IFoluso Ogunjimi, popularly known as Mummy Sokoyokoto, occupies an interesting place in the history of Nigerian television entertainment and Yoruba cultural presentation. Her association with Sokoyokoto, a cooking programme that combined food preparation with celebrity participation and commercial sponsorship, made her a recognisable television personality. Yet her professional journey extended considerably beyond broadcasting.
Before becoming established in traditional marriage hosting, Ogunjimi spent approximately 12 years working at Lagos Television, popularly known as LTV 8. Her experience in broadcasting, academic background in Yoruba studies and early exposure to traditional marriage ceremonies contributed to the development of a second career as a professional Alaga.
She subsequently established Alarede Engagement Academy, a training institution dedicated to preparing aspiring traditional marriage anchors and equipping them with related vocational skills.
Her journey connects Nigerian television history with the changing professional landscape of Yoruba traditional marriage ceremonies. It also illustrates how a familiar television personality developed her experience into an institution intended to transmit cultural knowledge to younger generations.
Early Life and Education: The Yoruba Foundation of Foluso Ogunjimi
Foluso Ogunjimi is identified in published biographical accounts as a Yoruba woman whose professional interests developed around broadcasting, traditional marriage ceremonies and cultural presentation.
Some biographical accounts identify her as being from Ido-Ekiti in present-day Ekiti State. However, a reliable independent record establishing her precise birthplace, date of birth and early family background remains difficult to identify.
In an interview published by Punch on 15 December 2019, Ogunjimi disclosed that she studied Yoruba at the University of Ife, now Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife.
She also revealed that her final-year university thesis concerned traditional marriages.
In a subsequent interview published by City People Magazine on 8 February 2023, she identified her university project as Ekun Iyawo.
This academic background is important in understanding her subsequent professional development.
Yoruba traditional marriages involve established family customs, ceremonial expressions, symbolic exchanges and prescribed procedures. Knowledge of the language and cultural context is particularly valuable to anyone responsible for coordinating such occasions.
Although her academic qualification did not automatically make her a professional marriage anchor, it provided a useful foundation for understanding the cultural responsibilities associated with the profession.
EXPLORE NOW: Biographies & Cultural Icons of Nigeria
Her subsequent experience would combine this educational background with practical exposure to engagement ceremonies.
Twelve Years at Lagos Television
Before becoming popularly associated with Sokoyokoto, Ogunjimi worked at Lagos Television, popularly called LTV 8.
Her account of her employment history offers an interesting perspective on her early broadcasting career.
In the 2019 Punch interview, she disclosed that she had spent approximately 12 years working at an organisation that did not regularise her appointment.
She later provided further details in her City People interview, explaining that she worked at Lagos Television as an artist under a pay-as-you-go arrangement rather than as a regular member of the station’s workforce.
This distinction is important because the length of her service should not automatically be interpreted as evidence of permanent employment.
Her experience at LTV nevertheless provided exposure to the broadcasting environment and the demands of public communication.
Television presentation requires confidence, language proficiency, audience awareness and the ability to communicate information effectively. These are also valuable skills in traditional marriage hosting, where the anchor must coordinate proceedings involving two families and their guests.
Although some later accounts associate her broadcasting experience with Yoruba news presentation and weather reporting, the specific assignments have not been sufficiently established through the principal interviews and academic documentation examined.
What is documented is that she worked at LTV for approximately 12 years and eventually decided to concentrate on her engagement-hosting career.
Her departure was voluntary, according to her account in the Punch interview.
Sokoyokoto: The Cooking Programme That Made Her a Familiar Television Personality
One of the most recognisable aspects of Foluso Ogunjimi’s career was her association with Sokoyokoto.
Sokoyokoto was a cooking and entertainment programme that combined the preparation of meals with television presentation and celebrity participation.
Its popularity is particularly interesting when examined within the context of Nigerian television broadcasting.
During the period when television remained a major household entertainment medium, cooking programmes provided opportunities for broadcasters and commercial sponsors to connect domestic activities with popular entertainment.
A particularly valuable documentary source is the 2012 doctoral thesis by C.C. Onwunali, titled A Study of Advertisement Exposure and Brand Loyality of Maggi Seasoning in Metropolitan Lagos, Nigeria, submitted to the University of Lagos.
The research specifically identifies Sokoyokoto as a Maggi-sponsored television programme.
