A church service to mark the 108th posthumous birthday of Chief (Mrs) H.I.D. Awolowo was held on Saturday, with the daughter of the late matriarch of the Awolowo dynasty, Ambassador Olatokunbo Awolowo Dosumu, recounting the last hours of the matriarch.

At the church service held at the in-house chapel of the Awolowo family house, Ikenne-Remo, Ogun State, Dr Awolowo Dosumu recalled how HID Awolowo, till the last minutes of her death, remained sound and sharp in mind.

According to Dr Awolowo Dosumu, on September 19, 2015, HID Awolowo had a number of meetings, some of which she chaired and di-rected, but was quick to bring them to an end.

“In particular was a meeting held towards her 100th birth-day, which the Alakenne of Ikenne, Oba Adeyinka Onakade was a part of. Mama, all of a sudden, wanted the meeting to end, and she asked Alak-enne to hurriedly leave to his amazement,” she said.

Ambassador Awolowo Dosumu said it was later that it dawned on them that the Alakenne was hurriedly asked to leave because the matriarch already had premonition that the end was near.

And knowing that Yoruba Obas are not meant to see a dead body, Alakenne would have witnessed her passing.

Dr Awolowo Dosumu also recalled how her mother, in her final days, deliberately chose what to say to people, especially visitors.

She noted one of such incidents involving the lyaloja of Ikenne, Chief (Mrs) Mercy Owolana, who had paid her a visit accompanied by some women.

During that visit, Mama, she narrated, was resting, with her eyes shut, while the visitors thought she was sleeping.

“Not wanting to disturb her sleep, Chief Owolana decided to take her leave. She was about to enter her vehicle when Mama HID called her back.

“Mercy,” she had said.

Mama thereafter went ahead to list the names of those who came with the lyaloja, warning her to be wary of them.

Virtually throughout the day she died, Awolowo Dosumu said her mother just wanted people to quickly wrap up their conversations with her and leave.

“Though physically frail, Mama remained with sharp senses, sound in mind even until death.”

She further described the late HID Awolowo as a special person whom the family continues to have fond memories of, especially her noteworthy legacies, praying for the grace to remain sound in mind even in old age.

Affirming Ambassador Awolowo Dosumu’s narration of HID Awolowo’s last hours, the Alakenne of Ikenne, Oba Adeyinka Onakade, said: “| remember that on the 19th of September, 2015 when Mama was about departing this sinful world, I was with her. We were having a meeting.

“Mama presided over the meeting. We discussed many things. At that meeting, she picked the Aso Oke that we would use for her 100th birth-day. She chose the Aso Oke for both male and female.

“At some point, Mama suddenly asked me to leave.

I inquired whether she was annoyed at me. She said she just wanted me to leave and go home. I obeyed her.

“Within 15 minutes of my departure, when I got home, I got a call that Mama had passed on. I thought it was a joke. I rushed down to Mama’s house and saw that she was being taken to the mortuary. I believe Mama knew she was departing this world hence she asked me to leave that time. Mama was very active,” she said.

In his sermon at the church service, Vicar, Our Saviour’s Anglican Church, Ikenne, Venerable Samuel Enike, said just like HID Awolowo, human beings should live lives where they add value, peace and prosperity to the world.

He wondered if those in positions of authority think of what legacies they would be remembered for, bemoaning that rather than elevate the society, some people added bitterness, thereby contributing chaos, trouble to the society.

Consequently, Enike urged Nigerians to be keen to lift their fellow humans, leave good legacies, noteworthy footprints in the sand of time and be a beacon of truth.

The service had in attendance, clerics, family members, and associates of the Awolowo family, among others. (Tribune)

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