Alimotu Pelewura: The fish seller who led Lagos market women protest against colonial masters

Alimotu Pelewura, you may not have heard about her, but the British colonial officials in Nigeria during her time cannot forget her in a hurry, if any of them is still alive.

This is the story of a woman whose activism and rare courage set a new standard for Lagos market women and gave them another level of confidence and a voice in the political discourse of the state.

Born 1865 into a polygamous Awori family in Lagos, Alimotu was the elder of the two children of her mother. A fish seller with no record of formal education, Alimotu took after her mother who was also a fish trader. Just like the prayer of every parent, she became more successful in the trade and was more influential than her tutor and mother.

She founded the Lagos Market Women’s Association in mid 1920s and served as the president until her death in 1951. Alimotu Pelewura used the LMWA platform to rally market women to challenge some of the policies of the British colonial government – the relocation of Ereko market and direct taxation of women.

She was arrested and detained in the mid 1930s following a protest she led against the relocation of the Ereko market to Oluwole in Lagos Island. Pelewura and some Ereko market women attempted to physically block any relocation action by authorities and this led to her detention. The market women in Lagos rallied in her support and she and other women detained by the authorities were released.

She also led a protest against price control plan popularly known as the Pullen scheme named after its director, Captain A.P. Pullen, a British officer. In solidarity with ongoing strike in 1945, Pelewura instructed market women to reduce the price of market goods to support the striking workers.

Pelewura was a strong political ally of Herbert Macaulay. She was an executive member of the Nigerian Union of Young Democrats and worked with Nigerian National Democratic Party. Pelewura was also a member of the Nigerian Women’s Party founded by Oyinkan Abayomi.

She was appointed as the women’s representative on Oba’s ‘Ilu Council’, an advisory group set up to advise the Oba of Lagos. In 1947 she was conferred with the Erelu title by the Oba of Lagos.

The popular Pelewura market in Lagos Island is named after the fish seller who wrote her name in gold through her rare courage.

Pelewura was succeeded as the leader of the market women by one of her protege, the late Alhaja Abibatu Mogaji who also wielded political and commercial influence during her time. Mogaji’s son, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, was the governor of Lagos State for eight years and a national leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC).