In colonial Lagos, Lady Oyinkan Ajasa, later known as Lady Oyinkan Abayomi, was born on March 6, 1897, to Sir Kitoye Ajasa, a Yoruba aristocrat and the first Nigerian to be knighted by the British, and Lucretia Olayinka Moore, a princess of the Egba royal family.
Lady Oyinkan attended the Anglican Girls’ Seminary in Lagos, graduating in 1909. She then studied at Young Ladies Academy at Ryford Hall, Gloucestershire, and in 1917, she attended the Royal Academy of Music in London. After returning to Lagos in 1920, she became a music teacher at the Anglican Girls’ Seminary.
In 1923, she married Mr. Moronfolu Abayomi, a lawyer who was the love of her life. Tragically, he was assassinated two months later in court, leaving Lady Oyinkan devastated and resolved never to marry again.
Dr. Kofo John, who wished to marry her, agreed to her unusual condition of changing his name to her late husband’s name, Abayomi. He became Dr. Kofo Abayomi, a renowned figure, and married her.
In this picture, Lady Oyinkan Abayomi arrives at a social function in Lagos with her husband, Dr. Kofo Abayomi.
Things men do for love!
