Boss Of The Week
Behold the Sarauniya of Ilorin Emirate: Hajia Muinat Bola Shagaya
By Eric Elezuo
Honour, no doubt, is meant for whomever honour is due. It was therefore, no fluke when the Emir of Ilorin and Chairman Kwara State Council of Chiefs, Mai-Martaba Alhaji Ibrahim Sulu-Gambari CFR, announced the appointment of Hajia Muinat Bola Shagaya as the Sarauniya of Ilorin Emirate. This is one appointment the general public has seen as who the cap fits.
The Emir made the announcement at the 57th Annual National Conference of the Ilorin Emirate Descendants Progressive Union (IEDPU) held on Sunday where notable sons and daughters of the Kwara State and friends and well wishers were in attendance. At the occasion, the ebullient Hajia Bola Shagaya donated whopping N10m in support of the IEDPU project.
Among the dignitaries that graced the event were the Emir of Ilorin Dr. Ibrahim Sulu-Gambari; Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Interior and Chairman of the occasion, Dr. Shuaib Belgore; Ilorin Emirate Council of Chiefs; Chief Imam Ilorin Sheikh Mohammed Bashir Soliu; and other Imams and Islamic scholars; Grand Mufti of Ilorin Sheikh Suleiman Faruq Onikijipa; Turakin Ilorin Mallam Saliu Mustapha; National President for IEDPU, Alhaji Aliyu Otta Uthman; Registrar of JAMB, Prof Is-haq Oloyede; Vice Chancellor University of Abuja, Prof Abdulrosheed Na’Allah; businesswoman and Zaraniya Ilorin Hajia Muina Sagaya; former Vice Chancellor of University of Ilorin Prof. Shuaib Oba Abdulraheem; Executive Director for National Centre for Agricultural Mechanisation (NCAM) Engr. A. R Kamal; guest speaker Sheikh Abdulwahab Banni Afonta; and dozens of dignitaries and sons and daughters of Ilorin Emirate.
Bola, as she is popularly known, is beautiful, elegant, famous, enchanting and above all down to earth. She is a woman of means and is renowned for her extraordinary generosity. She is above all, quintessential in all ramifications.
Shagaya, unlike most prominent and wealthy industrialists, was not born with the proverbial silver spoon. Consequently, she had to pull herself up by her bootstraps and exert herself relentlessly through some difficult times on her way to arriving at the enviable height she now occupies. Her remarkable accomplishments have since earned her a pride of place at the table of royals and captured the attention of the influential Forbes magazine. She made the 10th wealthiest woman spot in Africa in a 2015 Forbes ranking.
The socialite, who will be 62 on October 10, was born in 1959 in Kwara State, her home town. She attended Queens School in Ilorin for her secondary education and the Ahmadu Bello University in Zaria and Armstrong College in California, where she studied Economics and Accountancy respectively. Shagaya also attended Harvard Business School and a number of other local and international seminars, workshops and symposiums where she sharpened her skills and gained all the cutting-edge knowledge that has kept her on top of her entrepreneurial and social game.
Fresh out of school, a promising career took off with a stint at the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) where she worked with the Audit Department. Having acquired veritable experience from the CBN, she ventured into commercial activities in 1983, beginning with the importation and distribution of photographic materials under one of her incorporated companies called Bolmus. She is reputed to have introduced the Konica brand of photographic materials into the Nigerian market and West Africa.
She is also the owner of Fotofair Nigeria limited, and her photo laboratory unit in Victoria Island is no doubt one of the largest photo laboratories in Nigeria. The photo laboratory has a net base of over thirty branches located in different parts of the country and over 300 workers employed. A great feat!
Her prowess is not limited to the business of photographic materials alone, Hajia Bola Shagaya is also the Managing Director of Practoil Limited, one of the largest importers and distributors of base oil in Nigeria, serving local lubricant blending plants. Not only that, her extensive acumen in the world of buying and selling finds expression in huge investments in real estate, spanning major cities in the country with over 300 employees.
