The best of life is the best of the one spent in the service of God and humanity.
So goes a popular saying . This saying consequently situates the kind of good life lived for 73 years by Chief Mrs. Omowumi Akande, the matriarch of the family of the former governor, state of Osun and pioneer National Chairman, APC, Chief Adebisi Akande. Born on 11th January, 1944 to Late Pa. Raji Akanni Adeleke of Ile Elekian Amonija in Ila-Orangun and Late Madam Omifunke Abike Adeleke, of Ile Alaa, Iperin, also of Ila-Orangun, State of Osun,the then young charming and ebullient Omowumi had the rare privilege of acquiring Western education due to her father's early interactions with the missionaries.
The young Omowumi, had her primary School education at Baptist Day School in Ikire and Baptist Girls’ Secondary Modern School at Idi-Aba in Abeokuta. She later trained and worked as a nurse and midwife at Iree Baptist Welfare Medical Centre from 1963 to 1966.
She also worked at Ibadan City Council Health Department as a Nurse/midwife before her professional career took her to the famous Oniyanrin Maternity Center.
In 1967, the quiet and kind Omowumi briefly worked with the Island Maternity Hospital, Lagos before joining the Family Planning Council for another twelve years of meritorious services in Nursing.
When she eventually retired in 1979, she became a full fledged business woman as a key distributor with the Standard Breweries, Africana Breweries and Coca-Cola bottling Companies among other high profile bottling Giants in Nigeria. A mother, and grand mother of remarkable business acumen, Mrs Omowumi Akande also had a business foray as a key distributor in cement for Portland cement Company , Nigeria in addition to being a a petrol dealer of repute with Uni-petrol, Oke-Ado, Ibadan, Oyo state at a period when her husband, Chief Adebisi Akande was appointed Secretary to the Government of the old OYO state in 1979.
The first among several siblings of her polygamous family, Chief Mrs Omowumi Akande (née Adeleke) was a woman of distinction whose love and philanthropic gestures knew no bound while alive especially in the field of education where she personally bankrolled the education and human developments of many people, known and unknown to her . As a mark of her inbuilt love, generosity and philanthropism, Mama's private residence while alive was a haven for visitors particularly for one assistance or the other which she diligently and gladly obliged.
Chief. Mrs Omowumi Akande, a Jerusalem Pilgrim (JP), was a consistent apostle of doing good unto others untill she breathed her last on the 11th of July 2017.
The late Chief ( Mrs) Omowumi Akande is survived by her darling husband – Chief Adebisi Akande a former Governor of Osun State and pioneer national champion of APC, children and many grand children.Five years ago, just like yesterday, our dear wife, mother, grand mother, sister, aunt- Chief Mrs Omowumi Akande departed this wicked world. We will continue to love you but above all we are consoled by the fact you made so many priceless impacts on us and humanity in general.
Rest on our dear
Yeye Balogun of Aramoko,
Yeye Jagunmolu Oodua, Ijebu Ife
and
Yeye Oba of Imoru-Ijebu.
