Princess Tejumade Alakija remains, more than a decade after her passing, one of the most distinguished names in Nigerian public service: a teacher who founded a school, an administrator who helped negotiate the industrial projects of old Western Nigeria, and the first woman to head the civil service of old Oyo State. But her journey began in a palace, the daughter of one of the most revered thrones in Yorubaland.
Born Omooba Tejumade Aderemi on 17 May 1925 in Ile-Ife, to Oba Sir Adesoji Aderemi, the Ooni of Ife, and Queen Olapeju Aderemi (née Omisore), she was known by many names across her eighty-eight years: Princess Tejumade Alakija, MFR; Mama Alakija; the first female Head of Service of old Oyo State; the matriarch of Oyo’s civil service; and, to the DAWN Commission, an Akinkanju. Remembering her, the former Oyo State Head of Service, Mrs. Olubunmi Oni, described her as:
“A woman of distinct virtue, high integrity and exemplary character.”
That character was built in layers: a royal childhood, an education stretching from Ibadan to London and Oxford, a classroom career that produced a new school, and a public service career that reached the apex of civil administration. It is worth tracing that road from its beginning, in her own words where they survive.
The Soil That Shaped a Princess (1925–1944)
Born Omooba Tejumade Aderemi on May 17, 1925, in Ile-Ife, Princess Tejumade Alakija was the daughter of Oba Sir Adesoji Aderemi, the Ooni of Ife, and Queen Olapeju Aderemi (née Omisore). Her father held a position of profound cultural and political influence as both a paramount traditional monarch and, later, the Governor of Western Nigeria. Yet, despite being born into royal lineage, her upbringing emphasized personal discipline, strong moral grounding, and academic diligence over aristocratic privilege.
Her early educational journey between 1933 and 1944 spanned three major cultural and administrative centres in Western Nigeria. She began her primary education in Ile-Ife at Aiyetoro Primary and Central Schools from 1933 to 1937, laying the groundwork for her literacy and Yoruba cultural heritage. To further her schooling, she moved to Ibadan to attend Kudeti Girls’ School in Molete from 1938 to 1939. She then completed her formal secondary education in Lagos at the prestigious CMS Girls’ School between 1940 and 1944, earning the foundational qualifications required for university education abroad.
This exposure across Ile-Ife, Ibadan, and Lagos provided her with a deep socio-cultural understanding of the region while forging her reputation as a dedicated scholar. Princess Alakija’s life of distinction was built on personal effort rather than noble birth.
From Ile-Ife to Oxford (1946–1951)
In January 1946, Princess Tejumade Alakija secured admission to a women’s college in London, yet her academic ambitions faced an immediate geopolitical hurdle: in the wake of World War II, commercial passenger ships bound for Britain were overwhelmed with returning colonial officials. Recalling that period of anxious uncertainty years later to Professor Banji Akintoye, she shared:
“And as I sat home weeping, my father decided to go and ask for the help of the Governor General.”
Recognizing the stakes for his daughter’s future, Oba Sir Adesoji Aderemi traveled to Lagos to intervene personally with colonial authorities, successfully securing her passage aboard a UK-bound vessel, including five Northern leaders such as Sir Ahmadu Bello, Sir Tafawa Balewa, Alhaji Ribadu, Alhaji Inua Wada, and Dipcha Rima.
Upon her arrival in the United Kingdom, Princess Alakija enrolled at Westfield College, University of London, where she pursued an Honours degree in History and immersed herself fully in campus life. Navigating a rigorous academic discipline in an unfamiliar cultural setting, she demonstrated remarkable tenacity and intellectual acuity, graduating in 1950 with academic standing in her specialized subjects recognized as “well above Third Class Honours level.” Reflecting on her character and potential, her Principal, Mrs. Mary Stocks, famously commended her as
“a very vital and intelligent young woman.”
Driven by a firm resolve to return home and serve her country, she recognized that formal teacher training was an essential gateway into government service. Supported by a compelling recommendation from Mrs. Stocks, Princess Alakija proceeded to Oxford University, where she successfully earned her Postgraduate Diploma in Education between 1950 and 1951—setting the stage for her landmark career in public administration and educational reform.
A Career Built on Service (1951–1979)
Upon earning her Postgraduate Diploma in Education from Oxford University, Princess Tejumade Alakija returned to Nigeria in 1951, eager to apply her academic rigor and pedagogical training to her homeland. She formally joined the Nigerian Civil Service as a graduate teacher at Queen’s School in Ede, standing out as one of only two indigenous Nigerian staff members at the institution. Her early teaching postings included the newly established Government Girls’ Secondary Grammar School, where she worked to elevate instructional standards and served as a vital role model for young female students navigating post-primary education.