She is proactive and visionary, and so through her base oil importation, she is meeting the need of the local lubricant blending plants. At the moment, Practoil is building its own plant at Kirikiri, Lagos State. The plant is expected to produce multi-grade oils and lubricants.
An astute financial wizard, Mrs. Shagaya is on the board of Unity Bank (Nigeria) Plc (formerly Intercity Bank) and has been for about a decade. She is also a member of the NEPAD Business Group, Nigeria.
She is a reputed fashionista, and her consistent display of an impeccable dress sense is a testimony to that assertion. It is therefore, not surprising that she is a patron of the Fashion Designers Association of Nigeria (FADAN) and a fashion and arts enthusiast who supports and encourages the fashion and arts industry. She also loves sports, especially polo. She is also hopelessly in love with exotic jewelry, especially diamonds, and Deola Sagoe, Folake Coker, Maureen Onigbanjo, Abba Folawiyo are just a few of her clothiers. Internationally, there are also Escada and Christian Lacroix.
In July 2010, she was conferred with the national honour of Member of the Order of the Niger (MON) by the then President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan (GCFR).
A committed family woman; wife and mother, she is married to Alhaji Ganiyu Shagaya, a Kwara State-based transporter and their union is blessed with four children, among whom is Sheriff Shagaya, who got married in 2013 to Maryam Tukur, the daughter renowned politician, Bamanga Tukur. Kabir, her fourth son, also married into a notable when he wedded Amina Buba, daughter of oil magnate, Dr Hanatu Buba Each of her five sons are reportedly doing incredibly well in their fields of endeavours. It is said that they inherited their mothers entrepreneurial skills, business acumen and accommodating mien.
A very liberal woman, her third child, Seun, is a pastor with the Redeemed Christian Church of God, Abuja in as much as his mother is a Muslim.
Though a socialite who loves reveling, Mrs. Shagaya knows when to open the door and when to keep it closed. It was gathered from an interview she once granted that as a rule she doesn’t entertain friendly visitations, no matter how close, between Monday and Friday. Consequently, everything social revolves around the weekends when major work has been done. That accounts for her serious-mindedness, focus and hard work.
A friend of several Nigerian First Ladies, Mrs. Shagaya is known to have been close to virtually every recent First Lady in the Nigerian political system, especially Dame Patience Jonathan, with whom she forged a formidable relationship. It is believed that her amiable nature, down to earth attitude and uprightness always endear her to the hearts of those in the corridor of power.
A staunch Muslim, she believes that no matter what one becomes, God will always remain number one, and the revolving factor in her life. As a result, no matter where she is or what she’s doing, she makes it a duty to go to Mecca at least twice a year. She also creates time to observe her ‘Majrib’.
“That’s my only way to praise God”, she said.
The stupendously rich amazon, who owns property in choice parts of the world including London, Abuja, Lagos, Ilorin and so on, maintains a healthy routine of going to bed every day at 9pm after listening to the 8 O’clock news, and wakes up daily by 5am to pray.
Bola Shagaya is a crown jewel in the swelling ranks of African women who have demystified the stereotyped notion that the place of the woman is, and ends in the kitchen or ‘the other room’. In her continued display of business ingenuity, she has showcased the stuff women like her are made of while proving that females are capable of threading the paths that even some men would not dare venture.
Congratulations dear Sarauniya of Ilorin Emirate!
The Wikipedia captured her trajectory as follows:
In October 2009, she was elected Ghana’s representative to the executive board of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO).
Ahead of the 2012 general elections, Jane Opoku Agyemang moderated the debate with Kojo Oppong Nkrumah.
On 26 October 2018, she became Chancellor of the Women’s University in Africa located in Zimbabwe.
She has served on many local and international boards and committees such as the Centre for Democratic Governance, (CDD-Ghana), the editorial board of the Harriet Tubman Series on the African Diaspora (Africa World Press Inc. USA), the Africa Initiative in Canada, and the College of Physicians and Surgeons as an Eminent Citizen.
