Category: Sunday magazine

Apart from being identical twins, they are both blind and widows. Kehinde was married to the famous activist, the late Comrade Ola Oni, while Taiwo  was married to the late Prince Adeyemi Adesida. Taiwo Abiodun met the duo in Ibadan where they live.

IN the expansive compound is the tomb of Comrade Ola Oni, made of marble. Engraved on the door leading to the living room are carvings of two miners; one is holding an axe and the other holding a digger – all in remembrance of Iva Valley Miners who were killed in 1949. Engraved on the door are the following words: ” Dedicated to the memory of the 20 Coal Miners murdered by the British Colonialists in IVA Valley Coal Pit in 1949”. The words demonstrates the late Comrade’s love for the masses and the downtrodden.

Seated in the living room were the septuagenarian twins, Madam Taiwo Ola Oni and Madam Kehinde Adeshida. They were in a happy mood. Though their eyes were wide opened, they cannot see. They are both suffering from glaucoma. While Kehinde later wobbled into the inner room to sort things out, Taiwo then joined her, possibly to discuss whether to grant the reporter’s request for an interview or not.

“We are ready for the interview, and you are welcome,” they both chorused as they emerged from the room.

Asked how Kehinde has been coping without her husband, Comrade Ola Oni, she sighed heavily with her countenance changing, she responded “I thank God for everything and I am coping, though it is not easy. Me and my twin sister, Taiwo clocked 70 July last year, our children celebrated it for us and our family members too. We cut cake. We did it in our own little way. It has been tough living without my husband. God has been behind the family and few of my husband’s colleagues or the comrades who are still committed to the struggle still visit us, I appreciate people like Professor Akin Ojo, Comrades Aborishade, Moshood Erubami , and few others who pay us visits.

“But we are faced with challenges, I mean health challenges; our eye sights are gone. According to doctors we are suffering from glaucoma. And we had gone to Germany for the operation some years ago yet we cannot see. Mine started when the military came here to teargas my late husband. My eyes were affected 10 days later. When my twin sister came, she assisted us in removing the rubbish, few days later, she could not see again, until it got worse to this stage. It’s over 10 years now; you can see us but we cannot see you; our eyes are only opened but we are happy that we are living together here in Ibadan, no problem.” Asked whether the problem could be hereditary, they claimed their parents were able to see even at their old age. “Our eye problem is not hereditary. We learnt that our father was old and could see very well before he died, and we were two months old when he died while our mother also died in 1980 and she did not lose her eyesight before she died, so where did we inherit it? But we will appreciate the good- spirited Nigerians to come to our aid , whether spiritually or medically, and we believe God is the healer, He would perform His miracle. When doctors say they are tired, we know our God is not tired,” the twins chorused with confidence.

Although blind, Kehinde is still active. She offers advice to people, “I was once the coordinator of Action Women, Oyo State chapter, I have gone round the country propagating for women development, but with my poor eye sight I cannot do anything now. When I got blind, a professor from the University of Ibadan came here for a discussion but immediately she sighted me she broke down and wept.”

Memories are made of these

Describing how she met the late Oni who later became her husband, she said “One day he came to his friend’s house Mr. Soji, a banker. That was where he first saw us but he couldn’t identify who is Taiye or Kehinde between the two of us, and whenever he comes there people would be hailing him and greeting him saying ‘Comrade! Comrade!!’ but we did not know the meaning of Comrade then.

“My husband was a popular man and an activist of note in Nigeria. During his life time, he was propagating democracy and; was very close to many organisations like the labour, farmers, youths, students and market women. My husband was married to his activities. The masses demanded for him more than myself. I thank God that I married one of the best Ekiti men. Any time I wake up I am always happy and thank God to have married him.”

Madam Kehinde went down memory lane to tell how her husband was always harassed, beaten and detained by the military junta. “It is a pity the military did not understand or appreciate him, now Nigerians would know what he stood for in Nigeria, especially in this world. The fact is that Comrade Ola Oni was a lecturer in the department of political science and was never tired until his death. He made sure he spoke the truth. In fact what is happening in Nigeria now are what he had predicted, and it was because of the course he studied (political science), and he also used to study people and organisations. No wonder the police and the military always get him arrested. This was the man who was highly interested in the development of this country so that things would be better for the common man.

