Madam Lucia Onabowale Onabanjo, wife of the first civilian governor of Ogun State, Chief Olabisi Onabanjo, has died at the age of 100.
Her death was announced in a statement on Tuesday by her daughter, Olubukunola Onabanjo, who said the matriarch of the Onabanjo family passed away peacefully on Monday, January 11, 2026.
According to the statement, the family received her passing with deep sorrow but gratitude to God for a long and fulfilled life.
“The family of Chief Victor Olabisi Onabanjo, former Governor of Ogun State, announces with deep sorrow, yet with gratitude to Almighty God, the passing of our beloved mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother,” the statement read.
It added, “Chief (Mrs.) Lucia Onabowale Onabanjo (1925–2026) was called to glory on Monday, January 11. We thank God for her long and fulfilled life, and for the enduring legacy of love, strength, and faith she leaves behind. May her soul rest in perfect peace.”
Her late husband, Chief Olabisi Onabanjo, served as Ogun State’s first civilian governor from 1979 to 1983 during the Second Republic. He was also a renowned journalist and columnist, widely celebrated for his influential weekly column, Ayekooto, until his death in 1990.
Madam Onabanjo is remembered as a devoted wife, mother, and family pillar whose life spanned a century of service, faith, and commitment to family values. Funeral arrangements are expected to be announced by the family.