The study examined advertising exposure and consumer behaviour among respondents in selected metropolitan Lagos local government areas. It also employed focus group discussions to investigate audience reactions to seasoning advertisements..
Participants in the research discussed their interest in watching the programme, learning different methods of preparing meals and observing celebrities participating in cooking activities.
Some respondents also explained that they identified with the celebrities and attempted to imitate their use of Maggi seasoning.
The research is important because it provides academic documentation of the programme’s existence, sponsorship and reception among sampled viewers.
It also demonstrates how television cooking programmes could serve commercial advertising objectives while providing entertainment and practical information to audiences.
Nevertheless, its identification in a University of Lagos doctoral thesis establishes that Sokoyokoto was a recognisable component of Maggi’s television advertising activities.
For Ogunjimi, the programme became an important part of her public identity. Her name and the Sokoyokoto title became closely associated in popular recollection.
From Television Broadcasting to Traditional Marriage Hosting
An important development in Ogunjimi’s career was her transition into the traditional marriage industry.
Interestingly, this transition began before she left Lagos Television.
In her February 2023 City People interview, she explained that a woman named Mrs Sunbo Adeshina, popularly known as Iya Ewe, introduced her to traditional marriage hosting.
Initially, Ogunjimi accompanied Adeshina to engagement ceremonies, assisting with singing and other activities.
Her opportunity to take on a more substantial responsibility came when the designated Alaga Iduro was unavailable at an engagement ceremony.
She was asked to assume the role.
According to her account, she accepted the responfoluso ogunjimifoluso ogunjimid performed successfully. The experience subsequently opened a professional opportunity that developed into a major part of her career.
In the December 2019 Punch interview, Ogunjimi disclosed that she began working as an Alaga at approximately 24 years of age.
She explained that the profession was then dominated largely by older women and that her relatively young age presented challenges.
Her entry into the industry was therefore unusual within the professional environment she encountered.
She did not, however, claim to have received formal training before beginning. In her interview with Punch, she explicitly explained that she learnt the work through practical experience.
This distinction is important when considering her later decision to establish a training academy.
Her early professional development relied on observation, participation and experience at actual engagement ceremonies. The academy would subsequently provide a more organised environment for transmitting similar knowledge to others.
Understanding the Responsibilities of an Alaga
Traditional marriage hosting is more than entertaining guests or announcing the arrival of family members.
Within Yoruba engagement ceremonies, the Alaga plays an important coordinating role.
The Alaga Iduro and Alaga Ijoko traditionally represent different sides of the engagement proceedings. Their responsibilities include facilitating communication between families, guiding ceremonial exchanges and helping ensure that the relevant customs are observed.
The work requires familiarity with Yoruba expressions, traditional procedures, family relationships and the appropriate conduct expected during marriage ceremonies.
It also requires considerable communication skills.
An Alaga must be able to manage proceedings involving different generations, family expectations and sometimes competing interests.
Ogunjimi’s background in broadcasting and Yoruba studies offered useful preparation for this work.
Her experience also exposed her to the changing expectations of families organising traditional weddings.
In her Punch interview, she discussed concerns about the increasing commercialisation and entertainment-driven character of Nigerian weddings.
She argued that some ceremonies had become more elaborate than necessary, with certain practices moving away from the cultural purpose of the traditional engagement.
Her position reflected a professional concern about preserving the significance of the ceremony while allowing families to celebrate.
This concern would later become relevant to the philosophy behind her training academy.
Alarede Engagement Academy: Training the Next Generation
One of the most significant developments in Foluso Ogunjimi’s professional career was the establishment of Alarede Engagement Academy.
The academy was created to train people interested in becoming professional traditional marriage anchors.
In her February 2023 interview with City People Magazine, Ogunjimi explained that she wanted to introduce a more organised approach to learning the profession.
She believed that prospective Alagas needed more than informal observation at engagement ceremonies.
Although accompanying experienced practitioners could provide useful exposure, it did not necessarily guarantee that students would acquire all the knowledge and skills required for professional work.
The academy therefore offered a training environment where prospective practitioners could receive instruction and practical guidance.
At the time of the interview, Ogunjimi said the institution had more than 120 people attending its annual thanksgiving gathering. She also discussed its student population and training arrangements.
Her intention was to make traditional marriage hosting a profession that could be studied and developed rather than relying entirely on informal apprenticeship.
The academy’s activities subsequently expanded beyond traditional marriage anchoring.
