Lateephat Yoyinsola Makanjuola at 70  

By Olusegun Adeniyi

The phrase, ‘Behind every successful man is a woman’ has become a bit contentious due to its patriarchal roots. But when viewed from the point of family and the support spouses render one another, it is not difficult to accord more credit to women in relationships. That way, we can better appreciate the sacrifices they make to preserve unions and advance the wellbeing and progress of their partners, children and extended family, especially in our environment. It is within that context that I join family, friends and well-wishers to celebrate Mrs Lateephat Yoyinsola Makanjuola, who is 70 today. A wife, mother, teacher, and role model, Mrs Makanjuola is a wonderful woman who has impacted the lives of many beyond her immediate family.

Women have great potential to influence people around them whether it’s a friend, partner, colleague, or their own children, according to Javita and Murali Poduval in their book, ‘Working Mothers: How much working, how much mothers, and where is the womanhood’. Their work interrogated the significant personal and social adjustments women make at home and in the workplace as well as the way many positively impact their immediate environment. This theory has been validated by Mrs Makanjuola. As Mr Remi Makanjuola, chairman of the Caverton Group, has always told some of us close to him, whatever he has been able to accomplish has been due to divine providence and the unflinching support he constantly draws from his wife.

Mrs Makanjuola is by every standard, a silver-spoon. She is daughter of the late renowned chartered accountant and banker, Salmon Beckery (S.B) Folami and on the maternal side, she is granddaughter of Sheikh Alli Balogun whose death, on 13th July 1931, was announced in the Daily Times lead story next day as that of a ‘Merchant Prince and Philanthropist.’ Yet despite her privileged background, it is Mrs Makanjuola’s uncommon humility that those who encounter her often reference as the true measure of who she is. Perhaps because the humility she exudes is one that is both ennobling and empowering.

Ever since I met her in 2005, shortly after my encounter with her husband, Mrs Makanjuola has remained simple, kind, and unaffected by the trappings of wealth and affluence around her. She is not only a contented and generous woman who cares deeply about others, she believes, like her husband, that once we have enough, we also have a responsibility to lift as many people as we possibly can from the tide of hardship, whether economic or otherwise. And there are few people more authentic in their dealings with others than her.

On the professional side, Mrs Makanjuola has had a fulfilling life outside the family orbit. Aside a brief stint in banking in Nigeria (Wema Bank) and enrolment into the London Institute of Bankers, Mrs Makanjuola developed a passion for education rather early and has, for more than four decades, pursued her dream with a tenacity of purpose. Having chosen the Montessori Method of Education that is based on ‘self-directed activity, hands-on learning and collaborative play’, she worked abroad, including as an instructor at the Kennedy Montessori School in Chelsea, London and the Melting Port Foundation School, Irlam in the City of Salford, Greater Manchester. Upon returning to Nigeria in 1978 with her young family, Mrs Makanjuola’s teaching career began at American International School, and later, Adrao International School, both in Victoria Island. She then decided to venture out and in1985 established her own school: ROLAM Preparatory School.

The idea was to provide a unique environment that would instill in children the foundation needed for an all-round education at a very young age, in close collaboration with their parents. In my interactions with her on a subject that remains dear to her, Mrs Makanjuola believes that every Nigerian child deserves a strong foundation for learning. Preparatory school offers small classes where attention can be devoted to each pupil, their talents can be easily recognized, and potential difficulties identified early. Skills, including leadership, can be duly acknowledged and nurtured. It is therefore little surprise that many high-profile Nigerians have passed through Mrs Makanjuola’s tutelage either at the schools where she taught or at ROLAM she superintends.

I have learnt from Mrs Makanjuola over the years that good teachers are indeed second parents. They are inquisitive and sensitive. They see things others don’t and they ask appropriate questions with a view to knowing where and how to help. Our last address before we moved to Abuja in 2007 was Abraham Adesanya Millennium Estate in Ajah, just about a kilometre to the Victoria Garden City (VGC) where the Makanjuolas then resided. That ensured that my wife and I (sometimes with the children) visited their house quite often. And we were always welcome. On those occasions, Mrs Makanjuola came across as a mother, a friend, guide, and mentor. She was easy to relate with and she listened. On the lighter side, being an ardent supporter of Manchester United Football Club married to a ‘long-suffering’ Arsenal Football Club Platinum member, it is entertaining and fun being around her during premiership matches at weekends.

I understand that no big ceremony will mark Mrs Makanjuola’s ‘induction’ into the Septuagenarian Club. That is the way she wants it. But some of us will nonetheless join her husband and children (Bode, Niyi, Rotimi and Lolade) for a modest in-house celebration today in Lagos. She will use the occasion to present her books, including ‘In the Light of Islam for Children’ and ‘Moral Values for Children’s Exploration,’ with the proceeds and remaining copies donated to schools. It is just like Mrs Makanjuola to devote her special day for a worthy cause.

I wish her many more fulfilling years in good health.