Opoku-Agyemang is an author. Her focus areas includes Literature with a focus on Women from Ghana, Oral literature in Ghana and Africa, Communication Skills and Issues in the African Diaspora. As an academic she has written and published in scholarly journals and presented articles at various conferences including at the 200th Anniversary of the Abolition of Slavery at the United Nations Headquarters in New York City and at the Inaugural Lecture to the Ghana Academy of Arts and Sciences.
In 2015, as Education Minister, she published and launched a five volumes collection of published folktales titled ‘Who told the most incredible story?”’
A key focus area during her tenure was empowering girls and advocating for gender equity in education. Her leadership drove the implementation of policies that tackled gender disparities, promoted higher female enrolment and retention rates, and empowered girls through education. Her initiatives played a pivotal role in creating more inclusive opportunities for young women across Ghana.
Additionally, she led the conversion of 10 polytechnics across the regions into technical universities, a bold initiative that elevated the status of these institutions, broadening their academic scope and enhancing vocational education. This reform was instrumental in aligning Ghana’s educational framework with global trends, equipping students with practical skills for a competitive job market.
During her tenure, Opoku-Agyemang initiated the construction of 124 Community Day Senior High Schools, known as “E-Blocks,” to improve access to secondary education in underserved areas. By the end of her term, 50 schools were completed and operational, providing modern facilities such as science laboratories, libraries, and ICT centres. This initiative significantly expanded educational opportunities, particularly in rural and peri-urban communities, and underscored her commitment to addressing disparities in access to quality education.
Opoku-Agyemang oversaw the completion of key infrastructure at the University of Health and Allied Sciences (UHAS) in Ho, including the School of Basic and Biomedical Sciences, a hostel block, and staff accommodation at its Sokode campus. The university was inaugurated by President John Dramani Mahama in November 2015, underscoring the government’s commitment to expanding access to quality higher education and supporting the training of health professionals to address national healthcare needs.
She also played a critical role in establishing the University of Environment and Sustainable Development (UESD) in the Eastern Region. She facilitated the passage of the enabling Bill in Parliament and secured funding for the university. In December 2016, President John Mahama officially cut the sod for the construction of the UESD’s Somanya campus.
Vice presidential campaign
Opoku-Agyemang was selected as the presidential running mate for the National Democratic Congress (NDC) on 6 July 2020 for Ghana’s December 2020 General elections. She became the first female running mate of the two major political parties in Ghana. Her selection by the flagbearer, John Dramani Mahama of the National Democratic Congress was applauded by women groups and women activists as a positive sign to the Ghanaian political scene to promote gender balance and equality.
She appealed to Ghanaians to vote for change and promised to use her office as vice president to influence sustainable development and practical youth-centred policies. Her campaign message was devoid of attacks on opponents. Her intensive campaign in the coastal communities and her home region, the Central Region yielded results as the NDC won most of the constituencies they had lost in 2016. The NDC also won 9 out of the 16 regions in Ghana including the major battleground, Greater Accra.
The NDC National Executive Committee, on 7 March 2024, officially endorsed Opoku-Agyemang again as the running mate for the party’s flagbearer, ahead of the 2024 general elections.
Opoku-Agyemang became the vice president–elect after Mahama won the 2024 presidential election.
On 7 January 2025, Opoku-Agyemang was sworn in as the Vice President of Ghana, becoming the first female to hold the office. The ceremony took place at Independence Square in Accra, where she took the Oath of Allegiance and the Vice President’s Oath before Chief Justice Gertrude Torkornoo. Her appointment marked a significant moment in Ghana’s political history, as she became the first woman to assume the role of Vice President in the country’s history.
Opoku-Agyemang has been honoured with honorary degrees from the University of the West Indies and Winston-Salem University. She has also received an award for Global leadership from the University of South Florida in Tampa. She received the Officer of the Order of the Volta award for Academic Distinction in 2011 by President John Atta Mills and Ghana Women of Excellence Award in the Education category due her contribution to the development and promotion of quality education in Ghana. She was acknowledged for Outstanding Performance in Advancing International Education, School for International Training, Vermont, USA on two occasions.
