THE grace of God is not open to question. It is to be acknowledged, accepted and celebrated. As the nation celebrates Hannah Idowu Dideolu Awolowo at 96, it is not just celebrating an icon who, at 96, has not stopped contributing monumentally to national development and the cause of her race; it is celebrating a woman who epitomises the very best example of faith in God amidst hardship, and the triumph of the human will over adversity, a vessel upon whom the grace of God will not stop shining.It is easy to celebrate the Yeye Oba of Ile-Ife as the better half of Black Africa's most treasured political thinker and philosopher, the greatest visionary of all times on a continent plagued by sick leaderships and a robbed following; as the wife of the most celebrated politician in the history of Nigeria, the visionary whom even the colonialists admitted would have made an effective Prime Minister of Britain if he had been an Englishman; indeed the man whose name continues to evoke positive nostalgia.Tributes could also be anchored in the direction of the past, detailing the hard years of anti-colonialist politics and robust intellectualism characterised by mudslinging and blackmail, or the treacherous days of post-independent ethnic cleansing and barricade, leading to the contemptuous treatment of the sage at the Independence celebrations in 1960 despite his unequalled contributions to the lowering of the Union Jack. The times were often hard, and the sage gave a lasting testimony of Mama's total fidelity and overwhelming positive influence on his odyssey when he described her as the 'Jewel of Inestimable Value.'' And so we can pick our pens and celebrate the woman who, with her husband, gave so much to the cause of the emancipation of Nigeria's poor, mobilising the country's women for political emancipation and social dignity, and so on. Or thoughts can be provoked on her strides in philanthropy, in the church, in the local community, and in the family. All of those are worthy projects.Many can take that route, but what about the present'Beyond the paid advertorials celebrating the model of Nigerian womanhood that Mama epitomises, beyond congratulatory speeches from around the world, and beyond the quest among politicians of bitterly opposed camps to outdo one another in congratulatory speeches, however profuse, Dr HID Awolowo would be better honoured and celebrated when those in positions of power cast their pretences aside and make strenuous efforts at forging the unity of the Yoruba race, the cause to which she has dedicated herself since Awo's transition.At the Pan-Yoruba conference held at the Efunyela Hall of the Awolowo Ikenne country home in October, and in the revered presence of His Imperial Majesty, Oba Okunade Sijuwade, the Ooni of Ife, the Yeye Oodua spoke words which should still continue to provoke sober thoughts amidst the current celebrations, the dining and wining, the sermon and the song :'The Yoruba theatre guru, Chief Hubert Ogunde, asked the Yoruba to think deeply as a people. It is good that we no longer speak of Yoruba people from upland and lowland or downstream. But are we thinking as a people' Are we reflecting on our fate in the Nigerian nation as Ogunde charged us to do' Maybe, if we had heeded his advice, things would not have been this bad for us. We all agree that we are one, but if we do not bond together, this can only cause suffering.'I am happy to find in this gathering our brothers from Jos, Kaduna and other places. If we gather ourselves together like children of the same mother, without divisions like we have in the Bible when some people claimed to belong to Paul while others said they were in Apollo's camp, things will be okay for us. The help that we render to one another is what can lift our nation (the Yoruba nation) up again, or else who will lift up the Yoruba Jacob in the face of so many foes'''It is to the credit of this woman of gold that, in working towards the unity and development of her race, she has risen above the pains of personal hardship, including bereavement of loved ones in her old age.The Yoruba Unity Forum has been at the forefront of canvassing the interests of the Yoruba and coming to the aid of members of the race who come under incessant attacks in the northern part of the country; it was the lone powerful voice against the current marginalisation of the Yoruba in the polity, the paradox of being the most urbanised and educated race on the African continent and politically the most sophisticated, yet failing to secure a place among the country's topmost 10 positions.Yet no one can forget Mama's richly deserved honours.Honoured at many times by various chieftaincy titles, including Mojibade of Ikenne (1955); Yeye Oba of Ife (1980), a title which had not been borne for over 300 years; Iyalode of Remoland (1983); doctorate degree of Civil Laws, Honouris Causa of the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife (1989), Mama HID Awolowo has been a committed church woman: class leader at Agbeni Methodist Church (1941); Life Patron of the Agbeni Young Women Christian Association, and its president for 40 years; chair, Young Women Christian Association (International), Western Region; member, Saint Saviours Parish Church Council; co-founder, Council of Women Society in Ibadan and Women Auxilliary Association; Life Matron, Saint Saviours Church Choir; Iya Ijo, St Saviours Anglican Church, Ikenne, among many others. She donated a marble pulpit to her church, St Savours Church, Ikenne at 50, a central stained glass of the chancel window at 60, and marble chairs at 70. She also built a mausoleum and a museum in memory of the sage between 1987 and 1999.Part of the citation for the conferment of the Honourary Degree of Doctor of Letters of the Ogun State University on Dr HID Awolowo in 1997 described her as a 'distinguished Nigerian nationalist leader, the Yeyeoba of Ife, a woman of great courage and dignity, a highly successful business guru, unequalled philanthropist, exemplary and principled matriarch, model of Christianity, model of love, and model of dedicated service to many people,''It also acknowledged that 'Chief (Mrs) Awolowo displayed indomitable courage and commitment in the face of obvious intimidation and aggression. Immediately after her marriage, she identified with and embraced all the political goals and ideals of her husband. During the premiership of Chief Obafemi Awolowo in the old Western Region (1952-1959), Mama was able to recognise the complexities of government business to the extent that Papa Awolowo was able to have a track record of achievements such as the free primary education scheme, free medical services for children up to the age of 18, farm settlement scheme, housing and industrial estates, the establishment of indigenous banks. Between 1952 and 1956, Chief (Mrs) Awolowo was the leader of the women's wing of the banned Action Group. This post she jealously guarded and garrisoned with unwavering devotion.'Mama and the family experienced political setbacks and faced victimisation. Notable among these were Chief Awolowo's house arrest in 1962, a judicial probe, trial for treasonable felony and eventual conviction and imprisonment. It was not during these periods alone, but always, that Mama demonstrated exemplary courage and steadfastness in the series of crises, an unalloyed loyalty and devotion to her husband, as well as absolute faith in God Almighty. Chief (Mrs) Awolowo resolutely held forte for Papa at both ends: the home and the nation. God was on her side as she weathered the occasions and surmounted all the trials with her husband.''Alhaji Lateef Jakande, former Lagos governor, lauded her as a 'shining example of a totally devoted wife and an incomparable mother.''The Yeye Oodua is an uncommon fighter at 96. Those who know have not ceased to marvel at her prodigious intellect, turn of mind and analytical depth.You may choose to visit Mama in Ikenne during the celebrations; you will find her holding sessions, enjoying the company of the young and the old. The Awolowo home is certainly that arena in Nigeria where you are welcome whatever your status. Abiding faith in the help of God, that is the secret of this great woman, the engine that has sustained her for almost a century.Head of the Liyangi Akarigbo ruling house of Sagamu, Chief (Mrs) HID Awolowo was born on November 25, 1915 to the Ayangbuwa of Ikenne, Chief Moses Odugbemi Adelana and Deaconess Elizabeth Oyesile Adelana. She continues to toil for the benefit of humankind.
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