That organ which Awo donated to St Saviour’s in 1962 was later donated to the Obafemi Awolowo Memorial Church because Awo bought another one for St. Saviour’s before he died.
Also, in celebration of her 60th in 1975, H.I.D donated stainless glass to the church. To support her, her soulmate also donated the two sides (left and right wings) to support the centre glass donated by H.I.D.
Therefore, the support for the 10th synod in 2011 which Bishop Fape acknowledged was only yet another one in line of support for the church by the Awolowos that stretched to 1962.
“Originally, our decision was to build a multipurpose hall to be called HID Awolowo Multipurpose Hall for investment purposes….. Building of a multipurpose hall is a way of laying a solid foundation for investment. Very close to the time of hosting the synod, God gave me a different message that the money should be committed to building a church. I went to tell Mama what God had said and Mama enjoined me to do whatever God had instructed me to do”, explained Bishop Fape in 2012.
“Though some Diocesan members had opposed changing the original plan, more than any investment in monetary matters, the greatest investment anybody can make is investment (in a) man’s soul. Any investment by the church that doesn’t take cognizance of the souls of men is a wasteful enterprise”.
Bishop Fape added that Sagamu was chosen to be the site of the church named after H.I.D because that is the ancestral home of the old lady. He disclosed further than when he approached the Akarigbo of Ijebu-Remo, Oba Sonariwo, for two plots of land for the church which cost N41 million to construct, when the paramount ruler of Ijebu-Remo was told that the church was to be named after H.I.D, he donated seven plots of prime land to the church.
At the laying of the foundation for the church in December 2011, Bishop Fape told the audience, “This most enduring legacy is what Mama has done. Generations unborn, if Christ tarries, will speak of her deeds”.
The Asiwaju Obinrin Onigbagbo of the Christian Association of Nigeria, Remoland and Yeye O’odua, H.I.D responded that “when I was told that the foundation of this church would be laid today, I asked if God would spare my life to partake in today’s joy. I am grateful to Him and I pray that He will give me the grace to witness its completion in five months….”
H.I.D, who is the Diocesan Mother of the Remo Anglican Diocese, was there when the church was dedicated. She continued to be generous to the church in many ways. For instance, in 2013, in memory of her husband, H.I.D donated air-conditioners to her old church in Ikenne, which had been renamed Our Saviour’s Church in 1984 and where she was the Iya Ijo. In dedicating the gift, Bishop Fape acknowledged that the church in Ikenne would be the first fully air-conditioned church in the Remo Anglican Diocese.
The Anglican Communion in Remoland is not the only beneficiary of H.I.D’s generosity. There are many others. For example, when she was made the Life Patroness of the Agbeni Youth Progressive Association (AYPA) of the Methodist Cathedral, Agbeni, Ibadan, the Secretary-General of the association shower encomiums on H.I.D for “motivation, guidance, and numerous financial support” for the association since inception in 1945.
“Chief (Mrs.) Awolowo’s motherly care tolerance, dedication, and most importantly belief that God is the giver of all good things of life ….blended together to give members of the association especially its leadership the vital bearing to pilot the ship of the association through the turbulent waters for 55 years”, said the AYPA leader.
“I am sure that the Anglican Communion can never forget her”, observed Sir Olaniwun Ajayi.
Apart from the church, H.I.D has also s been fully involved in community activities. Given her position as a princess of both the Ikenne and Sagamu royal stools, and head of the Liyangu ruling house, she has been at the centre of many community development initiatives. For instance, in the last ten years, Ikenne has faced serious security problems, particularly armed robbery. Things got so bad that the only commercial bank in the town was forced to close shop. When the town rose up in response to the security problems by establishing the Ikenne Security Council, she was the first to donate one million naira (N1 million) to the council towards the appeal fund that was launched by the council. The finance committee of the council was headed by Chief (Mrs.) Mercy Temitope Owolana, who is one of H.I.D’s countless “children” and the Otun Iya Ijo of Our Saviour’s Church, Ikenne.
Stated Owolana: “I cannot forget her donation to Ikenne Vigilante Group, among other donations to our church; Our Saviour’s Anglican Church, Ikenne, as the Iya Ijo, even before she rose to the post. Most of the conveniences in the church were donated by her. We the younger generation have only been supportive of her gestures. She has been a good mother to us all. She is indeed a mother in Israel”.
Relations and family members also tell stories of how she had helped them one way or the other in the past and continues to do so, even in their old age. For instance, Isaac Solaja, a lawyer, made it known that but for H.I.D’s assistance in getting him admission into Ibadan Grammar School under Archdeacon Emmanuel Alayande in 1959, he would not have become a lawyer. “Mama is the foundation of my life”, announces Solaja.
Beyond Ikenne, H.I.D, who is the Iyalode of Remoland, is recognized as the matriarch of the Yoruba and the “mother of the Nation”.
Her special relationship with the late Ooni of Ife, Oba Okunade Sijuwade, Olubuse II, was one of the most significant in her life with her husband.
“I knew Papa and Mama from the time I worked in the Nigerian Tribune, shortly after it was founded in 1949”, stated the Ooni. “I later worked with the A.G Leventis Group after some years in the Tribune, and it was at the A.G Leventis that I came to know more about Papa and Mama….. In 1959, Mama led my family to ask for the hands of (my bride) Bishop Oyebode’s daughter, Oyetunde, in marriage”.
TO BE CONTINUED
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