Last Friday 18th March 2022, Lagos society woman, Adetutu Soyebo turned 60. And she marked it with prayers. Her family and friends stormed her Lagos home to celebrate with her. There was Muslim prayers in the morning at 10 am, after which her friends who were all dressed in Jeans and Tee-Shirts spent the rest of the day with her.
And on Sunday 20th March, she hosted a big birthday party to celebrate her new age.
Left to her, she wanted a small party, but her husband and the children felt she has a lot to thank God for, hence the need for a Thanksgiving party.
How does she feel at 60, we asked her? What is the feeling like? “At 60, I feel great. I have a lot of reasons to thank God that I am 60. I am alive, my family are all intact and I even just got a new grandchild on Saturday. I am happy that after the Covid-19, we are all still alive. We thank God. I have so many, so many reasons to be grateful to Almighty God for keeping me alive and I still have aged parents.”
“My dad just turned 90 on February 12 and my mum is 86 and me turning 60 with my husband, my kids and good people around me. I feel so, so much happy and grateful to Almighty God for keeping me alive. Above all, I am healthy. I thank God”.
What are the lessons, life has taught her at 60? “So many lessons. I have learnt so many things. I have learnt to do so many things differently. I have learnt to be Patient. I have learnt Patience. I have learnt to be a little bit slow and calm. Yes. Sometime back I used to be very impatient. The Tutu I knew then, didn’t use to take nonsense from anybody. Along the line, I have become a little bit more patient now, more mature, learnt to keep secrets, even among the kids, among the families. As you get older, you learn a lot of things, so many things, you go through so many experiences. Now, that I am 60, I am a little bit more mature. I am older. And I am ageing gracefully. And I have learnt Tolerance”.
Looking back to her childhood, what was growing up like, we asked her. “I was born in Lagos, on March 18th, 1962. My parents are from Ijebu-Ode. My mum is from Abass Odunrin family in Idepo and my dad is from Ipamorin. I am nee Alausa. My father’s side id from Ipamorin, in Apebi area of Ijebu-Ode.
So my both parents are from Ijebu-Ode. But I grew up in Lagos. My birth certificate reads Ifelodun Ajeromi Local Government. I was born in Ajegunle. We moved to Idi-Oro. I grew up in Idi-Oro. Then I got married to an Ikorodu man. I used to stay on 3 Idi-Oluwo with our late Aunt.
How about work? “I worked with Ikeja Local Government. While I was working, I was doing a little bit of Textile trading. I have my family in the United States and I used to travel abroad to see the kids.
In 2002 I quit my job. My mother-in-law was trading in Textiles and I was supplying them. Because I was still working, I could not sell in Retail, I started from her shop. I was trading in Idumota then, she couldn’t go to shop anymore. In 2012, I started selling Wine. And in 2016, I moved out of the country to the United States to take care of my children”.
All in all, what kind of a person is Tutu Soyebo? She smiles and breaks out laughing. “That is life”, she says. “To some people you are tough. To some people you are kind. To some people she is proud.”
“I will say I am a liberal, cool person. Sometimes, I can get snappy. Sometimes I can get cranky. And I think that happens to everybody. I am pretty much, a very calm person. I love people around me. I tolerate people.”
“I love to see good people around me. I learnt that from my parents because when I was growing up my father took care of so many people.”
“Unfortunately, he is the only child from his dad. So he doesn’t have a large family. Its just him and us. But he has so many kids around him like the kids of family members. His mum is from Ijebu-Mushin. We all grew up together. I think that is where I got to live with people and having so many people around me. I always enjoy the company of great people. My bedroom is always full of people. My house is full of people. I have so many people who live with me also. By the grace of God we all get along. That is just Tutu. Tutu is a very kind person, loving. That is”.
How has she been able to keep her marriage intact, we asked? “Its been the Grace of God. I met him in 1982 through one of my bosses at the Local Government where I worked. I was in City Hall then. I was a little girl, not married. I always call my boss, Uncle Morgan. One day, he called me. Tutu, what do you think about Marriage. I said, nothing. I am too young to get married. I burst out laughing. He said no, you are not too young to get married. I said how do you mean? He said, so you mean you have no plans to get married, I said, no, I don’t have. He said okay, we just stopped there. Not knowing that at home he spoke about me to his family. My husband-to-be just came from the US and he was told to come and look at a lady in Uncle Morgan’s office, you will like her. She is tall and fine. My oga continued to pester him to come and see me. Normally, I prepare Tea or Coffee for people around me. That is one of my duties. I will just take care of everybody in the office. I will ask them if its Tea or Coffee they want. I do that out of my purse. So everybody usually relies on me that Tutu is going to make us Coffee or Tea, depending on what they like.
“So, that morning Uncle Morgan just walked in. He didn’t say anything.”
“I greeted him. He answered and we continued our work. Between 10 and 11 am that day, I just saw 2 guys in NYSC uniform they went to Uncle Morgan and sat down. He now called me to come and prepare Coffee for my friend. I went in and gave it to them and turned round to go back to my seat. I do that constantly, so I didn’t think there was more to it.”
“So one of the guys came into my office and greeted me. I said hello, can I help you? He said what is your name. I said Tutu. He said this is my 1st time of meeting you. I like you and I am going to marry you. I laughed. I was like who is this guy? Who is talking? How can you just walk up to me the first time and be asking me questions?. And after I told him my name, he said I am Kunle Soyebo. I said to myself this man must be a joker. I just laughed. I said you can’t be serious. He said yes I am serious. I said just like that, you want to marry me, just like that. I started laughing again. He said answer me now!
I said what do you want me to say. I don’t know you and you want me to marry you, a stranger? From where to where?. He just went back to Uncle Morgan. I don’t know what they spoke about. But after office hours, Uncle Morgan called me.
He asked me, what do you think about that man? He is serious ooo. I know him well. I was the one who asked him to come and check you out ooo. He will take good care of you. I said haaa, Uncle Morgan. He said yes. He is serious. I know him to be a good person and you also as a nice girl. I used to talk about you in our house. And I tell all of them that you are a nice lady. I laughed. He said yes. Omo daada ni e (you are a well brought up girl) and I want you to marry a well brought up boy. I was born in 1962 and we were talking about 1982. I was still young then.
And I don’t have plans of getting married then. He said okay, go home and think about it. I said Uncle Morgan, there is nothing to think about. I don’t want all these American boys. Nooo! Nooo! He continued to mount pressure. He was on my neck.
There was this occasion when one of my friends were getting married and I was the Bridesmaid. I didn’t invite them but they all came and we were about going to her husband’s house when someone came to say they are asking for you. I was already in the car ready to move when I saw them. I saw him. I saw Uncle Morgan. I said oh my God, where am I going to start from? That is how it all started till now”.
“Of course, there is no marriage that does not have hassles. We have gone through our own ups and downs and it has made our marriage strong. Bye and large, it has been wonderful. We have 4 kids. We got married in 1984. December 1st, 1984. That is about 38 years ago.”
“Since then, I have not had cause to go back home. And I have not had cause to go and call my parents, that go and call your parents we have to talk. We have had our shortcomings. We have had good times. With the Grace of God, we are together, happy”.
“And we have 4 kids and I am a grandma. I just added 1, last Saturday. We just had one granddaughter last Saturday. Alhamudullahi!
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