The news of the passage of Mama Abibat Mogaji, the respected Iyaloja of Lagos and mother of our Leader, Asiwaju Ahmed Bola Tinubu’s mother, was heartbreaking. While it can be rightly said that the death of Mama is what we Yorubas refer to as “Oku Olomo”, the truth remains that the death of any loved one is always very painful.
The life and time of Mama comments to us the real reasons why we should live a life that has strong positive references; Mama’s life was such.
How many examples are we going to talk about? Raising a man like Asiwaju Bola Tinubu? Standing by and with a son that has the steely resilience and courage through the dark days of military dictatorship and the present dangers of living through a country that should have been free from shackles of inept leadership as we have foisted upon us today? Stretching the attributes of Mama further, nobody can ignore the capacity of the woman who rose to become the Iyaloja of Lagos and kept that position for decades until her transition. This is an eloquent testimony to her legendary success as a businesswoman of repute. It cannot be a mean feat to be the leader of women in commerce in the commercial nerve centre of Nigeria.
All factors considered, Mama possessed some attributes that Asiwaju has imbibed and all that has made him who he is to the eternal benefit of positive opposition in an environment where the dominant putrefaction of the majority party is threatening to choke democracy in Nigeria. I am glad we have God and Mama to thank for this strident voice in the wilderness.
We must celebrate Mama because even as she can be appreciated by her own achievements as a person, much more can be celebrated from the perspective of a son she sired to Nigeria, nay lovers of democracy all over ther world. I join many other admirers to celebrate this woman of purpose and wish her Aljana Firdaus.
Odigbosee Maa Asiwaju.
Honourable Bimbo Daramola,
Representing Ekiti North Fed Constituency 1