In a heartfelt tribute, President Bola Tinubu has expressed his deep gratitude for the stage play “Abibatu Mogaji: The Opera,” which celebrates the life and legacy of his late mother, Abibatu Mogaji.
The play, “Abibatu Mogaji, the Opera”, is written by renowned playwright, Prof. Ahmed Yerima, and produced by Ola Awakan.
The play tells the story of Mogaji, a business magnate and the Ìyál’ọ́jà of Lagos, who withered all storm to become successful and also raised a child who is now the president of Nigeria.
She was born Oct. 16, 1916, and died June 15, 2013.
At the command performance of the stage production Tuesday at the State House Conference Center, Abuja, President Tinubu, as the special guest of honour, praised the researchers, producers, and the cast, stating, “I will invest in Nigeria’s culture and art for the education of our children and for the benefit of mankind and all of you.”
Tinubu said, “I’m living Mama’s grandson, who didn’t partake in my first breakfast with Mama because my first restaurant was her breast, my first toilet was on her lap, and my first-ever bedroom was on her back. There is no way I could have been this old without that care.”
He described his mother as tough, a disciplinarian but thanked God for the gift of her and her enduring legacy that he inherited which includes endurance; character, determination and never to give up spirit.
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Meanwhile, the Executive Producer of the play “Abibatu Mogaji: The Play”, Awakan, emphasised the need for Nigeria to focus on vital aspects such as mentorship, resilience, and good governance.
Speaking about the inspiration behind the play, Awakan noted that the character of Abibatu Mogaji embodies these essential qualities, which are crucial for the development of society.
According to Awakan, the play aims to immortalize Mogaji’s legacy and use her attributes to inspire generations of Nigerians, both present and future.
“The nation needs to work on some vital points and those points are mentorship, resilience, good governance on the society so these features are actually there present in the character of mama Habibatu Mogaji and we looked at it that the best way we can reach these features to the society is by telling the story of mama .
“So we have use the story if mama to immortalise her and to use her attributes of mentorship of good leadership ,her attributes of resilience to preach to generations of Nigerians now and the unborn generation”, he said.
The event was attended by notable figures, including Vice President Kashim Shettima, who stepped in to represent the President has he had to continue with state functions, Adams Oshiomhole and Tunji Alausa, who were also celebrants of the President’s mother’s legacy among other dignitaries.