•Details Of The Classy 2 Day Burial In IBADAN
•Her Kids Reveal What They Will Miss About Her
Last week, the remains of Mummy Esther Mogbejuloritse Adeniyi was laid to rest in Ibadan. She was born in Ogunaja (Ikomi Villa) Sapele on the 22nd of June 1929. Her father was late Pa Cole and her Mother was late Madam Amaleghemifor Ikomi (Matie) a Princess from the Ikomi Royal family of Ugbege, Delta State. She had her elementary education in Sapele after which she proceeded to Lagos for her secondary education. She stayed with her Aunt and Cousin (Anthony Ikomi) at No. 13, Sheteolu Street, Ajele, Campus Area, Lagos.
Having completed her educational pursuit in Lagos, she went back to Sapele and started her career with Kingsway Stores, a subsidiary of United Africa Company (UAC Plc), in the Sales and Marketing Department.
Mummy met her heartthrob our late Daddy, Pa. E. E. Adeniyi, at the Sapele Township Stadium during a Football Match and thereafter the friendship of love started. After dating for a couple of years they got married on the 18th of August 1951 and kept their vows until daddy passed on to greater glory in the early hours of the 27th of December 2015, at the age of 90. The couple moved to Ibadan in 1956 and she continued her career at Kingsway Stores. She worked at Kingsway Stores, Sapele, Ibadan, Marina, Apapa Supply Centre and back to Ibadan where she retired as a UAC Senior Staff in 1984.
Mummy Ibadan, as fondly called, was a very industrious and hard-working woman with high energy and entrepreneurial skills. This made her to go into private business when she retired. She was a serial entrepreneur. Mummy loved music and dancing so much that she started singing for God at an early age. She was a member of the Choir at Baptist Church, Ogunaja and St. Luke’s Anglican Church, Sapele. At Ibadan she first worshipped with the family at St. James Cathedral Church, Okebola and later at All Saint’s Church Jericho Reservation where she was a Soloist in the Choir.
Mummy served God with all her might and resources. She believed in the word of God, (The Holy Bible) and preached it. She lived a true Christian life of faith, trust and love. Her happiness was in helping and sharing what God gave her with others. She was a prayer warrior, prayed and fasted until her old age.
Mummy lived a communal life as a kid at Ikomi Villa, Ogunaja, Sapele as all members of the Ikomi family did everything in common. This early background gave her the spirit of sharing later in life. Her siblings were Chief J. O. Pinnick, Madam Kaone Edukugho, Mrs. Hannah Eda all of blessed memory and Christian Cole.
Her home was practically a hub for most of her relations and friends, also for those that went to university in the western part of Nigeria, and all fostered the relationship until she passed on. Mum, the disciplinarian, the strict no nonsense woman. We all grew up as one big happy and bounded family. You couldn’t tell the difference between her children, nieces, nephews, grand nephews and grandnieces. The people that came around like cousins, aunties, uncles, made it easy for her children to imbibe the Itsekiri culture.
Mummy was a great cook and everybody looked forward to her banga soup, pepper soup (regardless of who had to grind the ingredients with the grinding stone, that’s when you see people trying to dodge because its whoever she sees that will grind o) and other delicacies. Her friends cut across many generations, she had friends from all walks of life and fostered relationships with people that cut across different generations.
Mum was known by different names to different people, but one appellation that she really loved was (Tata) as she was fondly called by her mother and her brother (late Chief J.O Pinnick), Mummy Total Garden, Mummy Ibadan, Mummy Kingsway, grandma, Mama Itsekiri, Mama Bendel, Elsie, Esther and Mogbejule.
Mummy had a few close friends, including some friendship that spanned up to 7 decades.
She held her friends so closely that the members of her household saw some of them as relatives. On the other hand, she forged a strong bond of friendship with her cousins and peer group within the Ikomi Clan and her in laws, the Adeniyis. The love they shared was a thing of beauty. Throughout her life she constantly encouraged the next generation of nieces and nephews to follow the example of her peers within the greater family to maintain a strong union of love and respect amongst them.
