On September 19, 1996, Chief (Mrs.) Esther Bisoye Tejuoso, the Iyalode of Egbaland and arguably Nigeria’s first female industrialist was brutally murdered in Abeokuta.
It was gathered that Chief Tejuoso, 80, was murdered in cold blood at her residence.
According to family sources, about 10 gunmen stormed her home in the early hours and shot her at close range.
The late matriarch, born in 1916 into the Egba royal family, was the granddaughter of Oba Karunwi, the Osile of Oke-Ona, Abeokuta. She rose from trading foodstuffs on the Zaria-Lagos railway line in the 1940s to become one of the nation’s most successful entrepreneurs.
She first gained prominence as a major dealer for the United African Company (UAC) and Vono Industries. In 1964, in partnership with a Norwegian businessman, she co-founded Nigerian Polyurethane Ltd, producers of the famous Cool Foams brand.
After a disagreement with her partners, she secured a loan from the Nigerian Industrial Development Bank in 1970 and established Teju Industries Limited, a foam manufacturing giant, cementing her reputation as a pioneering woman who attained financial independence.
She was also the mother of Oba (Dr.) Adedapo Tejuoso, the Osile of Oke-Ona Egba.
According to police sources, her murder may not be unconnected with the lingering controversy over the Obaship of Egbaland, a chieftaincy tussle that had divided the ancient town for months.
Her assassination, which occurred amid a wave of high-profile killings in the country, remains officially unsolved. Till date, her killers have not been found and no one has been convicted for the crime.