In 2020, she was named among the 40 Most Inspirational Female Leaders in Ghana for serving as a role model for women in Ghana and in Africa. In January 2023, she was listed among the 100 most reputable Africans.
It is believed that her antecedents and wholesale performances in all the offices she had previously held, will come to bear as she studiously assists Mahama to reignite the 24hour economy he is known for.
By Eric Elezuo
The academic environment, or to be more specific, the ivory tower, thrives on quality, capacity, intelligence and ability to think out of the box. It is further complicated when to become a vice Chancellor, one has to be above board, be the ultimate cetris paribus and have the never-say-never attitude to get things done.
These are the qualities, and more that propelled 41-year-old Professor of International Law, at the University of Abuja, Professor Aisha Sani Maikudi, to the height of administration head of the institution as the Vice Chancellor.
Just into her fourth decade as a human being, Aisha has come of age, smashing the proverbial glass ceiling, and hitting stardom where it was least expected. She is the real slay queen, endowed with beauty, brains and absolute intelligence.
A profile of her personality published on the university site, noted that for her to assume the incumbency of the University administration, Aisha has arrived, seen and conquered, creating room of encouragement, inspiration and desire among the young ones, especially the female folks, who look up to her. She is an enigma.
The profile reads as follows:
Professor Aisha Sani Maikudi, a distinguished scholar and professor of International Law at the University of Abuja is from Katsina State, Nigeria. She began her educational journey at Sacred Heart School, Kaduna, where she obtained her First School Leaving Certificate (FSLC) in 1993. She proceeded to Queens College, Yaba, Lagos, earning her West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) in 1999, her LLB degree from the University of Reading, UK, the LLM from the London School of Economics, UK, BL from the Nigeria Law School, Abuja and Ph.D from the University of Abuja, Nigeria.
Maikudi’s academic excellence took her to the University of Reading, where she earned an LLB in 2004. She further specialised in Public International Law, obtaining an LLM from the London School of Economics and Political Science in 2005. After completing her legal education at the Nigerian Law School (2006–2007). In 2007, Professor Aisha Sani Maikudi did her National Youth Service Corps at the Corporate Secretariat and Legal Division of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation. She pursued and had a PhD in International Law from the University of Abuja in 2015.
She joined the University of Abuja as a Lecturer II on 4th September 2008, and rose through the ranks to become a professor in 2021.
Professor Aisha Sani Maikudi broke barriers as the first female and youngest Head of Department in 2013, the first female Deputy Dean of the Faculty of Law in 2018, and the pioneer Director of the University of Abuja International Centre in 2019. She also served as the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic), where she was instrumental in enhancing academic standards and promoting a culture of excellence at the University.
To date, she is the youngest Professor of the University of Abuja and indeed Nigeria, as well as the first female Professor of Law in the North West and the University of Abuja. She specializes in United Nations Law, backed by extensive research and numerous publications in academic journals and book chapters. Professor Aisha Sani Maikudi floated a Postgraduate course on United Nations Law and has supervised numerous undergraduate and postgraduate theses and dissertations, contributing to the growth of legal scholarship. She has also taught Company Law for over 12 years and is well versed in its mechanics.
Professor Aisha Sani Maikudi has represented her university and country at numerous national and international conferences, workshops, and training sessions across the UK, US, South Africa, Germany, Italy, China, Ghana, and Egypt. She has presented papers at many of these events, further solidifying her global reputation as an academic leader.
She is an active member of several professional organisations, including the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Nigerian Law Teachers Association (NLTA), International Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA), and Nigerian Society of International Law.
Aisha is married with children.
By Eric Elezuo
The constantly improved city of Osogbo was agog weekend when the Secretary to the Government of the Osun State, Igbalaye Teslim Adekunle, was installed as the Bobagunwa of Osogboland, replacing his late father, Alhaji Abdulrasheed Igbalaye, who was the pioneer Bobagunwa of Osogbo.
