Former Vice-President AtikuAbubakar has described the late Mrs. Hannah Idowu Dideolu (HID) Awolowo, as the “best first lady Nigeria never had”.
Atiku said Mama HID was a loyal and supportive housewife who helped her husband, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, attain success.
The Turaki of Adamawa spoke yesterday at the presentation of a book: “In the Radiance of the Sage: The Life and Times of HID Awolowo” in Ikenne, Ogun State.
The nine-chapter, 311-page book was written by Prof. Wale Adebanwi and reviewed by Prof. Adigun Agbaje.
The biography discusses many key moments of the deceased’s life, her roles in the life of her husband of 50 years and the then politics of the Southwest.
At the ceremony were former Speaker of the House of Representatives Dimeji Bankole; former Lagos State Governor Lateef Jakande; Sir Olanihun Ajayi; Chief Ayo Adebanjo; Chief Ebenezer Babatope; Senator Babafemi Ojudu and Ladi Adebutu, among others.
Atiku said Pa Awolowo could not have done all he did without his wife’s counsel, support, patience, prodding and perseverance.
He said: ”I know it is cliché to say that behind every successful man there is a woman.
“It may even sound somewhat sexist in this day and age when women’s achievements are receiving more recognition.
“It has long been known that Chief Awolowo owed a large portion of his success to his wife of 50 years.
“Of course, Chief Awolowo’s life was not only about successes and triumphs. He had his low and very challenging moments- suffering state-imposed restrictions on his movement, exile and imprisonment – all arising from political crises in the Western Region.
“And there is no better qualified person to say so than Chief Awolowo himself. In his autobiography, My Early Life, published in 1968, he said:’Throughout all the changing fortunes of my life, my wife, Hannah Idowu Dideolu Awolowo (nee Adelana) has been to me a jewel of inestimable value. She is an ideal wife … The outpouring of her love and devotion to me and to our family is exceeding and beyond words … I do not hesitate to confess that I owe my success in life to three factors: the Grace of God, a Spartan self-discipline, and a good wife. Our home is to all of us, a true haven; a place of happiness, and of imperturbable seclusion from the buffetings of life.’
“But she was more than a loyal and supportive housewife. She courageously became a leader in her own right and held Awolowo’s political family together during his incarceration.
“The courage, grace, tenacity and fortitude with which Mama stood during her husband’s imprisonment and after his death, affirm not only what her husband said about her, but that she was a true leader.
“She showed that she was a leader of people, including her family and the Southwest civic and political community.
“The Awolowo home remained a Mecca for political and civic leaders from across the country.
“Let me borrow from the late Chief Emeka Odumegwu Ojukwu and say that the late Mrs. HID Awolowo was the best first lady Nigeria did not have.”
On the late sage, Atiku said: “Let me digress. Chief Awolowo can be said to be the founder and true embodiment of progressive politics and governance in Southwest, which at one time included present-day Edo and Delta states.
“This was evident in his thoughts as expressed in his speeches and writings as well as his achievements in government and what motivated them: free education, which elevated the people of this region, free health services, infrastructure provision, including schools, roads, bridges, hospitals and clinics.
“The Cocoa House in Ibadan remains a shining example of a grand and futuristic vision; it was homage to agriculture and the one crop that helped improve the economy and lives of the region’s people.
“The Obafemi Awolowo University (formerly University of Ife), Ile-Ife, remains possibly the most beautiful public university campus in Nigeria.
“I emphasise public because my own university, American University of Nigeria (AUN), Yola, Adamawa State looks better.
“It is no surprise that even today’s Southwest leaders are being judged by the extent to which they live up to Awo’s vision, legacy and stature.”
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