Olori Adijat
Olori Adijat Bamidele Matemilola is an accomplished entrepreneur, business executive, mediator and humanitarian whose professional journey spans more than three decades. She stands beside Alayeluwa Oba Saka Matemilola, the Olowu of Owu Kingdom, as Olori of Owu. Her experience spans agribusiness, business management, community development and philanthropy.
Her legacy of service is driven by a commitment to education, women’s empowerment, family welfare, peace-building and the advancement of vulnerable communities. Her leadership combines business acumen and community engagement with a belief in practical, sustainable initiatives. She serves as Chairperson of the Oba Matemilola Oluyalo Otileta VII Foundation and as a Neutral Mediator at the Olowu ADR Mediation Centre, Owu Palace, Abeokuta.
Olori Adijat holds a Bachelor of Science (Honours) degree in Agricultural Economics from the University of Ibadan, which she obtained in 1989. Her professional career includes service as Supervisor at Royal Mail in Cambridge, United Kingdom, from 1992 to 1997. She was Director of Qirad Ltd. in Port Harcourt from 1998 to 2000, and later Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Matem Farms from 2003 to 2013. She also worked as a distributor for Multi Pro between 2008 and 2013. Since 2008, she has served as Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Matem Ventures in Lagos, Nigeria. These roles gave her deep experience in organisational management, business operations and enterprise development, which complements her humanitarian work.
Beyond her business career, Olori Adijat has devoted significant time to voluntary service, counselling, advocacy and philanthropy. Through her Foundation she supports community development and wider access to opportunities for individuals and families, while her role at the Olowu ADR Mediation Centre promotes dialogue and peaceful dispute resolution. She has served as Marriage Counsellor and Family Support Lead at The Criterion and Lighthouse Estate since 2016, and as Zonal Coordinator of The Criterion in Lagos since 2018. Since 2010, she has worked as an Inmate Counsellor and Welfare Advocate in Nigerian correctional facilities, reflecting her concern for rehabilitation and the dignity of individuals in custody. Earlier, she coordinated the Lighthouse Mothers Welfare Association from 2014 to 2016 and served as Secretary of the African Ladies Association in The Hague from 2001 to 2002. Her student leadership at the University of Ibadan included serving as Vice President of the Remo Students Association from 1986 to 1987 and Financial Secretary of the Muslim Students’ Society of Nigeria from 1987 to 1988.
Education remains central to her humanitarian work, and since 2005 she has supported annual sponsorship initiatives for students sitting the JAMB and WAEC examinations. Her community welfare efforts include providing clothing and essential items to residents of Ogombo Community in Eti Osa since 2015, contributing to a toilet construction project at Kirikiri Maximum Prison in 2019, and supporting a solar installation at the University of Ibadan’s Faculty of Agriculture Library in 2021. Since 2025 she has supported women’s advancement through the Olowu Hope Initiative, and since 2022 she has been involved in providing interest-free loans to small-business owners and mentoring Olowu Scholars through OMOOF. Her contributions have been recognised with the Prince Bola Ajibola Community Award in March 2023 and a Merit Award from the Federation of Muslim Women’s Associations in Nigeria (FOMWAN) in March 2025. In May 2025, AIPS Zurich and Lagos SWAN named her a Distinguished Sports Diplomacy, Culture and Tourism Ambassador. She also received a Merit Award from The Criterion in July 2025 and a Fellowship Award from the Institute of Security, Nigeria, in November 2025.