Exit of Queen Ruth Oyeyode

Hammed Shittu pays tribute to Queen Ruth Adebola Anike Oyeyode, the First Wife of Ogiyan of Ejigboland, who died recently

For all mortals, death is an inevitable end. The journey of life can be aptly likened to a commercial vehicle conveying passengers to a destination and each person dropping off at his and her own bus stop. The Royal Majesty, Ogiyan of Ejigboland, Oba Omowonuola Oyeyode Oyesosin, one of the Chairmen of Osun State Council of Obas and Chiefs, on July 27, 2021, lost his first wife Queen Ruth Adebola Anike to the cruel hands of death.

The Queen of Ogiyan Kingdom has gone to be with her maker after a short illness, leaving a vacuum for his Royal majesty, children, friends and well-wishers, particularly the people of Ejigbo. It shows that this life is indeed vanity upon vanity.

The passage of the late Queen Ruth Oyeyode after a brief illness, in one of the hospitals in Lagos, also shows that every mortal will taste death and therefore nobody has a right to query the decision of God because He giveth and taketh at His own time.

Late Queen Oyeyode, fondly called “Mummy” in the Palace circle lived like a burning candle that the wind of life abruptly put out without a chance to say goodbye to any of us.

The Queen has truly gone now and the reality is that all the seas of tears would never bring her back to life but her sweet memories will forever live in our hearts because mummy lived a fulfilled life that is worthy of emulation.
The litmus test for any great leader is not how long but how effective and productive his/her life was and how beneficial to the people they led and what mattered to them the most. If we judge the late Queen Oyeyode by those indices of leadership, I will submit that our mother has done pretty well and could have done more.

Jesus Christ, the King of Kings and the Lion of Judah, lived for 33 years but he accomplished his life’s mission in three years as confirmed by the Bible. John Fitzgerald Kennedy was President and leader of the United States of America, the free world, for less than three years, but he made an impact and left a legacy that many of his predecessors and successors could only dream of in four to eight years.

Murtala Mohammed was Head of State of Nigeria for only 200 days and in that short time, he did what Yakubu Gowon or Ibrahim Babangida and even Olusegun Obasanjo could not do with their longevity in the same office.

It is no doubt that our mother, the Late Queen Ruth Adebola Anike Oyeyode lived a memorable life worth of emulation that no one can controvert in view of the volumes of tributes written about her death. She was a sweet mother that everyone would love to remember because she was excellent in her caring and also very accommodating during her lifetime. No wonder various sympathisers from all walks of life trooped enmasse to the palace of Ogiyan of Ejigboland to pay tribute to the deceased.

Among those that paid tributes were traditional rulers, chiefs, women groups, youth groups, market women, students and a host of others in the town.
Queen Ruth Adebola Anike hails from the family of the Pa Matthew Babalola Alawo Akinyanran of Owu, descent in Ejemus compound, Ejigbo and that of Madam Esther Eesuola Adedoja of Arogbos compound in Ejigbo.

She was born in Denu, Ghana, in the late 30s. Our Jewel traveled back to Nigeria in the early ‘60s to live with her uncle, Pa Nathaniel Oluwusi, who was then a staff of the Nigeria Railway Cooperation in Jebba.

Consequent upon the need to learn a trade, the young Ruth was sent back to Ejigbo to learn the art of sewing under the apprenticeship of Mrs. Deborah Ilupeju and under the supervision of her grandmother Madam Bilewuomo Elizabeth Babalola Alawo.

Mama’s attention was drawn to the then Prince Omowonuola Oyeyode because he looked much like her brother, Pa Joseph Babalola Alawo.
The love birds got married on the 3rd of March, 1963, on the same day she graduated from her vocation training.
Being an industrious woman, while practicing her vocational activities which she enjoyed doing, she engaged in making small chops (puf-puf) in order to support her family finances.

Mama Olori was a successful trader in Kolanut, Palm-Oil and lots more. She was also a member of the Tailoring Association, Ejigbo Branch. Mama learned to read and write (especially her name as signature).

Outside formal school, most especially, she was able to be able to read her Yoruba Bible. Apart from Yoruba her mother tongue, she speaks Ashante, and a few other languages from Ghana where she grew up. She picked and pronounced few syllables of English from her children and often tries communicating with this tongue whenever she was with her grandchildren.

Mama was a devoted Christian, a Custodian of African Cultural Heritage. She was given an Award of Honour as a devoted wife in 1996 by the National Council of Women’s Society (NCWS). The English Peoples Club also honored her with the Award of Excellence and Distinguished Service in 2002. And above all, she was so blessed with male and female children. She died at the age of 83.

As the remains of our mother is being committed to mother-earth today, our prayer is that God will give the deceased eternal rest and give the Royal Majesty, Oba Oyeyode Oyesosin and the entire family the fortitude to bear the loss.