Around 1977, in Ile-Ife, Princess Tejumade Alakija and her only child, Princess Toyin Akomolafe-Lambo, were photographed on their way to church on a Sunday. The picture preserves an ordinary moment between a mother and daughter, yet its family history gives it a deeper meaning. Behind the image was a woman whose own childhood had been marked by the early loss of her mother and the close care of her father, Oba Adesoji Aderemi, the Ooni of Ife.
Decades later, Princess Toyin shared the story her mother had told her about growing up without maternal care, the illness she experienced as a child and the memories she carried of her late mother. These recollections formed part of the wider family remembrance of Princess Tejumade Alakija, particularly during the 10th-year memorial celebrations marking her death in August 2023.
The photograph therefore offers more than a record of a public figure in family life. It provides a personal glimpse into the experiences and relationships that formed part of Princess Alakija’s story.
The 1977 Photograph in Ile-Ife
The photograph shows Princess Tejumade Alakija with her daughter, Princess Toyin Akomolafe-Lambo, as they made their way to church on a Sunday in Ile-Ife. It is dated to around 1977 and captures the pair away from the formal settings in which Princess Alakija would often be remembered.
By that period, Alakija had already established herself as an educator and public servant. She had worked in the Western Nigerian public service and held responsibilities in different government departments. Her professional life would later take her to the highest level of public administration in Oyo State.
Yet the photograph presents a different side of her life. She appears in the role of a mother accompanying her daughter to church, sharing a familiar family routine. The image does not record a government function or official ceremony. Its value lies in preserving a personal moment that might otherwise have remained outside the public historical record.
The picture also gives a face to a family relationship that Princess Toyin would later describe through stories passed down by her mother. Those memories help place the photograph within a wider account of family history.
Princess Tejumade Alakija’s Childhood and Family Background
Princess Tejumade Alakija was born on 17 May 1925 in Ile-Ife. She was a daughter of Oba Adesoji Aderemi, the Ooni of Ife, and belonged to the royal family of the ancient Yoruba city.
Her father became one of the most prominent traditional rulers of his generation. Beyond his position as Ooni, he served as Governor of the Western Region from 1960 to 1967. His reign and public career placed the royal household within important developments in Yoruba and Nigerian history.
Princess Alakija’s childhood, however, was not defined by royal status alone. Her daughter’s account describes a young girl who experienced the loss of her mother and struggled with recurring illness. According to Princess Toyin, her mother often spoke about the absence of maternal care during her early years.
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The family recollection places particular emphasis on the relationship between the young princess and her father. Princess Toyin explained that her grandfather, Oba Adesoji Aderemi, personally cared for his daughter when she was unwell. She recalled her mother saying that he would sometimes lie beside her at night and nurse her to sleep.
The account presents a personal image of the Ooni beyond his public responsibilities. It describes a father who took an active role in caring for his child during a difficult period of her early life.
This recollection is especially meaningful because it comes through the family. It offers insight into how Princess Alakija remembered her childhood and how she later passed those memories on to her daughter.
The Story of a Mother She Barely Knew
One of the most moving parts of Princess Toyin’s account concerns her mother’s death. She explained that Princess Alakija had told her that her own mother died in 1937, when she was about 12 years old. The family remembered the death as having taken place in Ogbomosho.
According to the account, Princess Alakija had been too young to organise a memorial for her mother when she died. In 1977, forty years after the loss, she held a memorial in her mother’s honour.
The recollection also describes the emotional effect of growing up without a mother. Princess Toyin said her mother often fell ill and associated some of her childhood difficulties with the absence of maternal care. She remembered stories of her mother dreaming about the woman she had lost and expressing sadness that she had been left alone.
These memories show how the death continued to occupy a place in Princess Alakija’s personal history. Even as she grew into adulthood, pursued an education and established a distinguished career, the loss remained part of the story she told about herself.
