Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti (1900-1978) was a trailblazing educator and feminist who challenged colonial oppression and patriarchal norms. She founded the Abeokuta Ladies Club (1946), which mobilized market women against oppressive taxation, forcing the Alake's abdication. As a nationalist, she attended conferences worldwide advocating for independence and women's rights. She was the first woman to drive a car in Nigeria. Mother of Fela Kuti, she influenced a generation of activists. In 2023, she was featured on Nigerian currency notes. Her injuries from a military raid on her son's compound contributed to her death in 1978.


MOTHER OF AFRICAN ACTIVISM:
Chief Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti was one of Nigeria’s foremost anti-colonial and feminist leaders. Educated at Abeokuta Grammar School—the first girl to attend the institution—she later studied in the United Kingdom before returning to teach and organise women traders.

MASS MOBILISER:
She co-founded the Abeokuta Women’s Union (later Nigerian Women’s Union), mobilising tens of thousands of women against unfair taxation, colonial abuses, and patriarchal policies. Their protests forced the abdication of the Alake of Egbaland in 1949 and ushered in more inclusive governance.

PAN-AFRICAN VOICE:
Ransome-Kuti travelled extensively, attending the 1947 women’s conference in the UK, the 1949 Western African Conference, and global peace forums. She worked with Kwame Nkrumah, Amy Ashwood Garvey, and W.E.B. Du Bois, advocating self-determination and women’s rights on international stages.

ENDURING INFLUENCE:
Her activism inspired Nigeria’s independence leaders and shaped her children—Beko, Olikoye, Yemisi, and Fela—who became icons in medicine, activism, and music. The Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti Women Development Centre and annual memorial lectures keep her ideals alive.

FAST FACTS:
- Born 25 October 1900 in Abeokuta; died 13 April 1978 in Lagos following injuries from a military raid.
- Titles: Iyalode of the Egbas, Member of Order of the Niger (MON).
- Advocacy themes: education for girls, tax justice, suffrage, labour rights.
- Recognitions: featured on Nigerian currency (2023 redesign) and honoured by UNESCO for women’s leadership.