Lagos society establishment was thrown into a very deep grief last Sunday, May 26, after the news of the death of one of the city top-flight matriarchs, Dr. Abiodun Laja, filtered out. The renowned educationist who owned the famous Lekki British School, reportedly died five days after a successful back operation in a highbrow hospital in the United States.
It was gathered that the back surgery is the socialite’s sixth and was said to have survived it before she suddenly suffered cardiac arrest and died days later. Late Laja, who was survived by two sons (the eldest is a popular attorney in New York) and many grandchildren, would have been 70 in January 2020 and she was said to be planning big to celebrate the landmark age. She started her private school at age 27 and recently celebrated her 42nd anniversary in the education sector.
To the deceased, education had always been her passion especially the British Curriculum in which she was trained. After running her school for 25 years, she took a bigger challenge to own a secondary school at the highbrow and beautiful Lekki Peninsula area of Lagos with a vision to stop Nigerians from going abroad at an early age to school as they tend to lose the culture which a lot of parents were not too happy about. And she has recorded a huge success as thousands of pupils and students have passed out of the school.
The school sitting on 25-acre of land has been rated one of the most expensive institutions in Nigeria with first-class facilities. It has a preschool, junior, high and advanced studies arms.
Laja was the younger sister of Chief (Mrs.) Kofo Olugbesan, a lawyer and former Nigerian Customs top brass. She was also the elder sister of Chief (Mrs.) Olukemi Nelson, prominent politician and the All Progressives Congress, APC National Woman Leader (South West).