A Community Leader of repute. She was one-time President of the Warri Ladies Vanguard, Ibadan Branch. Mummy loved traveling.
She travelled abroad a lot and performed Holy Pilgrimage to Jerusalem a few times.
Mummy lived a good life in the service of God and humanity the testimony of what we are experiencing today. She is survived by her children, grandchildren, greatgrandchildren, cousins, nieces, and nephews. Below are the tributes of Mama’s children.
A MOTHER IN ISRAEL
I am writing this tribute with great pride and honour as your loving son.
Mummy … a mother of great taste, great class, great style. From you, I learnt responsibility, loyalty, discipline, sharing love and comportment.
You were a devoted Christian mother, a very contented and honest person who made conscious effort to protect our family name. These attributes you instilled in us, your children, and others. You never bothered about what others acquired in terms of wealth. You had good character and integrity.
A mother in Israel, you were a strict disciplinarian but caring and loving.
Mummy, you showed us and everybody who came across you much love including your extended family members. You played a pivotal role in the success stories of many of us. You went extra miles to ensure we were safe and comfortable. We were all equal before you and made sure we followed God’s way and teachings of the word of God (THE HOLY BIBLE). My consolation is that you served God to the end with great faith and trust. When I left you on the morning of 8th January 2020, we sang praises, choruses, prayed, shook hands and I said good bye, see you next week. You smiled. Alas! that was our last meeting/moment. Today and always, I honour this great mother of repute because she deserves to be honoured. A mother in a million. “Esther Mogbejuloritse ADENIYI* rest in God’s presence.
Your Loving Son
– Tunde Adeniyi
Mummy, Mama, Ma Tunde, Mummy Kingsway, Aunty, Esther, Elsie ….
My dear mother meant different things to different people. To me she was Mummy, to my children she was GM (coined by one of them) to her great grandchildren she was great grandma.
I actually don’t know how or where to begin this tribute but I can remember as far back as when we were in Oduduwa Crescent in Ikeja, then to Jericho Reservation and then to Lakanmi Close in Ibadan, many of her cousins, in-laws,nephews and nieces lived or spent their holidays with us.
I used to wonder then, why their parents would let them come live to us because mummy was strict!!!! No nonsense and she didn’t care if you were her child or not if you are out of line, you got the same hot ‘abara’! Growing up we had helps but you must wash your own plates and clothes.
She will say in yoruba ‘mi o gba won nitori yin’ meaning ‘I didn’t employ them because of you: You dare not call them by their names! Brother Yemisi, Aunti Musili, Mr Mukaila, Mr Simon to mention the ones I remember. Some of these helps later become family members because they still visited with their families.
When mummy is in the kitchen you must stand at attention and hand her the next ingredient without her saying a word (like she was performing an operation and you were the nurse) No talking, no frowning so the soup can be sweet. hmmmm!!! Mum’s banga soup, epuru, owo, pepper soup were second to none. Her pots spick and span, her kitchen spotless.
St. Anne’s Schooldays, I don’t remember her missing a visiting day with loads of goodies for me and my friends. Mummy was so enterprising, she made Chinchin, sausage rolls and meat pie for sale. Who were the mixers, fryers and bakers??? myself, my siblings and cousins that were around! At a time she had a shop in Dugbe, she had a canteen and a bakery.
Mummy loved to entertain, you step into the house, you must eat and take away. Despite her being a disciplinarian, she had a heart of gold. She was loving, generous, humble, fashionable, prayerfuL When she came visiting, she will pray with you before you sleep, wake you up to pray again middle of the night. Long prayers o because she must mention every body’s name and pray about the situation they are in! and you will start to wonder how does this concern me?’ Thank you for your prayers those dark days, my trying periods, you stood as a rock.
