At the sound of the name OluFunmilayo Ransome-Kuti, the first thing that comes to mind is a fearless woman who paved the way for Nigerian women to see and feel greatness. She was a women’s rights activist and a feminist who brought women together to achieve things they would have found it impossible to even dream of.
But Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti did more than fight for women and their children; she became a pacesetter in a field where only men were known to dominate at her time. She became the first Nigerian woman to drive a car!
Driving is now the most common mode of transportation, and most women, men and even most teenagers know how to drive. However, many years ago, this wasn’t a common practice, especially not for women, as driving was a specialty reserved for men.
About Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti
Chief Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti, also known as Funmilayo Aníkúlápó-Kuti, was born on October 25, 1900, in Abeokuta, Ogun State, Nigeria. Born to Chief Daniel Olumuyuwa Thomas and Lucretia Phyllis Omoyeni Adeosolu. In 1914, she was the first female student admitted to Abeokuta Grammar School, initially open to boys.
From 1919 to 1922, Funmilayo attended a finishing school in Cheshire, England, where she learned various domestic skills. After returning to Abeokuta, she worked as a teacher, organizing literacy classes for lower-income and illiterate women and setting up a club for upper-class women. Funmilayo married Reverend Israel Oludotun Ransome-Kuti in 1925, who had studied at Abeokuta Grammar School.
Israel, a school principal, believed in bridging ethnic and regional divides. Together, they co-founded the Nigeria Union of Teachers and the Nigerian Union of Students.
Some years into their marriage, the couple bought a secondhand car from England, and Funmilayo learnt how to drive, making her the first female to drive a car in Nigeria. She and her husband had four children – a daughter named Dolupo and sons Olikoye “Koye“, Olufela “Fela” (Who would later be known as the musical legend), and Bekololari “Beko”.
Achievements
Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti founded the Abeokuta Ladies’ Club in 1944, which evolved into the Abeokuta Women’s Union (AWU), championing women’s political, social, and economic rights. In 1949, she led the Abeokuta Women’s Revolt against colonial taxation policies and earned the nickname “The Lioness of Lisabi,” prompting the resignation of Oba Ademola II.
That same year, she became AWU’s first president and expanded it into the Nigerian Women’s Union and later the Federation of Nigerian Women’s Societies. In 1959, she founded the Commoners’ People’s Party, fought for women’s voting rights, and played a key role in the movement toward Nigerian independence despite political persecution. She remained an outspoken activist until 1977, when she was fatally injured during a military raid on her son Fela’s compound, passing away in 1978 at age 77.
Funmilayo’s achievement as the first woman in Nigeria to drive a car was not just about her ability to drive, it was a statement to her community and the world that women can, and her courage and contributions continue to inspire people today. She proved that one woman’s determination can bring about change, no matter how difficult the challenge.
