Chief Mrs. Modupe Olubola Oyebolu was born into the Songonuga family of Aiyepe in Odogbolu Local Government Area of Ogun State. Her Father was Late Pa Ephraim Adesola Songonuga of the then Post and Telegraph, while her Mother was Late Chief Mrs Dorcas Afolabi Songonuga the Beere of Holy Trinity Anglican Church, Aiyepe. She was the first born of her family.
Education
Chief Mrs Modupe Oyebolu had her primary education at The Holy Trinity School, Aiyepe and finished at St Paul’s School Breadfruit, Lagos. She attended Queens College, Lagos for her secondary education in 1951 and was the head girl in her final year in 1955. She qualified as a state registered nurse in 1959 on Bronze Medal Grade at The School of Nursing, University College Hospital, Ibadan. Later that year, she proceeded to the United Kingdom where she qualified as a State Certified midwife in Leicester, England in 1960. While in Britain, she obtained a diploma in Premature Baby Nursing and also qualified as a Public Health Nurse in 1961. In 1981, she became a Foundation Fellow of the West African College of Nursing, Faculty of Community Health Nursing.
Professional Experience
Her first appointment as Health Sister was in 1961 with the then Western State Ministry of Health. Her first posting was to Ugheli Health Centre. She later proceeded to Ogbomoso General Hospital to start a health unit for the supervision of maternal and child health clinics in Iresaadu, Kishi, Igbeti and Igboho environs of Ogbomoso. In 1965 she went to work as a Health Sister at the Lagos City Council and moved to the Lagos State Ministry of Health in 1966. As a result of her inclination to nursing education, she was transferred to the Community Nurses Training School from where she went to train as a Public Health Nurse Tutor. At the inception of the School of Public Health Nursing in Lagos State, she transferred to the school and she remained there until her voluntary retirement in 1982 as a Principal Nurse Tutor.
After her retirement, she worked for several years at the WHO Training Centre, Yaba, as a consultant. She later transferred her services to work with ANAD Health Management Consultancy Services in Lagos as Co-Consultant with her mentor and friend (Mrs Anu Adegoroye) who was the Chief Consultant. The experience involved training of Healthcare Service trainers in many states across Nigeria: Sokoto, Kebbi, Plateau, Enugu, Anambra, Osun and Lagos. Professionally, she participated in many workshops and seminars, both inside and outside of Nigeria. As a fellow of the West African College of Nursing, she was elected as the Secretary General of the college and remained in that position from 1989 to 1991. On the 17th of October 2012, she received an Award of Excellence from the West African College of Nursing, Nigeria Chapter, in appreciation of her support and contributions to the WACN Nigeria Chapter.
Interests and Activities
Outside her profession, she found time to participate in several voluntary activities. She was a former President of Isolo Lioness Club; Former Regional Director, Lioness District 404 Nigeria, Friend and Former Trustee of the Spinal Cord Injury Association of Nigeria (SCIAN) Lagos State; 1st President of Ire-Akari Estate Women Association and 1st President of Ire-Akari Women Co-operative Society in Isolo, Lagos State.
She had the grace to be involved in various Church activities. She was a member of the Fellowship of Peace Committee for the disabled (CODISA) and Chapel Volunteer Singers at the Chapel of the Healing-Cross Idi-Araba, Lagos. She was a Matron of the New Hope Society, Holy Trinity Anglican Church, Ijebu Aiyepe. She was the Grand Matron of Busy Bees Society, Holy Trinity Anglican Church, Ikereku, Abeokuta, and Patroness of the Anglican Christian Fellowship in the same Church. Through God’s Grace, she was installed Iya-Egbe, Egbe Aya Bishop of the Church on 2nd December 2000, as a result of which she was very much involved with women’s activities in the Church Archdeaconry and the Diocese of Egba. Later, on 16th February 2014, she was installed as Iya Ijo of the Church.
On August 3, 2003, she received an Award of the Fellow of Abeokuta North Archdeaconry for excellent performance for the progress of the Archdeaconry. She was also a recipient of the Award of Honour for meritorious service by the then President of Egba Diocesan Women Organisation (Mrs E. O. Owadayo) on September 4, 2009. She was a member of the ‘Guidance and Counselling Committee for Intending and Married Couples’ of the Diocesan Women’s Organisation. On 3rd August 2014, she was given a Meritorious Service Award by the Lord Bishop of Egba Diocese, Rt. Rev Emmanuel Oludaisi Adekunle.
She loved gardening, music and singing. She was a mentor and great friend to young people and young couples.
Chief Mrs Modupe Olubola Oyebolu was married to Chief Oluseyi Oyebolu, a legal practitioner, for 56 years. The couple is blessed with four loving children and eight beautiful grandchildren.