WAWA galvanishes for more women development in Nigeria, holds investure

By Editor

The West African Women Association, WAWA, Nigeria, rekindled its efforts to push the frontiers for women development on Thursday, January 29, 2026.

The event, held at the Economic Community of West African States, ECOWAS, Laision Office, Onikan, Lagos, was aimed at expanding WAWA’s newwork, with many active members and non-members honoured and decorated with investure.

Specifically, the WAWA, or Association des Femmes en Afrique de l’Ouest (AFAO), is a regional organization based in Dakar, Senegal, founded in 1984 to empower women across 16 ECOWAS countries.

WAWA acts as a powerful advocacy and lobbying body for economic development,, sustainable agriculture, and gender equality, with national units in 14 regions of Senegal.

For WAWA, Nigeria, the event was timely and remarkable as it afforded them to choose a new Focal Person, Chief (Mrs.) Bola Adekunle Carew to replace Chief (Mrs.) Beatrice Obiageli Ubeku, JP, MFR, who had passed on. Chief (Mrs.) Bola Adekunle Carew was acknowledged as worthy because of her commitment to WAWA. It is believed that in her new capacity as the Focal Person, she would be able to do more, especially in terms of co-ordinating the activities of the association.

Also invested on the occasion as Patron was Chief Moyo Adewuyi. Chief Adewuyi has been a great supporter for the association as he ensured the current Nigeria’s First Lady, Mrs. Oluremi Tinubu, was in Senegal. And through this effort, she built a monument which was named after her in that country.

Other eminent Nigerians decorated included Alhaji Tajudeen Uzamot, who promised, among others, to equip the association with good public address system; Bola Adiamo, Ms Shade Bembatoum-Young, honorary life President of the LCCI, Mrs. Oloyede, Deputy Focal Person and Diaspora Representative, who is in charge of Finance. Mrs. Oloyede was hailed for her efforts in taking WAWA to the Diaspora, including Europe and the America, and to show their apprreciation, special songs were rendered  for her by the large gathering of women present on the occasion.

Mama Omolara Otuyo was also invested as the association’s Matron, and Mrs. Oluyomi Ajayi, who was recognised for her work within the ECOWAS sub-region, especially for women development activities in “war and peace times.”

In the same vein, retired top public servant, Lady Okobi was recognised for her immense contributions to WAWA for being in the fore-front for the creation of Federal Ministry of Women Affairs in Nigeria. She also contributed immensely to the process which led ECOWAS to create a Women Affairs Section. Lady Okobi has been part of the activities of all women emancipation programmes, including Better Life for Rural Women by the late Mrs. Maryam Babangida and Family Support Programme by Mrs. Mariam Abacha, both of them Nigeria’s First Lady at different times.

Dr. Folasade Femi-Lawal, the Chief Executive Officer and Area Business Head for West Africa Mastercard, delivered a short paper on the occasion. She emphasized that WAWA should ensure that women build businesses, stressing that research has established that countries led by women thrived under the herculean challenges of the COVID pandemic.

She stressed that women should pull other women, lamenting that the average age of WAWA members in the room was 50s.

Consequently, she advised WAWA to draw young and vibrant women from the private and public sectors of the economy into their fold, to ensure continuity and progress.

“WAWA should go beyond advocacy, let the next generation know what you are doing in order to appropriately involve them with a view to hand over to them,” she said.

For former Managing Director of Bank of Industry, BOI, Mrs. Evelyn Oputu, “We don’t celebrate women enough. We should ensure that women support women. We should try to be economically independent, so that you can gain respect from the men too. “We should be owners of our home, ownersof our children.”

Earlier, a minute silence was observed for Chief (Mrs.) Ubeku, the late WAWA Nigeria Focal Person.

Chief (Mrs.) Agnes Ababoyoma Ojehomen, said it is gladdening that WAWA does not allow a vacuum, adding that when a good leader leads, another good leader comes up with the new Focal Person, Chief (Mrs.) Bola Adekunle Carew.

Certificates of special recognition were given to Mrs. Oloyede and the new Focal Person, Chief (Mrs.) Carew.

About The Author

Dele Fashomi

Dele Fashomi, seasoned journalist and communication teacher, is a holder of Master of Arts degree in Communication and Language Arts from the University of Ibadan in 1992/93.

Earlier, he had bagged a Bachelor degree from the same university in 1984, after which he proceeded to the Nigerian Institute of Journalism, Lagos, in 1990, for a postgraduate diploma in Journalism.

He had done many courses in communication, including the EU-BBC Editing Course in 2002.

Mr. Fashomi combines effectively the practice, research and teaching of communication. And to date, he has published two academic works in communication: Issues in Communication Technology and Policy (2010) and Economic and Social Issues in Advertising and PR (2013).

He had his first break in the Nigerian media in Concord Newspapers in 1990 and today, he has over two and half decades experience earned in several newspapers.

He has been part of many start-ups, such as The Republic (1987), The Comet (1999), The Anchor 2001 – 2002; Sun Newspapers (2003); Westerner newsmagazine (2005 – 2010) as Editor; National Life (2011) as Sunday Editor, and Newswatch Newspapers (2012- 2016) as Daily Editor.

Dele Fashomi is now the Publisher/Editor-in-Chief of Newstide247.com newspaper online, which he started in July 2015. He is also into biography writing, with many books in his trail, some of which he wrote alone and one he co- authored with his mentor, Mr Dare Babarinsa, entitled:  Olabiyi Durojaiye – DARE TO BE DiFFERENT. He also guided and collaborated with Pa Olatunji Odusanya in writing his autobiography – AGAINST ALL ODDS. There are many other books in the works under his pen.

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