A 95-year-old business woman, Alhaja Olabode Banjo has been appointed and installed as the President of Fish Sellers and Seafood Association of Nigeria, Ogun State Chapter, at a ceremony held in Sagamu town of the State.
The nonagenarian, who is the mother of former governorship candidate in Ogun State under the banner of the National Conscience Party (NCP), Ogbeni Lanre Banjo, was unanimously appointed by members of the association to lead them.
The ceremony held on Thursday February 27, 2025, was well attended by members of the association across the 20 local government areas of the state, as well as other guests within and outside who came to grace the occasion.
The President who dressed gorgeously in a white lace material was ushered into the venue by a large number of members of the association and other guests, who sang her praises to high heaven.
The woman could not hold back her joy as she demonstrated her dancing skills in the swarm of members, majority of them comprising of women who put on Ankara, known as Aso ebi in Yoruba parlance
The celebrant in an interview with journalists expressed appreciation to members for considering her for the exalted position to lead the association to greater height.
The President recalled her journey into the fish selling trade, which she said she started at age ten with her late grandmother at Ijokun, and subsequently rose to be crowned as the President of the association
‘I met fish selling from my grandmother Efunpelu when she was selling fish at Ijokun, I was just ten years old when I struggled with her, I followed her to Apowa, I hawked and fish business is sweet. The business is enough for me’, she recalled.
‘I wore Buba mini skirts to struggle with her in the selling business, and today among the elders and leaders of fish sellers in Ogun state I’m the one crowned as the number one of ‘Egbe Eleja’ in Ogun state’, she stated.
She disclosed that the ceremony was the brainchild of her children, who contributed in bringing her to limelight and prayed for them, adding that she is excited reaping fruits of her labour on them.
‘My children are doing great for me today, they supported and brought me to the limelight, and they made me a successful woman, making this installation as Iya Egbe eleja in Ogun State easier for me, I pray that they all enjoy the fruits of their labour and also, be celebrated amongst their peers’, the mother said.
The woman going memory lane, she was she was about forty years ago installed as Iyasuna, a muslim title, a ceremony attended by the late prominent lawyer and activist, Gani Fawehinmi.
The association boss, however, called on Nigerian government to support fishing production and selling business, stressing that she was in a better position to guide government on how best to do it, if she is invited by the authorities
‘I want the government to come and support us, we can tell them how to go about it if they are ready to listen. My demand from the government is to make sure that they take care of fish sellers and meet up with their demands’.
she lamented the epileptic power supply in the country which is a major challenge for the fish selling business, appealing to the government to rise up to the challenges for the business to continue to strive
The Chairman of the association in the state Chief Egbejobi Owolabi Aremu in his remarks said the woman was appointed as President of the body because of her dedication and commitment to the progress of the association.
he, however, urged the members to be patient in view of the battered economy, affecting all sectors of trade, expressing optimism that the challenges will be surmounted.
The son of the celebrant Nurudeen Olakunle Banjo while speaking with journalists expressed gratitude to association for finding their mother worthy for the high rank position, recalling that she raised all her children with the trade.
Banjo praised their mother for her zeal and commitment towards the fish selling trade, which she is known with and has remained relevant in the business to have been considered to lead the body