In 1953, at the direct invitation of the Anglican Mission in the Ijebu-Ode Diocese, Princess Alakija spearheaded the founding and establishment of a new Girls’ Secondary Grammar School in Ijebu-Ode. As its founding leader, she built the school’s academic framework from the ground up, pioneering access to quality secondary education for young women across Western Nigeria at a time when female enrollment remained severely limited.
Her commitment to national identity was evident in her service. At a time during the colonial era when British attire was mandatory for civil servants and teachers, she steadfastly refused to comply, opting instead to wear traditional iro, buba, and gele to work, and she never wore Western clothing in Nigeria for the remainder of her life.
By 1958, after seven impactful years in teaching and school administration, Princess Alakija recognized that her vision for structural reform extended beyond the classroom. Driven by a desire to address broader systemic challenges across the country, she made a deliberate career transition into the core civil service, joining the Western Nigerian Public Service as an Assistant Secretary. Over the next two decades, she rose steadily through administrative cadres, taking on increasingly critical economic and policy responsibilities across regional ministries. Reflecting on this pivotal shift from education to the civil service, the former Oyo State Head of Service, Mrs. Olubunmi Oni, captured the core motivation behind her trajectory:
“In her quest for a greater role in nation building, she moved from the teaching profession to the core civil service.”
Long before her landmark elevation as Head of Service in 1980, Princess Alakija played a pivotal role as Chief Investment Officer in charge of Industrial Promotions at the Ministry of Trade and Industries from 1969 to 1972, while also serving as Secretary to key regional commissions. In these administrative capacities, she spearheaded industrial promotions, facilitated major investment negotiations, and laid the structural foundation for state-backed commercial enterprises that had powered the Old Oyo’s economic self-reliance. Whether facilitating trade partnerships or managing complex state assets, her tenure in the economic ministries demonstrated that public administration could serve as a direct catalyst for regional industrialization.
She served on several Committees some of which include the Committee on the development of training under the leadership of Chief Simeon Adebo, the Chief Secretary to Government and Head of Service. She also served on the Committee on Technical Education. Mrs. Alakija has also served as Deputy Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Health from 1976 to 1978. She rose to the post of Permanent Secretary in 1978 and her impacts were felt in the various Ministries where she served.
By 1979, having served as Deputy Permanent Secretary and rising to Permanent Secretary across key ministries, Princess Alakija had established herself as an indispensable administrative strategist, perfectly positioning her for her historic appointment as Head of Service.
A Head of Service Who Made History (1980–1983)
When Princess Tejumade Alakija was appointed Head of Service in 1980, her elevation made history as she became the first woman to hold the apex civil service position in old Oyo State and across Nigeria as a whole. In the same year, she was conferred with the prestigious national honor of Member of the Order of the Federal Republic (MFR) by the Federal Government of Nigeria, celebrating her groundbreaking role as a pioneer administrator and her steadfast dedication to national progress. This historic appointment represented the pinnacle of a 32-year public service career that began in the classroom in 1951, transitioned to the core civil service in 1958, and culminated at the helm of state administration. Taking office during the intense multi-party political complexities of Nigeria’s Second Republic, she set out to solidify the professional identity of the public service by enforcing a strict boundary between political officeholders and career civil servants, thereby safeguarding the bureaucracy’s institutional neutrality and continuity. Her insistence on non-partisan administrative independence remains a foundational case study for modern public sector governance.
To elevate operational standards across state ministries, Princess Alakija introduced rigorous merit-based evaluation frameworks, standardized promotion protocols, and structured, service-wide training programs that re-established discipline, punctuality, and administrative accountability. By replacing patronage with objective merit criteria and systematic professional development, she laid the early blueprint for contemporary Key Performance Indicator (KPI) models, competency-based promotion exams, and continuous Learning & Development (L&D) policies in public administration.
Parallel to these performance reforms, Princess Alakija placed worker welfare at the center of her administration. She overhauled compensation frameworks, streamlined pension processing procedures to eliminate post-retirement delays, and upgraded physical workplace equipment across ministries to ensure civil servants were properly equipped, motivated, and fairly compensated throughout their careers. Her administrative overhaul of pension processing and physical infrastructure foreshadowed modern digital workflow automations and E-Governance initiatives aimed at enhancing public sector efficiency.
