Chief Adenike Ebun Oyagbola, the first female to pioneer the ministerial position in Nigeria, is dead. Chief Oyagbola reportedly died on Friday, the 28th of February 2025, at the age of 94.
Prior to her death, Ebun Oyagbola had worked in different corporate sectors, giving her a sound pedigree before rising to the position of Nigeria’s first female minister.
Born on May 5th, 1931, Oyagbola kick-started her career as a teacher in a school. Shortly after, she traveled abroad to further her studies in accounting. Ebun Oyagbola would later join the Federal Civil Service in 1963.
In 1979, Chief Ebun Oyagbola rewrote history with her appointment as Nigeriaโs first female cabinet minister of National Planning under the administration of President Shehu Shagari.
She served in that capacity until late 1983, when she eventually became Nigeriaโs Ambassador to Mexico, with concurrent accreditation to Panama, Costa Rica, and Guatemala.
She also served in a multifaceted environment that transcended beyond politics; one such role was her emergence as President of the Nigerian chapter of Attitudinal Healing International, a global organization focused on mental and emotional well-being.
During her lifetime, Ebun was a trailblazer whose indelible contributions to governance and the political landscape of Nigeria will remain engraved in the hearts of many. Her emergence as the first female minister cast a ray of hope for women in politics, making her a beacon of hope in political matters.
Chief Ebun Oyagbola hailed from Ogun State in Yewa North Local Government, from the family of Akinola Igan-Alade.
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