By Usman Ishaq Shehu
PhD Candidate | Editor in Chief, J.O.Comms | Public Affairs Analyst and Strategic Communicator
Email: usmanshehu66@yahoo.com
Date: July 5, 2025
Did you know that Oluremi Tinubu is the only First Lady in Nigeria’s history who has also served as an elected senator? In a country where the role of the First Lady is traditionally associated with soft power, philanthropy, and behind-the-scenes advocacy, Oluremi Tinubu stands out as a woman who has not only supported governance from the margins but has also operated within its very core.
Her public service journey began when she served as First Lady of Lagos State from 1999 to 2007 during her husband Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s tenure as governor. During that period, she founded the New Era Foundation, a pioneering platform that promoted youth development, education, and women empowerment. However, her ambition was not limited to ceremonial duties. She chose the tougher, less-traveled path of direct participation in Nigeria’s democratic space.
In 2011, Oluremi Tinubu contested and won the Lagos Central Senatorial seat and went on to serve three consecutive terms in the National Assembly. For twelve years, she distinguished herself as a principled, calm, and result-oriented lawmaker. Her legislative focus included education reform, communication policy, women’s rights, environmental issues, and good governance. She was known in the Senate as a woman of quiet influence, respected for her discipline, dignity, and depth of thought.
What makes Oluremi Tinubu truly exceptional is her transition from legislative authority to national symbolism. When her husband became President in 2023, she assumed the role of First Lady of Nigeria not merely as a ceremonial figure but as someone deeply versed in the mechanics of governance. She brought with her the rare advantage of political and institutional knowledge that no other First Lady in Nigeria has ever possessed.
Her predecessors, including Aisha Buhari, were powerful advocates and national voices in their own right. Some, like Bisi Adeleye-Fayemi and Betty Anyanwu-Akeredolu, were highly active in civil society and development work. But none of them ever held elective office or operated within the core structures of legislative power. In this regard, Oluremi Tinubu is not only a trailblazer, she is a category of her own.
She represents a powerful shift in how we define the role of women in leadership and public life. She has moved from First Lady at the state level to Senator of the Federal Republic and now to First Lady of Nigeria, a unique political evolution that makes her both symbol and substance, grace and grit, influence and experience.
Her story is one that every Nigerian woman and girl should know. It is the story of transformation, of occupying space where few dared to go, and of breaking the mold. Oluremi Tinubu is living proof that women in political families can be more than supportive spouses. They can be leaders with their own voice, their own mandate, and their own legacy.
Nigeria has never had a First Lady quite like her. And perhaps, that is precisely what makes her presence at the heart of power so important, not just for now but for the future of women in Nigerian politics.
