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Tag: HID

  • H. I. D. AWOLOWO 1915 – 2015 ‘Mama died singing, praying’

    H. I. D. AWOLOWO 1915 – 2015 ‘Mama died singing, praying’

    •She was an icon, says Obasanjo

    The Ikenne home of the matriarch of the Awolowo dynasty, Hannah Idowu  Dideolu (HID) Awolowo  surged with heavy traffic of Nigerians yesterday. They were eager to sympathise with the family over the death of Mrs Awolowo.

    Mama Awolowo, wife of the foremost politician and first Premier of Old Western region, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, died after a brief meeting with family members.

    The Yeye Oodua of Yorubaland, 99, would have been 100 years old by November 25 this year. Preparation had begun as early as August with many prominent Nigerians, particularly in the Southwest, approached to send in their goodwill messages for collation ahead of the expected centenary birthday.

    Early callers were former President Olusegun Obasanjo, Acting Governor of Ogun State, Princess Yetunde Onanuga, Mrs Olufunso Amosun, ex – governor Gbenga Daniel and Secretary to the Ogun State government, Mr Taiwo Adeoluwa.

    Other sympathisers who visited the Awolowos to condole with them included the state Secretary of the Social Democratic Party, Alhaji Abimbola Awofeso; APC senatorial candidate for Ogun East in the last elections, Mr. Dapo Abiodun; Wife of the Governor, Mrs. Olufunsho Amosun, the Peoples Democratic Party governorship candidate in the state, Gboyega Isiaka.

    The family said Mama died in the company of her children and also prayed for them as they strategised towards her centenary birthday.

    Her first daughter, Mrs Omotola Oyediran, said her mother spent five minutes with her family, had her routine daily chores – meetings, prayers among others, before she breathed her last by 3:05pm

    “It is with gratitude to God for her remarkable and illustrious life, the entire Awolowo family announce the glorious home calling of our dear Matriarch, Yeye Oodua, Hannah Idowu Dideolu Awolowo on Saturday (yesterday) afternoon.

    “Mama died as gloriously as she lived, she spent the day in the company of her children, grandchildren and great grandchildren.

    “She shared a precious five minutes with them when she went in to pray for them as they met to plan her centenary birthday.

    She died a couple of hours later as she had always wished, surrounded by her children, grandchildren and great grand children.”

    For Obasanjo, the death of HID is a passing of an Icon, a mother and matriarch of the Yoruba.

    Obasanjo said: “On occasion like this, for all of us in Ogun and Yoruba land nay Nigeria, it is passing of an icon. Normally for us it should be a mixed feelings; mixed feelings because Mama had lived a life most of us would envy.

    “We must thank God because mama has experienced the vicissitudes of life but she died in peace. When I heard, I decided to come because I wanted to be sure. All I was thinking of was the centenary birthday, Mama has been a joy to many, she was  the matriarch of the Yoruba land, faithful and loyal to her husband, supporter and pillar of the family.

    “She was somebody people ran to for advice and counsel and they get the best from her. I pray that God will give the family the courage and wherewithal to bear the challenges of Mama’s death. Each and every one of us must learn a lesson from the good life of Mama and may her soul rest in perfect peace.”

    Also, the Acting Governor, Yetunde Onanuga, said Mama was a role model and mother, describing her demise as a shock since it happened at a time when preparations were progressing towards her 100 years birthday.

    Mrs Onanuga disclosed that the state government would be fully involved in the funeral ceremonies of the late matriarch when it is fixed.

     

  • HID on slippery political field

    HID on slippery political field

    If colonialism had not disrupted the traditional political institution, HID Awolowo may have grown up to inherit a fiefdom, his father being a Prince of Remoland. Her beloved son, the late Oluwole Awolowo, was apparently seized by that nostalgia of royal pride when he decided to pre-fix his name with the title of a Prince.

    However, the republican politics of the pre-independence and immediate independence era fame to her in the corridor of power. From 1950 and 1987, when her husband, Awo, was councillor at the old Remo Council presided over by the Akarigbo, Oba Williams Adedoyin, the Leader of Government Business and  Premier of Western Region, Leader of Federal Opposition, Federal Commissioner for Finance and Vice Chairman of Federal Executive Council, and till the day he died in dignity as an elder statesman, Yeyeoba HID was a factor in the politics of the Southwest and Nigeria.

