By Abeokuta’s James Ogunnaike
Dapo Abiodun, the governor of Ogun State, announced the formation of a committee to plan Chief Mrs. Lucia Onabanjo, the former first lady of the state, a dignified funeral.
Mr. Tokunbo Talabi, the Secretary to the State Government, will serve as the committee’s chair. Mr. Dare Alebiosu, the chairman of the Ijebu-Ode Local Government Area, and Mr. Dapo Okubadejo, the commissioner for finance, are among the other members.
Following the death of the former First Lady, Governor Abiodun revealed this on Thursday while paying condolences to the Onabanjo family in Ijebu-Ode.
The governor described the late Mrs. Onabanjo as an excellent First Lady who used her position to serve God and humanity without expecting anything in return. He emphasized that the state would take full responsibility for providing Chief Bisi Onabanjo, the widow of a previous Ogun State governor, with a respectable and well-earned funeral.
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“Mama lived for 100 years and would have been 101 this year,” he remarked. She had a mature and contented life, leaving behind influential legacies that demand the celebration of a meaningful, purposeful, and well-lived life.
She was married to a well-known journalist and an exceptional governor in his day, who founded important organizations like Olabisi Onabanjo University and Ogun State Television, among others.
“Mama Lucia herself was an exemplary First Lady, a devoted homemaker, a loving and devoted mother, a trained teacher, and a supportive wife who traveled the nation with her husband.”
Governor Abiodun stated that despite the state’s sadness over her passing, there is plenty to be grateful for given the significant life she led.
“We should be thankful that she lived a life worthy of emulation, even though we mourn the passing of a great woman, a titan, a former First Lady, and an industrious daughter of Ijebu land and Ogun State,” he stated.
Death is inevitable, regardless of how long a man lives on this planet. The governor continued, “The only question is when God will call us home.”
Governor Abiodun acknowledged that Mrs. Onabanjo lived to a ripe age, but he also said that her passing was a huge loss for her family, Ogun State, and the nation as a whole.
He asked the family to find comfort in the knowing that she lived and died honorably, and he prayed for her soul to rest.
Speaking on behalf of the family, Barrister Bukola Onabanjo thanked her mother for providing her children with a godly upbringing and described the circumstances leading up to her last moments.
She also expressed gratitude to the Ogun State Government, Governor Abiodun, and the state’s citizens for their solidarity and support of the family.
Born on October 26, 1925, the late Chief Mrs. Lucia Onabanjo died on January 12, 2026.
