“HE IS CORRECT O” A TRIBUTE TO MY MOTHER
I first met my Mother-in-Law on July 21, 1979. On the morning of that day, I had run into Yinka at the Abule-Okuta Bus-Stop in Bariga, the Lagos suburb where, I now know, the Lord brought me to live in
July 1978. I was surprised to see Yinka again after our brief encounter at her secondary school, Our Lady of Apostles Secondary School, Yaba in April 1977. At our first meeting, she was 13. This time, she was 15. Some stupid bravery made me, 20+, to visit a 15 year-old girl on the day I met her again. I went with a friend, Andrew Okolo.
Was it love? Was it infatuation? I didn’t care. I announced to myself on that day that I have met the one who would be my wife and I wanted to begin the journey immediately, not counting the cost. My sheer bravado should have ended that day with serious repercussions, both for Yinka and me. Miraculously, it did not. On the contrary, it received maternal and family seal of approval.
We arrived at her home (10, Okeowo Street, Bariga) about 7.30pm. She was at a shop in their house with a young looking woman whom she called “Sister Mi” and she said “Sister Mi, ewo omo Ogunde” (My Sister, see Ogunde’s son). The Lady replied in Yoruba “O da. O se, O kuku mo jo (“That’s okay. You are a good dancer. You will find a place there.”). She then left us as if she was giving us space to
discuss. Andrew was the one who warned me: “Wemmy, let’s move out as quickly as possible. Her sister may be accommodating. Her mother will not.” We then rounded up our discussion and left after about 40 minutes. That was the first of at least 1000 visits to that house by me in the next 3 years. Yes, 1000 visits in 3 years: one visit almost every day, sometirnes ice a day. I was in love.
What made my Mother-in-Law tolerate me? Why did she allow me to continue to visit a teenager? Why didn’t she stop me? How many mothers would have taken the risk, including granting permission to travel with me to my hometown, Ososa, for my grandfather’s burial in 1983, when Yinka was just 19? Because she just became my mother. She loved me, trusted me, saw in me a genuine care for her daughter and just consented to our union, long before we got married in 1986.
I call Elizabeth Modupe Adetunji ‘mother’ because she truly accepted me as son. This risk she took, to yield a 15 year-old to me was only one of at least 25 acts of hers that convinced me she was my mother
indeed. She was one of THREE MOTHERS God gave me: my biological mother, Adesewa Adekunbi Ogunde who nurtured me for only 12 years. From 1970, Dorcas Olusanya (Mama Onigari) took over to be joined by Elizabeth from 1979.
She lived with us for 18 years and gave me an opportunity to also pour my affection, sometimes with tough love, I must confess, on her. I am so glad I can call her mother, in the fullest sense of the word. I will take the next act of mother when we celebrate the anniversary of her death, which by divine providence, also falls on my birthday and I hope to write on the 25th act on my 89th birthday, if the
Lord spares me to witness it.
MY MOTHER
Thank you for staying with me till I also became a Grandfather. May the Lord keep you in your resurrected body till we meet on that Day to be separated no more.
Wemimo Ogunde SAN (Son)
MY MOTHER-YOU GAVE US WINGS TO FLY…
I will be brave about this. I am writing and the tears are about to come again but I must write. I must tell the world what an amazing mother I have (I choose to speak about you in the present tense). I must tell the world about how you gave your all for us. I must tell the world what you did for Yinka, Sade, Segun and Olumide. A true life of sacrifice … I think the only way I can get through this is by writing it as a thank you letter.
SisterMi,
I remember waking up around 3am on the 3rd of September and coming downstairs to check on you. I remember lying by your side and showering you with hugs and kisses because I knew you were slipping away. I remember picking up the phone and calling Seggs (Oko Iya Mi) to get ready to come. I called your doctor. Bunmi also called to let us know that, the Reverend in your church was on the way to administer Holy Communion. I called your Grandchildren and told them to get to our house fast.
I think you arranged everything, to enable you go the way you wanted to go . You prayed “owo omo ni ma ku si”. We were all there when you drew your last breath. I am not exactly sure why I called everyone I knew you will want around. Wemimo, Segun, Wunmi, Kunbi, Auntie Iyabo, Sister Lape, Iya Dayo…Your room (fondly called Conference room) was filled with people you love and people who love you.
You waited for everything to be done right. The Reverend arrived on time and gave you Holy Communion. Adekunbi anointed you all over thinking we could revive you but you must have smiled. You knew we were simply anointing you to pass to the next phase. You took your last breath surrounded by us all. We did not want to let you go. We clung to you and kissed you numerous times but you were gone. You were gone.
You waited for me to come back from Canada. You kept asking for me. You waited for me to finish TOSSE. I remember coming back home and sharing with you how successful TOSSE was. I am sure you must have told yourself, ‘it’s time to leave … Yinka can take it now … ‘ No. It has not been easy. Coming down to your room daily and not seeing you. We have left everything the way you like, we want to retain the scent of your powder in there for as long as we can.
SisterMi,
You are a mother in a million. Everything we are, we owe to God and you. All our lives, you stood and you shielded us. I remember how you gave me your entire gratuity to start off Goals and Ideas when I needed to get Computers back then. Every step of the way, you stood with us and never stopped praying. When I am worried, you reassure me of God’s love. Coming downstairs and not being able to catch a few moments of gist with you will take getting used to.