She sang in the choir of All Saints Church Ibadan for years. I should not forget to add that she had a good sense of humor. I remember we went on vacation and we had expected that she would pay our fare, she said ‘mummy o de London, iye kan na la mu ku ro ni ile! She was grateful for anything you gave or did for her. I could go on and on. Above all, my mum loved
God and served Him. She loved her family both immediate and extended. It’s hard to see you go but I am consoled that you are in a better place. Continue rest in the bosom of our Lord till we meet again. You will forever be in my heart.Good night Mummy.
– Olufunmilayo.
Mummy,
Thank you for everything. I cannot even explain my feeling of loss, never has anything hurt this bad. Not a moment goes by that you are not in my thoughts. Just know that you have touched so many lives and mine. And I know you are in a better place. In GOD’S CARE.
Rest In Peace Sweet Mummy!
Segun
Mummy! Mummy!!
Who knows the secret of Death? The Prophet when asked said “Life and Death are one, even as the river and the sea are one. In the depth of your hopes and desires lies your silent knowledge of the beyond. And like seeds dreaming beneath the snow your heart dreams of spring. Trust the dreams, for in them are hidden the gates of eternity. Your fear of death is but the trembling of the shepherd when he stands before the king whose hand is to be laid upon him in honour. Is the shepherd not joyful beneath his trembling, that he should wear the mark of the king? Yet is he not more mindful of his trembling? And what is it to cease breathing but to free the breath from its restless tide, that it may rise and expand and seek God unencumbered?
And so now, Mummy you are free from the breath of the restless tide of your twilight years.
Strong, bold, industrious, ambitious, resilient and confident woman! From Kingsway Stores to your entrepreneurial years- Bakery, your neighborhood store, NBL dealership, Flour Mer- chant… you used your connections well.
You were a Mother indeed! We had no choice but to turn out well! (Including all my other ‘siblings’ – Edas, Pinnicks, Eresanaras, who passed through your tutelage in our Jericho and Lakanmi Close homes.) The ground rules were very clear! Thank you for the values instilled.
All the Complete Compendium of Encyclopedia in the sitting room were not just for deco- ration- we had to study them- Etiquette, Health, My Book of Table Manners, etc. You were a music lover and so got a Piano for the house and that meant Music lessons and Smallwood! I wonder if Ebiyemi still plays more than that one piece he knew then … Now Amaju has digital
Piano at home .. My music lessons were during siesta!!! Interestingly, that Piano is still sitting in the living room! I might just decide to now take up Piano Lessons to satisfy that dream of yours! Muson .. here I come!!
You loved and shared a peculiar bond with your siblings, cousins,nephews , nieces and ex- tended family. Your face lit up whenever your late Brother, Chief J.O. Pinnick (Papa) called you ‘TATA’ ; Matie called you ‘TATA’ too!
I am glad I reiterated ‘I love you’ after each telephone conversation!
Farewell! Greet Daddy! You are both sharing the same Vault! How nice! Your love will not vanish in my memory. Sweet Mother .. .I no go forget you!!! – you loved that song.
Rest in Perfect Peace.
Lots of Love
Arinola.
Mommy, mommy, mommy .. .It’s been real I guess mom. You are no longer here, your journey here on earth has ended, ninety years on planet earth is no joke, especially in this part of the world.
Where do I start from … or where do I end the tribute, I really don’t know. Is it the pros and con of being the last I want to talk about? Some people say – no wonder- when they get to know am the last child. No wonder what…
Guess I got away with a lot of things. You and dad did a great job, and I thank you.
You did your best … to the best of your ability. You did all you could to make sure everyone was okay. You loved family and friends.
Mom was gregarious, creative, resourceful, inspirational and warm.
The outpour of love … condolences, from phone calls to visits, support, after your demise has been overwhelming for me. I am sure you are in a better place. Sleep well mom, till we meet again,
– Oluwatoyin Adeniji.
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