She counseled women “This is where I learnt that women should have something doing in order to cater for the family. If I were not working then, the family would have suffered harder. When I was pregnant, the military arrested my husband several times; sometimes I would be busy at work when information would reach me that he had been arrested. Oh no! he really suffered for this country. Sometimes, we would have no food to eat, but I thank God that some good Samaritans would come and assist, especially my twin sister who would rally round me. I am begging God that if I am coming back into this world again, I pray to come back along with my twin sister.

But is he (Comrade Ola Oni) being remembered today? I wish Nigerians remember him. I don’t .pray for any woman to go through the mental torture or horror I went through, it is an untold hardship. This is 15 years after his death and I wish he were here with us to discuss more of what is happening but he is not here with us in flesh but in spirit.”

Like Siamese twins

Kehinde is outspoken. While one cannot easily identify them except through their voices, she declared that she is also a firebrand like her twin sister .On why she decided to leave her base in Akure and live with Taiwo in Ibadan, she declared “I decided to come and stay with my sister because we are inseparable, only death can separate us. In fact, we could even go (die) same day because we cannot just leave each other. As my twin sister has rightly told you that two heads are better than one. As we are here together we advise each other on anything. You can see us sitting together on the same chair.”

When asked whether it is by (being identical and inseparable) that they are both blind and widows, they did not take offence, rather Kehinde jokingly said “well, I don’t know that o, but I know we are both widows while I am the senior widow Taiwo is junior widow.” Both of them burst into laughter.

According to Taiwo. “Even before the death of my husband, Adesida, my twin sister and I were inseparable. We both lived in the University of Ibadan campus. My husband always allowed me to go and see my twin sister as we would go to places together, we always did everything together and marriage did not affect our closeness, our husbands were understanding . If we needed fresh fish we would take one of our husband’s car to Asejire together. Then I was working at the Kingsway Store. Later I joined Chellarams as a supervisor. In 1988, I proceeded to Akure, trading in cocoa business until I have this eye problem. People used to give me money to buy cocoa for them. I didn’t have money of my own but customers trusted me and gave me money to purchase for them while I had never defaulted. When my eyes were going bad I had to stop.”

Was she also an activist like her sister? Taiwo replied ” I am not quiet. I am burning and speaking, when the Holy Spirit is in you and you have this holiness, I have the spirit of holiness and God in me and that is why I am saying the truth, if you are with God and God is with you, you will always tell the truth and nothing will happen. We are now in our 70s , you can still see that fire burning in us and we always speak up for women in Nigeria.”

Speaking about their husbands, she said “When Kehinde lost her husband years ago, I felt pity for her because it was not easy to cope along with the children alone, it is not easy. I lost my husband last year October, he was from the Adesida family of Akure, he was a prince from the Adesida Royal House.”

On how she has been coping since the demise of her husband, she responded “We have grown-up children, my last born is about 36 years. When couples got married and have grown-up children. They should be able to cope.”

Unlike her twin sister whose husband had only Kehinde as a wife, her own husband had many wives, but trust Taiwo, she quickly defended her husband and said, “My late husband was a prince and he believed in his father’s style of having many wives. I am the first wife. He later married two wives after me, I am the first wife. When a woman has grown-up children, and grandchildren she should not think about all these, for I was busy taking care of my grandchildren and while living with my children I feel happier. While in Akure I was with my son, happily married with children, my children are enough”.

Taiwo said, “My concern now is our eyes that are giving us problem. As she said this, Kehinde interjected:”As I cannot see now, those who owed me will not even come and pay me again for they believe I don’t know and cannot see again,” at this the two sisters burst into laughter, picked up their dark sun glasses and said “Take good shots of us and show us to the world that we twins are still alive and kicking. Take good shots with this tomb of Comrade. We all loved him.”