SisterMi
When your physical sight began to ebb, you never allowed it to get you down. Truly an inspiration. You leave me amazed the way you connect the whole family. Your memory was phenomenal. You know the birthday of all your brothers, sisters, nephews, nieces, etc. You remember everyone. You are incredibly generous. I am not thinking of you in the past tense because those we love … never leave us. I knowyou are with me and chuckling as 1 write.
We all feel a little lost without Granny Babes … I remember how a few days after you left to be with the
Lord, your beloved Son, Wemimo, stood in front of the house and silently looked around and said to himself, “What are we going to do without Granny?”
We will go on. We will make you proud. We will carry on the family tradition of love and care. We will build memories.
I am glad you got the title you wanted .. You became a GGM … You even recently named another Great Grandson ….
SoSisterMi
1 celebrate the great woman that you are. You love God so much and 1 am glad your last words clearly revealed that Jesus was around you.
Teacher extraordinaire … I am so proudly “Omo Tisha”, I love you Sister Mi. I am glad that we all had the privilege of making your latter years memorable. For 18 years we lived together, save for a short stint about 10 years ago, you never stayed in a hospital.
Thank you Sister Mi.
Thank you Granny Babes, Thank you for giving your all so that we may have a great life. Thank you for a life of sacrifice. Mo dupe Sister Mi Modupe. Modupe. Thank you for not leaving us when your marriage did not work out.
Thank you for standing
Your life was truly beautiful.
My Mum, forever loved
Yinka Ogunde (Daughter)
SLEEP ON SISTER MI, SLEEP ON BELOVED
Living a life worth living is a desire of a living soul. The death of the righteous is a deep sleep in the Lord and before His saints. Sister Mi is asleep, hush … do not wake. Sister Mi, both in life and at death, your desires were righteous. The Bible says … ‘let me die the death of the righteous, and let my last end be like his!’ (Hum. 23:10). You slept in the hands of your sister in the presence of your children, your grandchildren, and your cousin. How pleasant!
Before you slept in the Lord on 03 September 2022, your life on this side of eternity was remarkable but dotted with challenges. The challenges were varied. You were resilient anduntirinq in facing them. You leaned on God with the firm belief that “ they that observe lying vanities forsake their own mercies” (Jonah 2:8). You trusted God and He did not fail you. God proved faithful and strong on your behalf.
Sister Mi, you loved the family- your siblings, cousins. Everyone around you called you Sister Mi. You played an important role in their lives; they trusted you and your good sense of judgment. No wonder your children ended up calling you “Sister Mi”, because that was the name yourfamily called you – ‘Sister Mi there, Sister Mi here’, So much love you exuded. You were a builder, peacemaker, and peace-seeker. You were an exemplar of friendship, fellowship, and family bonds.
I salute your courage, resilience, long-suffering/endurance, and readiness to carry your cross undeterred. As a single parent, you raised your children in Godly fear with a deep sense of responsibility. Although your earnings were meagre, you spent all on your children. You indeed exemplified the hard truth in the words of Sir Winston Churchill that “we make a living by what we get, but we make a Ufe by what we give”. Sister Mi, you gave your aU. You sacrificed your yesterday for your children’s today.
As a mother, teacher, and mentor, these values defined Sister Mi – selflessness, humility, simplicity, God-fearing, reliability, diligence, honesty, magnanimity, resourcefulness, honesty, decorum, and discipline. I am encouraged by your legacy of passion, purity, focused determination, unwavering faith in God, excellence, and peace-loving. I could not have wished for a better mother. Your legacy will remain magnified. You were a prepared vessel and a ready clay in the hands of the master. I am comforted that your epic struggle in life is encapsulated in the second epistle of St. Paul the Apostle to Timothy saying: “t have fought a good fight, I have finished my course” / have kept the faith. Henceforth, there is loid up for me a crown of righteousness which the Lord, the righteous judge shall give me at that day; and not to me only, but unto all them that love his appearing” (2Tim.4:7-8). Sister Mi, your labour was not in vain. You have left indelible imprints in the millions of lives that you impacted positively. Indeed, it is not how long a person lived that matters but how well the person lived. As you rest from your labour and enter into a glorious new life, I forted that your good works follow you as the Bible says:
Blessed are the dead who die in the LORD from now on, yes says the spirit, that they may rest from their labours, and their works follow them” (Rev. 4: 13)
Sleep on Sister Mi, sleep on beloved, sleep on “oloju anu”, Sun re o. Missing you.
Olusegun Adetunji (Sege, okomi) (Son)
Dearest other, it’s hard to come to terms that you’ve really left us. God knows best. You raised all of us your children in the of the Lord. You taught us character, hardwork, and resilience. Thank you for all your efforts and sacrifices in setting us up for success in life. Sleep well dear mother.
Olumide Adetunji (Son)
Granny, you lived in the goodness of your maker. A life well spent! You have passed from this earth and its toiling, but you will forever be in our hearts Rest well.
Warm Regards,
Adesola Adetunji (Daughter)