Above all, her three-year tenure as Head of Service (1980–1983) was defined by a courageous defense of Civil Service Rules against political interference, setting an enduring benchmark for ethical leadership and administrative compliance in Nigerian governance. Reflecting on her legacy, the former Oyo State Head of Service, Mrs. Olubunmi Oni, credited her with transforming working conditions and public standards, remembering her as someone who:
“Stood tall making successful forays into professional, bureaucratic, cultural, industrial and social realms… Passionate, fearless, courageous.”
On 30 September 1983, Princess Alakija retired voluntarily from public service, completing her historic tenure.
Recognition Well Earned: Honours and University Councils (1983–1997)
Princess Tejumade Alakija’s distinguished record of public service also earned her the Oyo State Merit Award, bestowed in recognition of her transformative contributions toward building a modernized, disciplined, and efficient civil service.
Voluntary retirement from the core civil service in 1983 did not mark the conclusion of her public duty. Instead, she seamlessly redirected her administrative acumen into higher education, providing crucial policy direction and governance during a transformative era for Nigerian universities. She was appointed Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of Council across multiple premier tertiary institutions, including the University of Nigeria, Nsukka; the University of Benin; and the University of Abuja, where she guided council affairs from 1993 to 1997. In these roles, she applied her trademark principles of fiscal integrity, meritocracy, and rigorous institutional oversight to stabilize university governance and uphold academic standards.
Her post-retirement contributions reinforced a lifelong legacy that spanned classroom education, state industrial planning, civil service reform, and university governance.
A Life Remembered (2013–2023)
Princess Alakija died at the University College Hospital, Ibadan, on 23 August 2013, aged 88, after a brief illness. The late Oyo State former Governor Abiola Ajimobi mourned an icon and matriarch who helped mould the civil service, especially in Oyo State, to the height it occupied, while Osun’s Head of Service, Mr. Sunday Owoeye, called her:
“An uncommon gift to the human race.”
A decade later, her memory was honoured on two continents. The tenth-year memorial began in Virginia, United States, with a thanksgiving service at the Redeemed Christian Church of God, House of Praise, Chesapeake, and a luncheon at the home of her daughter, Mrs. Toyin Lambo-Akomolafe, before continuing in Nigeria until 23 August. Speaking for the family, Mrs. Lambo-Akomolafe said that a lot of Nigerians are:
“Beneficiaries of Mama’s amazing legacy of hard work, discipline and commitment.”
Legacy: The Standard Endures
Princess Tejumade Alakija’s story is one of firsts earned rather than inherited: a princess of Ile-Ife who chose the schoolroom and the ministry over the palace, and rose to the head of a state’s civil service. Her reign continues: in the civil servants who still work to the standard she set and in the industrial projects she helped bring to the old Western region. She remains, in every sense that matters, the matriarch of Oyo’s civil service.
References
Freedom Online (n.d.) Tejumade Alakija dies at 88. Available at: https://freedomonline.com.ng (Accessed: 10 October 2026).
Historical Nigeria (n.d.) Princess Tejumade Alakija: The trailblazing Yoruba stateswoman who redefined public service. Available at: https://historicalnigeria.com (Accessed: 10 October 2026).
Jolibaafrica (2020) Princess Tejumade Alakija, 28 July. Available at: https://jolibaafrica.com (Accessed: 10 October 2026).
Osun State Government (2013) Osun civil service mourns Tejumade Alakija, September. Available at: https://osunstate.gov.ng (Accessed: 10 October 2026).
Oyo Insight (n.d.) Alakija’s 10th years memorial events begin. Available at: https://oyoinsight.com (Accessed: 10 October 2026).
Oyo State Government (n.d.) 10th year remembrance: Oyo Head of Service celebrates first female HOS, Princess Tejumade Alakija, MFR. Available at: https://oyostate.gov.ng (Accessed: 10 October 2026).
Premium Times (n.d.) Alakija, first female Head of Service in Oyo, dies at 88 (News Agency of Nigeria). Available at: https://premiumtimesng.com (Accessed: 10 October 2026).
Queen Mary Students’ Union (n.d.) From the archives: Princess Tejumade Alakija. Available at: https://qmsu.org (Accessed: 10 October 2026).
The Sun Nigeria (2013) The bitter seed of discord Britain sowed in 1946 [Reporting Prof. Banji Akintoye’s account of Princess Alakija’s own words]. Available at: https://sunnewsonline.com (Accessed: 10 October 2026).
Wikipedia (n.d.) Tejumade Alakija. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tejumade_Alakija (Accessed: 10 October 2026).