Dear Mother,

Madam State as you were popularly known and called.
I recall your dreams about me. You had visions about me. You saw the future. Everything you did was all about me. Even in the midst of your other children, there was no doubt that I was your dream-coming-true. You never wavered in your optimism about me and the glorious future that laid ahead of me. You were so sure I have an enviable destiny, and you gave your all to support me. You invested in me.

At 50 years of age today, all I could think about is how fitting it would have been had you been around to celebrate this epoch-making age with me. I know you would have probably asked to be the compere of the ceremony, to tell the world how dear I am to you, and to brag, as all mothers do, about their sons and daughters, and maybe a bit more. You would have said with all optimism that you saw me coming. Madam State, you were an Amazon that taught me diligence and self-discipline right from a very early age. And it would have been such a great honour to see you celebrate the dedication and time you put into laying the foundations of the man I have now become.  

In the last few weeks leading to my 50th Birthday today, I have been consumed by plenty of emotions, recollections and nostalgia. As you know, life expectancy for men where we come from is 47 years, and I know you would be thanking God with me that I made it to 50. I will offer momentous thanksgiving to God for life and health in the tradition of our family. Ain’t no iota of doubt that He is the one who has kept and preserved me this far.

Presently, the world is consumed by a deadly virus which has made it impossible for people to gather to ‘parry’ like our folks would normally have done. Nevertheless, family and friends will celebrate me from the confines of their homes as we adhere to global health demands.

Mama, asides my father, the incorruptible Judge, Justice Ojuolape and the other excellent father figures of my life (Professor Femi Odekunle and Prof Layi Erinosho), there are two other important personalities I’d have loved to see celebrating this day with me. It is you Mama and Prof. Babatunde Osotimehin, both of blessed memory, but your presence and the indelible mark you left in my life still lingers. I know you did not get to know Prof. so well, but it was he who looked at me and saw the qualities I carried with me as a result of the upbringing you gave me. And so, for more than a decade of being the Assistant to the great Prof, I came to imbibe the professional zeal that defined his work. As he moved from one job to the next, carrying me along, I also came to learn his managerial dexterity, his empathy and the best of what it means to be human.

Interestingly, I recall an occasion four years ago in NY, while sitting and bantering with Prof in his office, he told me something. He said, “Niyi, I look forward to your 50th Birthday. It will be a good time to celebrate you in the grand style that you are worthy of. Een though taken aback by the unexpectedness of it, I quickly recovered, smiled and replied: “Prof., we will have celebrated in the grandest of style, the year before. We both laughed; and looked forward to it, oblivious of the fact that it was not meant to be. Mama, Prof. did not make it to 70, but he died as a global icon, a giant in his field, and one of the most accomplished Nigerians in recent memory. I had imagined a today, when you would both take turns with the microphone to tell the world things about me that no one had heard before.

You made me realise that courage is enough to embark on a grand vision. In my professional life, these lessons have helped me. I have completed several visionary projects under circumstances where it was easier to doubt myself than begin. Mama, you taught me to take those leaps of faith and hope for God’s guidance. This has worked for me, and I am eternally thankful to you as I continue life’s journey. That said, I cannot but zero in on how you immersed me into Christendom from the cradle. I recall how you dragged me along to church for early morning prayers at 5am, every day of the week, even as uncomfortable as it appeared then. It was also a great privilege to live with and enjoy the sonship of your Mother and her Mother who passed the batons of faith and immersed me in the joy of belonging to the St. Paul’s CAC Oke Igan family

Mama, the El Shaddai has brought to pass and exceeded the great dreams you had for me. They are now real, to the glory of God. Thus, all that I’ve achieved in life till now—being my 50th year, I humbly dedicate them to your memory.

Sleep on Dear Madam State !!!

My pleasure of serving in this organisation stems from knowing the demanding work that mothers like you do all across Africa; which is to combine working life with the arduous task of raising children. I am thankful to God that every day I get up to work, I will be contributing directly to the wellbeing and empowerment of women, young girls and young people in society, to ensure their role in society is acknowledged and supported, and that young girls are appropriately positioned to fulfil their God ordained potentials.

I recall with nostalgia, the ‘encouragement’ (or pressure) you gave me to take a Wife back in the day. I know the word encouragement might make you laugh, because what you actually did was to drag me by the ear, every day, as I was nearing 30, singing the same song to me, ‘Get married, get married.’ You flogged the marriage topic even as I cautioned that I lacked the needed financial muscle to start a family. But you were adamant and kept encouraging me to take the bold step. How do I tell you Mama, that it was only years later that I came to appreciate how those pressures groomed me. I am happy that you met my wife albeit briefly before eventually passing away, but you taught me a vital enduring lesson. You groomed me not to sleep on my dreams. 

You made me realise that courage is enough to embark on a grand vision. In my professional life, these lessons have helped me. I have completed several visionary projects under circumstances where it was easier to doubt myself than begin. Mama, you taught me to take those leaps of faith and hope for God’s guidance. This has worked for me, and I am eternally thankful to you as I continue life’s journey. That said, I cannot but zero in on how you immersed me into Christendom from the cradle. I recall how you dragged me along to church for early morning prayers at 5am, every day of the week, even as uncomfortable as it appeared then. It was also a great privilege to live with and enjoy the sonship of your Mother and her Mother who passed the batons of faith and immersed me in the joy of belonging to the St. Paul’s CAC Oke Igan family

Mama, the El Shaddai has brought to pass and exceeded the great dreams you had for me. They are now real, to the glory of God. Thus, all that I’ve achieved in life till now—being my 50th year, I humbly dedicate them to your memory.
Sleep on Dear Madam State !!!