There is, however, a detail in the family account that requires careful treatment. The recollection refers both to Princess Alakija being about 12 when her mother died in 1937 and to the death occurring during childbirth. Those details do not fit together chronologically as stated. The circumstances therefore require further family or archival confirmation before the childbirth detail can be treated as established fact.
The central point remains the loss remembered by the family: Princess Alakija grew up without her mother and carried memories of that absence into adulthood.
The Dream and the Green Schnapps Bottle
Princess Toyin also shared a story her mother told about a dream involving her late mother. According to the recollection, Princess Alakija frequently dreamed about the woman she had lost. In one dream, her mother appeared and brought medication in a green schnapps bottle.
The following day, a doctor who visited the household reportedly brought medicine in a similar bottle. Princess Alakija later recovered after receiving care.
The story became part of the family’s remembered account of her childhood. It reflects the way personal memories, dreams and family beliefs can remain closely connected in accounts of bereavement.
It is important to understand this episode as a family recollection rather than medical evidence. The similarity between the bottles and the reported dream belong to the story Princess Alakija shared with her daughter. The account does not establish that the dream caused her recovery or that the medicine came from a supernatural source.
Its significance lies in what the story meant within the family. It shows how strongly Princess Alakija remembered her mother and how she interpreted that memory through the experiences she carried from childhood.
Her Father’s Care and Her Education at Kudeti
Princess Toyin’s account also describes how Oba Adesoji Aderemi responded to his daughter’s early difficulties. After she had been nursed back to health, he arranged for her to attend school as a boarder.
The family story identifies the school as Kudeti School, which Princess Toyin connects with the institution later known as Anne’s School. Boarding meant that the young princess spent much of the school year away from home and returned during holidays.
Her formal educational history is supported by public biographical records. Princess Alakija attended Aiyetoro Primary and Central Schools in Ile-Ife between 1933 and 1937, followed by Kudeti Girls’ School in Ibadan from 1938 to 1939. She later attended CMS Girls’ School in Lagos, where she completed her secondary education in 1944.
These records establish the importance of education in her early life. They also show that her schooling extended beyond Ile-Ife, exposing her to institutions in other parts of southwestern Nigeria.
The family recollection adds a personal dimension to this educational journey. It presents boarding school as part of the arrangements made for a child who had lost her mother and whose father was concerned about her care and future.
From Student to Educator and Public Servant
Princess Alakija’s education prepared her for a career that would take her into teaching and public administration. She studied History at Westfield College, University of London, between 1946 and 1950. She then pursued postgraduate training in Education at the University of Oxford, completing her qualification in 1951.
Her time at Westfield College is documented in the archives of Queen Mary University of London, which preserves information about her studies and participation in college life. She was among the Nigerian women who pursued higher education in Britain during a period when opportunities for women in formal education and public leadership remained limited.
After returning to Nigeria, she joined the civil service as a graduate teacher. She taught at Queen’s School, Ede, and later became involved in the development of girls’ secondary education. In 1953, she founded the Girls’ Secondary Grammar School in Ijebu-Ode at the invitation of the Anglican Mission.
Her career later moved beyond the classroom. She served in several government departments, including the Ministries of Works, Trade and Industries, Health and Education. Her responsibilities included public service training, investment promotion and senior administrative duties.
In 1980, she became Head of Service of Oyo State, making history as the first woman to occupy the position. She held the office until her retirement in 1983.
Her professional achievements gave her a prominent place in Nigeria’s public service history. She also served as Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of Council at several universities, including the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, the University of Benin and the University of Abuja.
Princess Toyin Akomolafe-Lambo and Her Mother’s Legacy
Princess Toyin Akomolafe-Lambo’s contribution to her mother’s story is important because she has preserved memories that official records rarely contain. Government biographies can document appointments, educational qualifications, awards and public achievements. They do not usually record the private conversations, childhood experiences and family stories that shape a person’s life.
Through her recollections, Princess Toyin has helped preserve a more intimate picture of Princess Alakija. Her account recalls a daughter who missed her mother, a father who cared for his child and a family that continued to remember a death decades after it occurred.