In a report published on 27 June 2026, New Telegraph covered a graduation ceremony involving six students.
The newspaper reported that the institution provided training in traditional wedding anchoring, engagement-item packaging, make-up and gele tying.
It also reported that students could receive mentorship from established Alagas after completing classroom training.
According to the report, Alarede Engagement Academy had received certification from the Lagos State Government as a vocational training centre under the Lagos State Agency for Mass Education.
The newspaper further reported that the academy had empowered more than 200 women over approximately 16 years.
Nevertheless, the 2026 report provides contemporary evidence of the academy’s continuing activities and its development into a vocational training institution.
The Wider Significance of Foluso Ogunjimi’s Career
Foluso Ogunjimi’s professional journey connects different aspects of Nigerian cultural and media history.
Her broadcasting experience placed her within the development of television entertainment in Lagos.
Her association with Sokoyokoto demonstrated how local food culture, celebrity participation and commercial sponsorship could combine in a television programme.
Her subsequent work as an Alaga extended her public communication skills into the organisation of traditional marriage ceremonies.
The establishment of Alarede Engagement Academy represented another development: the attempt to transfer professional experience and cultural knowledge through organised instruction.
This is particularly significant in a society where many cultural practices have historically been transmitted through family participation, observation and apprenticeship.
Formal training initiatives can provide additional opportunities for younger people to learn the language, procedures and professional responsibilities associated with cultural ceremonies.
However, the preservation of tradition also requires an understanding that customs evolve. Training must therefore distinguish established cultural practices from newer commercial additions and personal interpretations.
Ogunjimi’s career provides an example of how cultural knowledge can become the foundation of a professional enterprise.
Her contribution is consequently not limited to the television programme with which she became famous. Her subsequent activities have extended into vocational development and cultural education.
Conclusion
EXPLORE NOW: Biographies & Cultural Icons of Nigeria
Foluso Ogunjimi’s journey from Lagos Television to Sokoyokoto and subsequently to Alarede Engagement Academy represents a distinctive professional history within Nigerian entertainment and Yoruba cultural presentation.
Her television association brought her recognition through a cooking programme that attracted academic attention as a Maggi-sponsored platform for advertising and audience engagement.
Her later career demonstrated how broadcasting experience, Yoruba language knowledge and practical exposure to traditional marriage ceremonies could develop into a specialised profession.
Through Alarede Engagement Academy, she extended that experience to the training of other practitioners.
The academy’s reported vocational certification and graduation activities in 2026 provide evidence that her work continues beyond the television era.
Although important details about her early life and the precise launch history of Sokoyokoto remain insufficiently documented, her professional journey is supported by published interviews, university research and contemporary reporting.
Mummy Sokoyokoto is therefore remembered not only for a cooking programme but also for her subsequent contribution to the organisation and transmission of Yoruba traditional marriage practices.
Author’s Note
The story of Foluso Ogunjimi is a reminder that the history of Nigerian entertainment cannot be understood solely through actors, musicians and major television personalities. Presenters who brought indigenous languages, domestic culture and traditional practices into popular broadcasting also contributed to the country’s cultural development. Ogunjimi’s journey from Lagos Television and Sokoyokoto to Alarede Engagement Academy illustrates how media experience can develop into cultural entrepreneurship. Her later work in training traditional marriage anchors provides another chapter in the continuing history of Yoruba cultural transmission.
References
Sadiq, Mobola (15 December 2019). “We Now Have Carnivals in Nigeria, Not Weddings, Foluso Ogunjimi.” Punch Newspapers. Interview covering Ogunjimi’s education, broadcasting career, entry into traditional marriage hosting and views on Nigerian weddings.
Onwunali, C.C. (2012). A Study of Advertisement Exposure and Brand Loyality of Maggi Seasoning in Metropolitan Lagos, Nigeria. Doctoral thesis, School of Postgraduate Studies, University of Lagos. Research documenting the Maggi-sponsored Sokoyokoto television programme and audience involvement.
Oshunlalu, Titilope (8 February 2023). “Why I Set Up ALAREDE Engagement Academy.” City People Magazine. Interview covering Ogunjimi’s career development and the establishment of her training institution.
Adeyemi, Appolonia (27 June 2026). “Alarede Academy Graduates Empowered to Unite Families, Transform Lives Through Tradition.” New Telegraph. Report on the academy’s graduation, vocational training and reported government certification.Foluso Ogunjimi
:
