Madam Sabinah Adeyinka died on 4 August, aged 108 years.
When she was 90, she recorded the story of her life and her struggle, side by side Mrs. Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti Iwas born in December 1895 at Ifo Okenla, called the Christian village. My father was Mr. Ezekiel James Oderinde and my mother, Madam Olayode Oderinde. They were originally heathens, but were converted to Christianity.
I started schooling in the village primary school in 1905, under the late Mr. J.A.S. Ephraim. In 1908 a new teacher arrived at Ifo who had just finished as a trained teacher from St. Andrews College, Oyo. His name was Mr. Simon Peter Adeyinka. He was my teacher all the time, and there and then we began our courtship. But at the end of 1911, he was transferred to St. Paul's school, Igbore, Abeokuta to become the Headmaster. I went to Kudeti Girls' School in Ibadan in 1913 under the principalship of Miss Boyling.
Another prominent teacher in the school was Mrs. Owell.
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When I arrived in school, because of my age and experience, I was placed in the highest class in the school, so I finished at the end of 1913. Then in January 1914, I was sent by my father to go and learn how to sew, under the tutelage of Mrs. M.L. Thompson at Shapon, Abeokuta. I finished my two year course in December 1915.
Marital Life During this entire period of my schooling and apprenticeship in the sewing institute, contact between Mr.
Adeyinka and myself was maintained. My parents did not object and it became obvious that it was all going to end with marriage.
There were two missionaries around then, Mrs. Ranckilor and Mrs. Fry who advised that, rather than going to become a teacher which I had planned to do, I ought to get married immediately so as to join my future husband in the missionary work which he had set upon. Rather reluctantly I yielded and on the 9th of December 1915 I got married to Mr. Simon Peter Adeyinka at Holy Trinity Church, Ifo Okenla. The service was conducted by the Rev. J.F. Peters, assisted by Rev. M.S. Cole, both of blessed memory. Before the marriage, he had been transferred to Ifaki in Ekiti from where he travelled to Okenla for the wedding. He had also received training as a Cathechist, so immediately after the wedding we both returned to Ifaki, he to continue his missionary work, and I to commence my own part of a missionary's wife. After one year at Ifaki we moved to Ushi, also in Ekiti and also as Cathechist-Teacher in charge.
I had my first issue of a boy at Ushi in 1917; he lived for only one year and died in 1918. Later I got another issue, also a boy, named Victor Olusoji on Armistice Day, 1919.
When Olusoji was born, my husband had returned to St. Andrew's College, Oyo to receive training for the Ministry. He soon returned home, and we were transferred to SUNREN village. Here, on December 7, 1921 I gave birth to another son, named Charles Ayodeji. Olusoji was not destined to live long; he died at the age of seven years in 1926. We left Sunren for Itori Railway Station in 1927.
We were transferred to St. Paul's Church, Igbore, Abeokuta early in 1928, and I had another issue of a son, born on the Ist of June 1928, and named Oluranti. I got another issue, this time a female child, in 1934 and we name her Olabisi. But she live for six months and passed away.
And my Abikehin, a boy, was born on 7th of March 1937; we called him Olusegun.
I thank God.
My Life As a Pastor's Wife My husband and I spent most of our working lives in the Egba area; in fact all our children were born there.
I am an Egba, but my husband was from Ado-Ekiti; my life as a Pastor's wife was very busy and exciting. I spent lots of time doing church work alongside with my husband.
Inside our own parish, as vicar's wife, I played an active part in all church activities, and even outside the parish, there was not a dull moment. I soon got elected the Secretary General to the Abeokuta Women's Guild. At home, it was even more busy.
My husband was a great family man. He loved his family passionately, and he regularly went to Ado-Ekiti, his home town, to return with this or that member of his family whom he thought needed help. As he did with his own side of the family, so he did with my own side. Indeed, so he did with the families of many people whom he had met and related with during our previous travels. In the parsonage at Igbore, there were children from Ado-Ekiti, from Ifo Okenla, from villages all around Egba-land where he had previously worked, and from Abeokuta town. My husband made friends easily, and soon we had staying with us children from the Sodipo family, from the Sowemimo family, the Oyero's, the Akinsanya's - oh, I can't remember not to talk of the Aladedahunsi family of Ado-Ekiti and the Oderinde's of Okenla Village.
My husband was a wonderful man. I was also very active with the wives of the other clergy in the town. I can remember Mrs. Delumo of Ake Parish, Mrs. Falode of Igbein Parish, Mrs. Sodipe of Ikereku Parish - these were very wonderful people.
More than anyone else I must mention Mrs. Funlayo Ransom-Kuti.
This great woman was not in the evangelical line like us; she was in education. She came from Thomas Village, only a few miles away from Okenla, and we were supposed to be cousins.
Because she was in education, she was not wholly in our group.
Her husband was Principal of Abeokuta Grammar School whilst she ran the Miss Kuti's class. And because of our relationship from the village, it was inevitable that we pulled together, it was also inevitable that, when the troubles started in Abeokuta over tax matters, I was firmly on her side. Those were terrible days; here was I, with Mrs. Kuti agitating over tax matters on one side; there was my husband right on the other side - one of the Alake's best friends! The solution came with God's blessing and knowledge. We were transferred to Ado-Ekiti, my husband's home!
We arrived at Ado in 1949 where my husband assumed the position of Chairman of the District Council. Returning home after over 40 years away, except for the short periods at Ushi and Ifaki, he was bustling with enthusiasm. His stay in Ado was however short lived, and we soon found ourselves packing our baggages, this time to Ilorin in 1950. By 1952 my husband had enough and we returned that same year in retirement to Ado, his home town.
There, at Ado, we were enjoying our retirement when he died peacefully on October 5, 1958. After a year's anniversary of my husband's death, my three sons, Ayodeji, Oluranti and Olusegun came to fetch me over to Lagos to stay with Oluranti whose wife was getting ready to travel to London for further studies. Then, Olusegun got married and started raising a family and I moved over to stay with him, his wife and my grandchildren. I am still with him.
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Yet again, tragedy struck. My son Ayodeji died on May 8, 1968. He had qualified as a Doctor and died at the age of 47.
Beside the deaths of my children, nothing has had a greater influence on me than the life and death of one single individual and I must record this for posterity. Mrs.
Funlayo Ransome-Kuti was easily the greatest woman Nigeria ever produced. During my trials she was constantly by my side.
She travelled all the way from Abeokuta to Ado-Ekiti and stayed with me during the trials surrounding my husband's death; she was with me during the trauma of Ayodeji's death. Ten years ago, during the celebration of my eightieth birthday, she was ill in hospital, but she made sure she was discharged on the day, and came to join us, accompanied by her son Koye. I can never get over the events surrounding her death, nor the manner with which she was buried. As I was older, it was not proper for me to be there. But I prayed, and prayed, for her soul - and to God to forgive those who wronged her.
May God be with her wherever she is.
And now, at age ninety, I am ready to go and meet my maker.
I have two surviving sons, Oluranti and Olusegun.
I have no regrets. If I had ten, or even one hundred surviving children they could not have done for me more than those two, together with their wives and their children.
God bless them. May they live longer than I have. Once again I thank God.
