Ibadan, the city where tradition meets the unyielding march of modernity, one name continues to echo with both reverence and admiration: Olubunmi Amao. She is not simply a woman who has worn many hats; she is a woman who has left her essence on every stage she has graced. Her story is not one of chance but of deliberate steps, bold decisions, and commitment to leave behind more than footprints, she has carved monuments out of her work, her passion, and her vision. Many knew her first as the stylish entrepreneur who transformed her love for furniture into a flourishing business empire.
What started as a keen eye for rearranging spaces blossomed into a brand that redefined interiors, reshaped palaces, and ultimately earned her a place in the story of Ibadan’s cultural renaissance. Yet, Amao is not merely a businesswoman. Her career in public service is where she stamped her legacy as one of Oyo State’s brightest trailblazers. As Special Adviser on Tourism to the late Governor Abiola Ajimobi, she dared to imagine what had never been imagined before. Oyo State, long considered a sleeping giant in Nigeria’s tourism landscape, began to stir under her watch. With creativity, innovation, and sheer determination, she turned an overlooked sector into one that drew attention and awards, leaving behind a template for growth long after her tenure. But destiny was not finished with her. Her next chapter would take her beyond Oyo, into the corridors of national cultural history. Appointed Director-General of the Centre for Black and African Arts and Civilization (CBAAC), Amao became a custodian of Africa’s story and heritage. She wore that responsibility with grace, unveiling bold projects that stamped Nigeria’s cultural identity on the global stage.
The unveiling of the Queen Idia mask at the CBAAC headquarters was not just art; it was a declaration, a powerful reminder of Africa’s resilience and genius. She went further to immortalize black excellence by curating a Hall of Fame that paid homage to giants of African and diaspora history, from freedom fighters like Jomo Kenyatta and Leopold Senghor to voices of revolution like Miriam Makeba and Malcolm X. For Amao, culture was never abstract; it was living memory, a resource for the present and a guidepost for the future. Her leadership at CBAAC stretched beyond preservation into empowerment. She recognized culture as a driver of the creative economy and launched training programs that gave Nigerian youths practical skills in creative crafts, from bead making to costume design, creating pathways to livelihoods and dignity across the nation. She was not just protecting the past; she was building futures. Even after her tenure in government, Amao refused to dim her light. She returned to her business with the same fire, transforming her furniture company into a canvas of innovation. Her crowning achievement came with the design of the ultramodern palace of the late Oba Owolabi Olakulehin, the 43rd Olubadan of Ibadan land.
The unveiling, attended by dignitaries despite heavy rains, showcased not just her craftsmanship but her vision a woman who could weave tradition, modernity, and artistry into a single masterpiece. In recognition of her work and contributions, the late Olubadan bestowed upon her the title of Yeyemeto of Ibadan land, a rare honor that underscored her influence in the cultural and traditional spaces of the city. Though fate prevented the formal conferment, the recognition itself was testimony to her standing as a woman of steel and substance.
Olubunmi Amao’s journey is not the tale of a woman who simply climbed ladders; it is the narrative of a woman who built staircases for others to ascend. She is at once a cultural custodian, a business visionary, a public servant, and above all, a daughter of Ibadan whose name has become inseparable from its story. Her legacy is not written in ink but etched in stone, unerasable and enduring.
