Honour from the Source: Nigeria’s First Lady Bags Traditional Title in Ile-Ife

By Keem Abdul

It is only natural that, as even the Holy Book has affirmed, he (or, in this case, she) who waters others must also be watered.Ever since she made her way into the public consciousness – first through her association with her husband, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, now the President of Nigeria, and then on her own steam as First Lady of Lagos State, then as a Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, and now as the nation’s First Lady – Sen. Oluremi Tinubu has used her elevated platform to give expression to her essential self. That essential self has manifested itself, over and over again, in her passion for others – especially society’s most vulnerable groups – but also in her efforts, in concert with like-minded people, to help in erecting the building-blocks of a society founded on compassion, justice, equity and peace. As a politician in her own right (but also as a political spouse), she has leveraged on both the hard and soft powers at her command to influence outcomes on behalf of the causes she holds dear.

Proof – if proof were needed – that Sen. Tinubu’s endeavours, and the altruistic motivations behind them, have not gone unnoticed, came on Sunday, December 7, 2025, when she received a lofty traditional honour from none other than the Ooni of Ife, revered as the foremost traditional monarch in the Yoruba nation. Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, Ojaja II, and his Council conferred on the First Lady the title of Yeye Asiwaju Gbogbo Ile Oodu’a. The installation ceremony, which was held at the Palace Square in Ile-Ife, Osun State amid fanfare and heavy security, also marked the 10th coronation anniversary of Oba Ogunwusi’s ascension to the throne of his forebears.

As expected, the event drew a large cross-section of dignitaries from all parts of the country and from all walks of life – among them the former President of Nigeria, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo; the Osun State Governor; Ademola Adeleke; his Lagos and Ogun State counterparts, Babajide Sanwo-Olu and Dapo Abiodun, respectively; the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar; the Olu of Warri, Ogiame Atuwatse III; the Orangun of Ila, Oba Abdulwahab Oyedotun; the Soun of Ogbomoso, Oba Ghandi Olaoye; former Ogun State Governor, Sen. Ibikunle Amosun; wife of the Vice President, Nana Shettima, and a former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Dimeji Bankole, among others.

The robust attendance by these personalities gave credence to the high regard they had for Mrs. Tinubu as an institution in her own right (not just because of her cachet as the wife of Nigeria’s head of state) and their recognition of the gravity of the title she had been bestowed with by the traditional institution in Ile-Ife (a kingdom steeped in antiquity and credited to be the cradle of the Yoruba nation – hence the usual reference to it as ‘The Source’). Her title, Yeye Asiwaju Gbogbo Ile Oodu’a, carries immense historical significance; its immediate previous occupant was no other than the late Chief (Mrs.) Hannah Idowu Dideolu Awolowo – fondly referred to as HID – wife of the revered sage, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, SAN. As in the case of HID, Mrs. Tinubu’s title is a recognition of leadership, influence, and contributions to society and an embodiment of those virtues held dear in the Yoruba socio-cultural milieu.

This honour from The Source is the latest feather in the star-studded cap of traditional honours Mrs. Tinubu has received across Nigeria – especially in the course of this year, 2025, alone. Only last October, to name just a few, she was conferred with the title of Sarauniyar Yaki (Queen Warrior) in October by the Lamido of Akko in Gombe State – in recognition, according to her citation, of her efforts to protect vulnerable groups across the country. Earlier this year (in August) she received the title of Iya Oba of Ikorodu (Lagos State) bestowed on her by Oba Kabir Shotobi and his council. Earlier still, in June, the Enugu State Traditional Rulers Council conferred on her the title of Ugosimba I of Enugu, in recognition of her humanitarian services and commitment to national development.

If anyone had any cause to wonder – prior to, and in the course of, the conferment ceremony in Ile-Ife – why the First Lady had been bestowed with this high honour and placed on the same pedestal with the HID Awolowos of this world, Mrs. Tinubu soon provided it herself, as she peppered her humble but proud acceptance speech with many references to her well-known preoccupation with suffering Nigerian humanity, but also her starry-eyed expectations of a better tomorrow, not just for her less-fortunate compatriots, but also for the profile and fortunes of the Nigerian state itself. Speaking in both English and Yoruba, she waxed prophetic when she said that, sooner rather than later, Nigeria would lend money to (rather than continue to borrow from) other nations. “Nigeria’s joy has come,” she declared, her voice full of conviction. “Those wondering how we want to do it; we will show them how things are being done … It is important to say it here at The Source of the Yoruba race today, that during the administration of President Bola Tinubu, people will wonder how he has been able to achieve such a milestone.”

By ‘we’ Sen. Tinubu was not just referring to her role as wife – and partner in progress – to the President as he strives to actualize his mandate and the objectives of his (and Vice-President Kashim Shettima’s) Renewed Hope Agenda. She was also referring to the work of her team and partners in the aptly-named Renewed Hope Initiative (RHI), under which umbrella she has, as its Chairperson, extended the benefits of financial and other material support to a vast cross-section of stakeholders in the six geo-political regions of the country – disbursing an estimated N12.9bn in the two years of the RHI’s operations – chiefly in the following categories: Elderly Care; Disaster Relief; Women’s Empowerment; Youth and Girl-Child Education; Entrepreneurship (especially Start-up) Support; and Investment in Food Security.

Apart from the fact of these levels of support, what makes the RHI’s interventions stand out is Mrs. Tinubu’s preferred style – namely, direct engagement; cross-partisan reach (very impactful in a society as divided as ours) and a holistic approach (rather than the one-off associated with such high-profile initiatives by past First Ladies).

Form her time as First Lady of Lagos State, when she established the New Era Foundation, Sen. Tinubu’s journey in public life has been marked by discipline and commitment, by a firm sense of values, and most importantly by her ability to merge governance with empathy, and empathy with action.

They say that politics sometimes hardens hearts; it is certainly a theater of personal ambition and cold-blooded calculation, as well as competing narratives and claims of entitlement. In Mrs. Tinubu’s case, however, it has been a long crusade to soften lives.And the honour she received last Sunday in Ile-Ife was just reward – as well as a clarion call to us all, to emulate this remarkable woman in our engagement with our fellow human beings, and in our obligations as citizens of society and humanity as a whole.

*Keem Abdul, a public relations guru, publisher and writer, hails from Lagos. He can be reached via Akeemabdul2023@gmail.com