HID Awolowo may be buried on centenary birthday

Category: Nigerian National News

THERE were indications yesterday that the late ma­triarch of the Awolowo family, Chief Hannah Id­owu Dideola Awolowo may be buried on Novem­ber 25, the day she was supposed to turn 100.

Sources close to the family confirmed the date to Daily Sun, when Vice President Yemi Osinbajo (SAN), who is an in-law to the Awolowos, paid a con­dolence visit to Awolowo’s Ikenne country home.

The sources, however, said the date was tentative.

A source said since prep­arations had reached an advanced stage for the cel­ebration of her centenary birthday before her sudden demise, members of the Awolowo family would not want the effort made and resources already commit­ted to the scheduled event to go to waste.

In a related develop­ment, security was yester­day beefed up around the Ikenne country home of the Awolowo family.

Detachments of armed policemen mounted road­blocks at the entrance to Ikenne, a few metres away from a statue of the hus­band of the deceased, Chief Obafemi Awolowo.

A detachment of police­men from Ikenne Police Division and operatives of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) manned another roadblock, while other civil defence men patrolled the area on foot.

Ogun State Police Com­missioner, Abdulmajid Ali and the General Officer Commanding, 81 Division of the Nigerian Army were available to monitor the se­curity situation.

Meanwhile, sympathis­ers from all walks of life continued to throng the home of the Awolowos yesterday to condole with the family.

Lagos State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode, who visited the Awolowos in company with his Osun and Oyo State counter­parts, Rauf Aregbesola and Senator Abiola Ajimobi re­spectively, described Mrs. Awolowo as a symbol of womanhood. He said it was painful that she died just 67 days to her centenary birth­day.

First civilian governor of Lagos State, Alhaji Lateef Jakande, in his own condo­lence message, described the death of the wife of the first premier of the old Western region as the end of an era.

Chief Ebenezer Ba­batope, a political ally of the late Chief Awolowo, said the matriarch’s death was “indescribable.”

Senator Gbenga Kaka wrote in his condolence message: “The end of an era for a woman of virtue; a paragon of what a good wife should be.” Also, former governor of Ekiti State, Dr. Kayode Fayemi described Mama Awolowo as Nigeria’s Winnie Man­dela.

National leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Tinubu said the demise of the matriarch sped up the celebration of her worthy life.

“Human beings can plan but God will act. We lost a great mother, a devoted mother, a nationalist and a shining example. She was a great accountant and when we were grow­ing, we drew a lot from her strength in the olden days of the Action Group.” Former governor of Ogun State, Chief Olusegun Os­oba said he was delighted that the matriarch lived and died peacefully.

While receiving digni­taries at the Efunyela hall, Dr. Tokunbo Awolowo- Dosunmu, however, re­gretted that the matriarch of the family died before her 100th birthday.

She said no date had been chosen yet for her mother’s burial.

Eldest daughter of the Awolowo family, Pastor Tola Oyediran, also spoke on the life of her mother, praising Ondo State Gover­nor, Dr. Olusegun Mimiko for taking good care of her till death.

Oyediran made the state­ment when Mimiko led top officials of the state government to Awolowo’s home in Ikenne, Ogun State yesterday.

“The people and govern­ment of Ondo State were always in support of the Awolowo family and never forsook the family at any time,” she said.

Mimiko, however, de­scribed Mrs. Awolowo as a pillar of success to her late husband, saying she stood solidly behind him as a wife and political as­sociate.

Source: Sun News

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