Chief Theophilus Owolabi Shobowale “TOS” Benson (1917–2008) was a pioneering Nigerian lawyer (called to the Bar in 1947, later Senior Advocate of Nigeria/SAN), prominent Yoruba politician from Ikorodu, Lagos, and nationalist. He was a key NCNC figure, Deputy Mayor of Lagos, participant in the independence constitutional conferences (1953–1960), and Nigeria’s first Minister of Information, Broadcasting and Culture (1959 onward, post-independence). In that role, he founded the Voice of Nigeria (VON), established federal radio/television services, and launched publications like the Nigerian Handbook and Nigerian Magazine to promote national unity, civic awareness, cultural pride, and information dissemination beyond ethnic lines. He opposed tribalism, supported the arts (e.g., funding his brother Bobby Benson’s pioneering orchestra), served as a traditional chief (Baba Oba of Lagos), and advocated for the rule of law even after imprisonment following the 1966 coup. His life embodied pan-Nigerian nation-building, media as a tool for unity, and giving voice to the voiceless.
Chief Opral Benson (née Opal Mason, b. 1935) is an Americo-Liberian–Nigerian entrepreneur, socialite, educationist, and Iya Oge of Lagos (a chieftaincy title tied to beauty, fashion, and elegance, conferred in 1973). Born in Liberia, she met TOS at a 1961 Monrovia conference (precursor to the OAU), married him in 1962, and became a Nigerian citizen. She served as Director of Student Affairs at the University of Lagos, was a pioneer board member of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), and sat on the Nigerian Olympic Committee. Post-university, she became chairman/director of Johnson Products Nigeria and founded the Opral Benson Beauty Training Institute (OBBTI) in Yaba, Lagos — a pioneering vocational school offering professional training in cosmetology, hairdressing, makeup, and related skills (still operating today with NABTEB accreditation). She has empowered thousands (especially young women and girls) through skills, entrepreneurship, and beauty as an economic driver, while engaging in women’s development movements, socialite philanthropy (e.g., support for sickle cell, refugees, the handicapped, and outreach initiatives), and diplomacy (honorary consul of Liberia in Lagos since 2012). As a glamorous minister’s wife, she elevated Lagos high society with grace and charity.
As a couple, they represented influential Lagos/Nigerian society from the 1960s onward: TOS through politics, law, and media-driven nation-building; Opral through education, business, fashion, and women’s/youth empowerment. Their marriage blended public service, cultural diplomacy (Liberia–Nigeria ties), and societal influence. The poster’s map of Nigeria (with highlighted regions) and motto “Inspired to build the society” visually underscore a national vision rooted in their Lagos/Ikorodu base but extending across the country.