Dare Babalola
President Bola Tinubu on Friday paid a heartfelt tribute to Hannah ‘H.I.D.’ Awolowo, celebrating her enduring legacy and impact on Nigeria’s history, ten years after her passing.
In a statement he posted on X, Tinubu said the wife of the late elder statesman, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, was a guiding light to several generations of Nigerians.
He wrote, “Ten years may have passed, but the memory of Mama HID Awolowo, the matriarch of the Awolowo family, remains fresh with deep respect in the heart of our nation. Mama Awolowo was a pillar of courage and dignity who stood firmly beside Chief Obafemi Awolowo and carried his legacy with uncommon strength.
“Mama HID was more than a wife and mother. She stood beside Chief Obafemi Awolowo through trials and triumphs, carrying his legacy forward with grace and courage. In doing so, she became a mother not only to her family but also a guiding light for generations of Nigerians who drew inspiration from her example, showing what it means to live with faith, discipline, and love for country.
“As we remember her today, we celebrate a life of service and sacrifice that continues to inspire us as we work together to build a just, united, and prosperous Nigeria.”
The matriarch of the Awolowo clan died on September 19, 2015, two months short of her 100th birthday.
According to report, Chief HID Awolowo, as she was fondly called in the media, woke up at about 8 a.m. and got ready to host a meeting of the committee set up to plan her centenary birthday on the day she died. The meeting was billed to be held at 10 a.m. in the living room of her residence at Ikenne-Remo, Ogun State.
After listening to the deliberations at the meeting for about five minutes, she said she needed to rest and asked to be excused. When she got to her room she demanded her lunch of pounded cocoyam with egusi soup. After taking a few morsels of the pounded cocoyam, she invited one of her personal assistants who was attending to her to eat with her, but the assistant declined out of respect adding that she would eat after the matriarch had eaten to her fill. Not one to miss a chance to indulge in the cheerful conversation, she commended the beauty of the pair of slippers the assistant had worn and asked her to get a similar pair for her later.
After lunch, she laid on her bed for a while. But she suddenly asked to be raised from her bed. The young men who had gathered to raise her from her sleeping position realised that she was gasping for breath and sent for her two surviving children, Tola Oyediran and Tokunbo Awolowo-Dosumu, who were part of those attending the meeting.
Soon after her children rushed into her room, she stopped breathing.