The 1977 photograph gains additional meaning when read alongside these memories. It shows Princess Alakija with her own daughter, a generation later. The image does not prove how she approached motherhood or establish that her childhood experiences determined her parenting. It does, however, preserve the relationship between the two women and offers a visual record of their time together.
The photograph also provides a connection between personal and public history. Princess Alakija was known for her work in education and administration, but she was also a daughter who remembered her mother and a mother whose life was recorded by her child.
The 10th-Year Memorial Celebration
Princess Tejumade Alakija died on 23 August 2013 at the age of 88. Her death was reported by Nigerian news organisations, which remembered her as the first female Head of Service of the old Oyo State.
Ten years later, her family and well-wishers organised memorial activities to honour her life and achievements. The 10th-year remembrance events began in the United States in August 2023 with a church thanksgiving service and a luncheon hosted at the residence of her daughter, Princess Toyin Akomolafe-Lambo, and her husband, Dr Olusoji Akomolafe.
The celebrations also continued in Nigeria around the anniversary of her death. Family members and guests remembered her contributions to education, public administration and the advancement of women.
The memorial provided an opportunity to revisit the different aspects of her life. Her professional achievements were central to the tributes, but the family stories also helped bring attention to the person behind the public record.
A digital exhibition honouring Princess Alakija gives photographs and historical memories a lasting place in that process of remembrance. Images such as the 1977 photograph of her with Princess Toyin help preserve the family dimension of her history. They allow later generations to encounter her not only through official titles and career milestones but also through the everyday moments that made up her life.
Remembering Princess Tejumade Alakija
Princess Tejumade Alakija’s life connected several important areas of Nigerian history. She was born into the royal family of Ile-Ife, received an education that took her from southwestern Nigeria to Britain, worked as an educator and became one of the country’s pioneering female public administrators.
Her appointment as Head of Service of Oyo State remains an important part of her public legacy. Her work in education and her service on university governing councils also contributed to her place in Nigeria’s institutional history.
Yet the memories shared by her daughter reveal another dimension of her story. They recall the young girl who grew up without her mother, the father who cared for her and the woman who continued to remember that loss many years later.
The photograph from around 1977 captures Princess Alakija and Princess Toyin on their way to church in Ile-Ife. It is a simple family image, but its place in the wider story is significant. It preserves a moment between two generations and provides a visual connection to the memories shared during the 10th-year memorial celebration.
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Conclusion
The 1977 photograph of Princess Tejumade Alakija and her daughter, Princess Toyin Akomolafe-Lambo, offers a personal glimpse into the life of a woman whose public achievements are well documented. Through her daughter’s recollections, the image is connected to stories of childhood loss, family care and the lasting memory of a mother who died when Princess Alakija was young.
Princess Alakija went on to become an educator, administrator and the first female Head of Service of Oyo State. Her achievements form an important part of Nigeria’s public service history. The family memories preserved by Princess Toyin add another layer to that legacy, reminding readers that behind the distinguished public figure was a daughter, a mother and a woman whose personal experiences remained meaningful throughout her life.
Author’s Note
The photograph preserves a family moment in the life of Princess Tejumade Alakija, while her daughter’s recollections offer a personal perspective on the memories behind her public legacy.
References
Oyo State Government. “10th Year Remembrance: Oyo Head of Service Celebrates First Female HOS, Princess Tejumade Alakija MFR.” Oyo State Government.
Queen Mary University of London Students’ Union. “From the Archives: Princess Tejumade Alakija.” 21 October 2024.
The ICIR. “Nigeria’s First Female Head of Service Dies at 88.” 23 August 2013.
CityMirrorNews. “Princess Tejumade Alakijas’ 10 Years Memorial Events Kicks Off.” 22 August 2023.
Biographical Legacy and Research Foundation. “Alakija, Tejumade.” Biographical record.
Princess Toyin Akomolafe-Lambo. Family recollections about Princess Tejumade Alakija, supplied for this article.