The installation of Teslim Adekunle mark the continuation of visionary leadership, a legacy built on profound patriotism and a relentless commitment to the progress of people of Osogbo in particular, and Osun State in general.
The occasion, a combination of pomp, grace, culture and class, drew together the who is who in Osun, West and national politics to the land that bustles with melodious springs.
This venue was the royal palace of Ataoja of Osogbo, His Royal Majesty, Oba Jimoh Oyetunji (Larooye II), who presided over the ceremony, and had the singular honour of conferring the prestigious feather on the new Bobagunwa.
As early as the first light of the d-day, guests from all corners and walks of life, some, who had arrived the day before, began trooping into the colorful premises of the palace with giant billboards showcasing the about to be installed Bobagunwa and the royal father.
From afar as well as near, dignitaries including traditional rulers, government officials, captains of industries, entertainment buffs, students organisations, community groups, youths and the general public, all converge to witness the glory of a man many believe is a force to reckon with, in both community relations and political administration.
Among notable names present were the Osun state Governor, Senator Nurudeen Ademola Adeleke; the Deputy Governor, Prince Kola Adewusi; former governor of the state, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinola; former Osun state Deputy Governor, Mrs. Titi Laoye-Tomori and her husband; Oba Abolarin Adedokun, Speaker, Osun State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Adewole Egbedun; Deputy Speaker, Rt. Hon. Akinyode Abidemi Oyewusi; Chief of Staff to the Governor, Alhaji Kazeem Akinleye, Senator representing Osun West Senatorial District, Sen. Lere Oyewunmi, Senator representing Osun Central, Sen. Olubiyi Fadeyi-Ajagunla, State PDP Chairman, Hon. Sunday Bisi, Former Chief of Air Marshal, Air Marshal Oladayo Amao; Araba Ifayemi Elebuibon, Mr. Oye Balogun the Secretary to the Kogi State Government, Dr. Folashade Arike Ayoade, the Timi of Ede Land, Oba Munirudeen Lawal, Hon. Adewale Morufu Adebayo, and a host of other eminent personalities.
Glad in prestigious all red traditional babariga attire, Igbalaye arrived the venue, in company of his wife, children and aides to a rousing welcome of acceptance. The team could not help but respond to the melodious sounds emanating the drums of the itinerant drummers, with corresponding dance steps.
It was not long before the Ataoja, in full view of the guests, including Governor Adeleke, performed the rites of installation, and pronounced Igbalaye, the new Bobagunwa of Osogboland to a loud applause that ricochetted across the length and breadth of Osogboland. He enjoined the new Bobagunwa to uphold tradition and its institutions, and never betray that trust of his people. He harped on the sanctity of the title, and advised the bearer to remain a beacon that he has always been.
In his response as the Bobagunwa, Teslim Adekunle, promised to extend the legacy of truthfulness, honesty, leadership and hard work as handed down by the previous Bobagunwa.
With happiness visibly showing on his face, the Bobagunwa conducted himself round the venue, exchanging pleasantries, in apparent performance of his first official duty as the stool occupier.
In his brief remarks, Governor Adeleke, known for his jovial disposition and dancing prowess, congratulated the new Bobagunwa, and task him to bring unity to not only Osogboland, but the entire Osun State and Nigeria at large. He also thanked the Ataoja for the honour his SSG, noting that the royal father has been a supporter of the administration towards delivering good governance.
The stage was practically set for music, dance and good food, and every attendee had his very full. King Sunny Ade was on hand to make that guest enjoined the best of dancing and music
According to tradition, the title of Bobagunwa is conferred upon deserving sons of the land, and carries immense prestige, aa well as comes with responsibilities.
It is those, like Teslim Adekunle, who have played a significant role in the growth and development of the city in the past, and are committed to the future development of the state in culture and tradition, infrastructure and general growth, are eligible for the honour.
Bobagunwa, a Yoruba language word, which means “to reign with the king” is a clear testament that Teslim Adekunle is qualified to be a confidant of the reigning king. And by implication, demands express commitment and dedication to the king of Osogbo, who is the Ataoja.
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