The Iyalode of Yorubaland, Chief Mrs Alaba Lawson MFR, is dead.
Alaba Lawson who doubled as the Iyalode of Egbaland, was the past president of Abeokuta Chambers of Commerce and Industry (ABEOCCIMA) and National Association Of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines And Agriculture (NACCIMA).
Executive Secretary of ABEOCCIMA, AbdulRahman Maku, confirmed her passage in a statement, today.
“We regret to announce the demise of NACCIMA past President and ABEOCCIMA Matron/Chairman, Board of Trustees, Iyalode Alaba Lawson, MFR, F.IoD, JP (Iyalode of Yorubaland).
“Which occured in the early hours of today, Saturday, 28 October, 2023. Burial arrangement to be announced later by the family.
“May God Almighty grant repose to the soul of Iyalode (Amen),” AbdulRahman Maku stated in the statement.
Chief Alaba Lawson (Alaba Oluwaseun Lawson), born on 18 January, 1951) is a Nigerian business magnate, entrepreneur and academician.
She was the first female president of NACCIMA and chairman of the board of the Governing Council, Moshood Abiola Polytechnic, Ogun State.
Born into the Jibolu-Taiwo family of Abeokuta, the capital of Ogun State, the late Chief (Mrs) Alaba Lawson completed her primary and secondary school education at St. James’ African Primary School, Idi-Ape, Abeokuta in 1962 and Abeokuta Girls Grammar School, Abeokuta in 1968, respectively.
She proceeded to St. Nicholas Montessori Teachers’ Training College at Prince’s Gate, England in 1973 where she obtained a First Class Diploma in Education.
Chief (Mrs) Alaba Lawson started her teaching career in 1969 at Children House School, Ibara.
While she was in 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.
Her school, named called Lawson’s Childcare Nursery and Primary School, wad where she started with just three students and has now grown to be Lawson Group of Schools.
She later established a trading/distributing firm known as Capricorn Stores Ltd, between 1968 and 1996.
With her firm, she had distributing outlets with Nigerian Breweries Ltd, Nigerian Bottling Company Ltd, Guinness Nigeria Ltd and West African Portland Cement Ltd, among others.
Chief (Mrs) Lawson 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.
In 2009, she established a microfinance bank known as Abestone Microfinance Bank to boost Small-Medium Scales (SMES) business interests.
On May 25, 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.
The late Chief (Mrs) Alaba Lawson had several chieftaincy titles among which are Otun of Oko, Asiwaju Iyalode of Egbaland, Otun Iyalode of the Egba Christians, Iyalode of Egbaland (since deposed) and Iyalode of Yorubaland.
•Additional infomation from Wikipedia.
