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Chief Leila Euphemia Apinke Fowler, the distinguished Yeye Mofin of Lagos and founder of the renowned Vivian Fowler Memorial College for Girls, has died at the age of 91.
Her death was confirmed on September 7, 2025, in a statement by the school, which she established in 1991 in honour of her late daughter.
“Chief (Ms.) Fowler was a true pioneer, an erudite lawyer, and a visionary educationalist whose life was a testament to the power of empowering young women through education,” the statement reads.
Born in Lagos on March 23, 1933, Chief Leila was educated at CMS Girls’ School in Lagos and Queen of the Rosary College, Onitsha, where she obtained her Senior Cambridge Certificate in 1951. She initially pursued teaching before training as a nurse at St Thomas’ Hospital in London. Her academic ambitions later led her to study law at Middle Temple, where she was called to the Bar in 1962 and the Nigerian Bar in 1963.
Chief Leila built a distinguished legal career specialising in insurance law and consultancy. She also contributed to public life, serving as a councillor in the Lagos City Council from 1978 to 1980, and was actively involved in the Nigerian Bar Association, the Nigerian Red Cross, and the Corona Schools Trust Council.
In 1991, she founded the Vivian Fowler Memorial College for Girls in memory of her late daughter. The institution has since grown into one of Nigeria’s foremost all-girls schools, celebrated for its culture of academic excellence and leadership training.
Her contributions were recognised with the chieftaincy title of Yeye Mofin of Lagos, conferred by Oba Adeyinka Oyekan II.
The school described her as a philanthropist, mentor, and lover of music whose “guidance and motherly warmth built not just a school, but a community dedicated to excellence.”
Chief Leila Fowler leaves behind a legacy as a lawyer, public servant, educator, and visionary who devoted her life to empowering young women and advancing education in Nigeria.
