At the just concluded 3 day ceremony of the 17th national women
conference in Lagos organised by committee of wives of the Lagos state
officials, COWLSO,her excellency, Mrs Oludolapo Osinbajo was the mother
of the day and she stormed the opening ceremony amidst pomp and
pageantry.
She was well celebrated at the event and her speech was one of
the most wordy and emulating speech she has ever given in the gathering
of women.The very reserved and simple No 2 woman in Nigeria glowed in a
lovely teal green lace and matched it up with a teal striped yellow
headgear.
Mrs Oludolapo Osinbajo is also the granddaughter of one greatest hero
that walked past the earth, the perpetrator of free education in
Nigeria, talking of no other than Pa Obafemi Awolowo of blessed
memory.She is the daughter of Mrs. Otunba Olubusola Soyode one of the
children of Obafemi Awolowo, she lost her mum in the year 2011.
Mrs. Oludolapo Osinbajo, nee Soyode, happens to be the only daughter
of her parents. She also happens to be the leader of the Ladies
Fellowship of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), Jesus House
Parish in Lagos.
She was one of the wives of the Lagos state officials when her
husband, Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo served as the Attorney General of
Lagos for many years. As part of this conference, she delivered a
powerful speech where she recognized the pioneers of COWLSO, how it was
resuscitated and where it has gotten right now, for the time she shared
her many years of friendship with former Lagos First Lady, Senator
Oluremi Tinubu who resuscitated COWLSO.She talked glowingly about her
and took the audience down memory lane how she became a public speaker.
In her speech,she says,
“Congratulations to COWLSO, the committee of wives of Lagos State
officials on this years conference, her excellency,Mrs Abolanle Ambode
and her husband, her excellency, the wife of the president of federal
republic of Nigeria, Aisha Buhari sent her greetings to you in Lagos, I
should have captured her big smile in a picture to show you when I told
her I was coming to Lagos for COWLSO,So she sends you a greeting and
also a big smile.
I wish to thank you for your kind invitation to she creates, she
transforms, I am honoured to be here and glad to have the privilege of
addressing this great conference, looking around this hall this morning,
I see beauty, strength,I see energy of the participants of COWLSO 2017
,when women gather, something special happens,it is extra special when
men join in the gathering of women. COWLSO has stood the test of time
since its inception, it has grown, in leaps and bounds and has really
come into its own,
I salute the convener and the organizing committee for what must have
been many hours, many days of hardwork to put this event together,as we
appreciate the work done today, it is important to look back and give
honour to whom honour is due, to remember the pioneers of this work,our
mothers that started it and handed it down,from one season to another
,handing down the baton,teaching each successive group to take care of
their vision, keep it,grow it,and faithfully hand it to those in the
next season,look behind you strong and visionary women did great things.
Look ahead of you, the next generation is waiting for you to teach
them and to train them,they watch to see how you create things that are
of worth and transform all things to make it good. Creating a better
world than the one you met, they are just waiting to copy you, those who
went before are season one,today we are season 2, the ones following
after us are season 3.
The theme she creates, she transforms is most fitting at this time,
this theme portrays our women as active and not dull, do not believe
what they say about us,our women, they create, they transform, they are
enterprising,they are not lazy. She creates ,she transforms assures us
that our women have an impact on their environment, on their world,and
they have a say, they have a voice and their voice will be heard.As the
different speakers come to teach,to instruct, to inspire, there is a
potential that this will be a turning point in the lives of many who
attended,which will translate to a transformation for the better in our
homes ,offices and communities.
The theme song we have had has indeed set the tone for this
movement.This upward call to do better, go higher, work harder, shine
brighter in unity,peace and progress,some may imagine that these are
just mere words,but they are wrong, from the moment I heard the song
when Mrs Ambode shared it with me, I knew it is a call to join forces to
make things better.You are here today because you have heeded that call
to enlist in the group of those who are determined to make a difference
to create, to transform.
I congratulate the COWLSO members for inviting all to this call to
enlist as change agents, I remember many years ago when her excellency,
senator Oluremi Tinubu,the then First Lady of Lagos State took up the
challenge to resuscitate COWLSO,my husband was the attorney general of
Lagos state at that time, I remember she had an old pamphlet of a COWLSO
event held many years before as she spoke to wives of the officials of
the Lagos State about the importance of reviving and running with the
vision of COWLSO,
I remember so vividly a retreat we held at Akodo,the beach
resort,when she encouraged me to speak out,I was so anxious and
reluctant but till today I remember what I said,if we each do a little
,we can do a lot and of course public speaking got easier for me after
that first time,I will like the representatives of her excellency, Sen
Oluremi Tinubu to give her the message that from that day till now, I am
still speaking and I thank her for her encouragement.
It is important for me to share with you the need for us as we move
forward to look back to see where we were coming from,to see what stuff
we are made of ,to know what we are capable of as we honour her
excellency ,Mrs Johnson of blessed memory who started this work equiving
a legacy of service and impact on the wives of the officials of Lagos
State”.
The number 2 woman has been married for 28 years and together with
the Vice President,Prof. Oluyemi Osinbajo, they are blessed with three
lovely children, a boy and two girls, ‘Kanyinsola, Kiki, and
Fiyinfoluwa’.In the year 2007, they both founded “The Orderly Society
Trust”, a non- governmental organization that is dedicated to the
promotion of Christian ethics and orderliness.
Mrs. Oludolapo Osinbajo who studied and qualified as a lawyer just
like her husband, is also a writer and she is the author of the book,
‘They Call Me Mama!’ which chronicles her experiences interacting with
and reforming street boys in Lagos Island.
In October 2014, Mrs. Dolapo Osinbajo launched her book, ‘They Call
Me Mama, From the Under Bridge Diaries’ in Lagos. She said that her
drive to write the book came from her experiences with some street boys
and men in Lagos State, and with the book, she aims to give them a human
face.