A prominent lawyer and human rights activist, Abdul Mahmud, has challenged the long-established belief regarding the first woman to drive a car in Nigeria.
Mahmud, in a social media post, stated that Fela Kuti’s mother had been given the title instead of Lady Oyinka Abayomi.
According to Mahmud’s historical assertion, Lady Oyinka Abayomi, wife of Dr. Abayomi and daughter of Sir Kitoye Ajasa, is acclaimed as Nigeria’s trailblazing female driver.
He said while serving as a teacher at the newly established Queens College in 1927, she regularly operated a car, independently commuting to her workplace.
Mahmud underscored that this historical fact predates the commonly accepted belief regarding Fela Kuti’s mother being the first female driver in Nigeria.
Highlighting Lady Abayomi’s significant contributions, Mahmud identified her as the inaugural Nigerian Supervisor of the Nigerian Girls Guide, emphasizing her role in women’s leadership and education within the country.
He said she was married to prominent lawyer, Moronfolu Abayomi, who mi met his demise shortly after their marriage in a courtroom incident.
He added that Lady Abayomi remarried Dr. Kofo Adekunle in 1930, and in a gesture of love and respect, Dr. Adekunle adopted the name of Lady Oyinka’s late husband, Abayomi.
His words:
”Fela’s mother isn’t the first woman to drive a car in Nigeria. This lie has been pushed for too long!
”The first woman to drive a car in Nigeria is late Lady Oyinka Abayomi, wife of Dr Abayomi, and daughter of Sir Kitoye Ajasa.
”As a teacher of the newly opened Queens College in 1927, Lady Abayomi was always driving herself to school. That’s 24 years before Fela’s mother!
”A little about Lady Abayomi. First Nigerian Supervisor of the Nigerian Girls Guide ( Not the founder as some people claimed).
”Married to the brilliant lawyer Moronfolu Abayomi in 1923, she became a widow a few months later after her husband was killed in the court.
”She later remarried in 1930 to Dr Kofo Adekunle, who had to bear Lady Oyinka’s dead husband’s name, Abayomi. Such was the power of love!”