May 2017, Alaba became the first woman to be elected President of National Association Of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines And Agriculture (NACCIMA) following the expiration of the tenure of Dr. Benny Edem.[5][6][7]

Alaba Lawson died on 28 October 2023, at the age of 72.[8]

Chieftaincy Titles

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  • The Otun of Oko
  • The Asiwaju Iyalode of Egbaland[7]
  • The Otun Iyalode of the Egba Christians
  • The Iyalode of Egbaland (since deposed)
  • The Iyalode of Yorubaland

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b Admin. "NACCIMA gets first female national president". Vanguard. Retrieved 22 July 2017.
  2. ^ Admin. "The Chairman – Iyalode Alaba Lawson MFR – Justice of Peace". mapoly. Retrieved 22 July 2017.
  3. ^ Admin. "Nigeria: Alaba Lawson – There Is No Mystic Power Behind Being Iyalode of Yorubaland". All Africa. Retrieved 22 July 2017.
  4. ^ Admin. "IYALODE ALABA LAWSON, MFR, FIOD, JOP". NACCIMA. Retrieved 22 July 2017.
  5. ^ Kehinde, Seye. "IYALODE ALABA LAWSON EMERGES NACCIMA PRESIDENT". City People. Retrieved 22 July 2017.
  6. ^ Admin. "My plans for NACCIMA — Iyalode Lawson". Vanguard. Retrieved 22 July 2017.
  7. ^ a b Akinwale, Funsho. "Iyalode Alaba Lawson to become NACCIMA president". Guardian. Retrieved 22 July 2017.
  8. ^ Agbana, Rotimi (28 October 2023). "Alaba Lawson's life an inspiration to all, Adebutu mourns".
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