Incredible! HID misses record Centenary Birthday by only 67 days
With only 67 days to her Centenary Birthday anniversary, death came snatching the Matriarch of the Awolowo dynasty, Chief (Mrs.) Hannah Idowu Dideolu Awolowo (née Adelana) on Saturday, September 19, 2015. She would have turned 100 on November 25 this year.
The widow of the late sage and Premier of defunct Western Region, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, was born to a modest family in Ikenne community of Ogun State on November 25, 1915.
She died exactly 28 years after her husband, Obafemi Awolowo, who died in 1987 just as he passage came up more than four years after a nationwide rumour on June 22, 2012 alleging her death.
Awo, in his life time, famously referred to her as his “jewel of inestimable value”.
A successful businesswoman and astute politician, Chief (Mrs.) Awolowo was the First Lady of the old Western Region during which she played an active role in the politics of Western Nigeria.
It is on record that she stood in for her husband in the alliance formed between the National Council of Nigeria and the Cameroons (NCNC), and the Action Group (AG), called the United Progressive Grand Alliance (UPGA), while Awo was tried and jailed. The plans were that she would contest the elections, and if she won, would step down for her husband in a by-election. To fulfil Awo’s dream of becoming President in the Second Republic, she toured the length and breadth of the country with her husband campaigning. She also coordinated the women’s wing of the party and was always present at all party caucuses. A successful businesswoman, she became the first Nigerian distributor for the Nigerian Tobacco Company (NTC) in 1957. She was also the first to import lace materials and other textiles into Nigeria.
Until her demise, she remained the Chairman of African Newspapers of Nigeria Limited, publishers of Nigerian Tribune established in November, 1949 by her husband. Nigerian Tribune is among Nigeria’s popular dailies and it is perhaps the oldest privately owned newspaper.
It was reliably gathered that HID Awolowo, renowned as Yeye Oodua, died in her home shortly after a meeting on Saturday with her family members. The meeting was reportedly fine tuning arrangements for a befitting 100th Birthday being planned in her honour.
Only in April this year, Yeye Oodua, who was the chairperson of Yoruba Unity Forum, an umbrella body for Yoruba socio-cultural organizations in Nigeria and in the Diaspora, felicitated President Muhammadu Buhari and Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, on their historic victory at the March 28th 2015 presidential election.
Her statement then read in part: “The electoral contest, no doubt, was a hard fought one particularly as you contested against an incumbent President, Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan.
“We commend your decision to focus on issues of ultimate concern to majority of Nigerians during your electioneering campaigns. This singular act, Your Excellency, is a clear indication of your preparedness to confront these issues with a view to surmounting them and moving our country forward.
“We therefore appeal that you carry all Nigerians along in the new dispensation as the hopes and aspirations of our people are very high and we pray you will fulfill these expectations.
“The task of rebuilding the country certainly requires the cooperation of all Nigerians and the Yoruba Unity Forum pledges to support you and your team to restore greatness again to our dear country Nigeria.”