    The non-constitutional nomenclature of “First Lady” was unpopular in those early days. Thus, Mrs. Awolowo operated at the home front as the Premier’s wife. Her public outing was limited to accompanying her husband to important state functions, rallies and campaigns. She boosted the morale of the Action Group (AG) Women Association led by the late Mrs. Emily Rosiji. On few occasions, she mounted the rostrum to campaign for party candidates. Within the party, HID was held in high esteem the a non-controversial wife of the Leader.

    In post-1962, her father’s absence foisted on her increased political role. She was just recovering from shock the 10-year jail slammed on Chief Awolowo when her first son, Segun, a promising lawyer, died in an auto crash. But she had become a rallying point for the progressives in the region who were being hunted by Premier Remi Fani-Kayode (Fani Power). In the subsequent federal and regional parliamentary elections, she played a major role of being a leading campaign for the United Progressives Grand Alliance (UPGA), following the decision of the repressed AG and a section of the National Council of Nigerian Citizens (NCNC) led by the Premier of Eastern Region, Dr. Michael Okpara.

    For the first and last time, HID Awolowo contested for a federal parliamentary seat in Remo Constituency, which had been  vacant since Awo was imprisoned by the power that be. Her opponent was the Remo Prince, Chief Adeleke Adedoyin, nicknamed Seriki Tulaasi by admirers. Adedoyin, a lawyer, contested under the Nigeria National Alliance (NNA), which was a coalition of the Northern Peoples Congress (NPC) and Akintola’s Nigerian National Democratic Party (NNDP). The campaign was hot. Reflecting on the poll in his autobiography, ‘An Unbreakable Heritage’, Oluwole Awolowo recalled that the election was rigged in favour of Adedoyin. “Mama’s votes were not counted”, he lamented.

    “In fact, UPGA, to which Mama belonged, boycotted the election, but it was the belief of Remo voters that, despite the boycott, Mama won the election hands down. This was not impossible because in some parts of Western Region (Osun, Ife, Ijesa, Ekiti), some UPGA candidates won the election. People were aggrieved”, Wole Awolowo stressed.

    Owing to her husband’s profile, Mama became crowd puller. Despite her electoral misfortune, she hosted many political associates in Ikenne for her 50th birthday on November 25, 1965. The large presence of UPGA supporters at the ceremony threatened the few NNA members in town. On sighting the NNA flag, UPGA youths attempted to remove it and it led to fracas. Until her husband was released from prison, she faithfully held forte, mobilising people for the party and sustaining their courage with messages of hope.

    In 1978, Mrs. Awolowo played a major role in the election of Mr. Awoyemi into the Constituent Assembly. The choice of Awoyemi was contested by Awo boys, Olu Awotesu and Olayinka Yesufu, who insisted that the late sage had promised to support the former Remo Councillor, Awotesu, for the slot. Both claimed that Awo changed his mind because Mama HID mounted pressure on him to support Awoyemi. The incident led to the parting of ways between Awo and his two disciples who made sure that Awoyemi lost the election to Awotesu. Consequently, they were not admitted into the Unity Party of Nigeria (UPN) when it was formed in 1978. Both Awotesu and Yesufu went to the National Party of Nigeria (NPN).

    Mrs. Awolowo campaigned for her son, Wole, who contested for the Apapa Constituency seat in the Lagos State House of Assembly. He won. He was also reelected in 1983.

    Also, in that Second Republic, HID and her friend, the late Alhaja Abibat Mogaji, led a reconciliation team to Kwara State to resolve the crisis between the two governorship aspirants; Senator Cornelius Adebahyo and the late Chief Sunday Olawoyin. The UPN leader, Awo and former Lagos State Governor Lateef Jakande had supported Olawoyin, but Oyo State Governor Bola Ige backed Adebayo. The primaries ended in fiasco twice. At the third time, Adebayo defeated Olawoyin. The contest generated a bad blood. Olawoyin’s supporters were injured by the outcome. When efforts to bring truce hit the rock, Mrs. Awolowo took the initiative to visit the two politicians with a team of women. As she reflected, women achieved peace where men failed.

    In the Third Republic, she identified with the proscribed Social Democratic Party (SDP) on which platform her daughter, Dr. Tokunbo Dosunmu, declared her intention to rule Lagos State. The ambition did not see the light of the day as the able lieutenants of Awolowo resisted it, saying that they could not serve father and daughter in quick succession.

    Mama Awolowo has been a pillar of support for the Yoruba Council of Elders (YCE) and the Yoruba Unity Forum.