It's Sunday 10th July, 2016…

Sister Toyin and I had a remarkable meeting with Mummy today.

I had gone to see Mummy yesterday, but I'm not sure she even knew that I was around. She wasn't talking. She was breathing as if she was sleeping, but her eyes were open - they looked rather distant.

I woke up this morning with Mummy on my mind, but very disturbed in my spirit. I asked God “what is happening?”; and then the Holy Spirit told me,

"Ascribe all the greatness to our Lord the Rock

His work is perfect and all his ways are just

He is a God of faithfulness, without injustice

True and upright is He".

That calmed me - knowing that God is in full control.

But by the time I got to Church for Service, I became even more disturbed in my Spirit. I felt an urgent need to talk to and pray with Mummy. Pastor Lekan (my husband) promptly arranged for someone to take me to Iduna Specialist Hospital in Apapa, where mummy was. There, I met my Sister Toyin (Dcns/Dr Kehinde Briggs) waiting for me.

We were on a mission, and we started out by singing a lot of hymns to Mummy, and were eventually able to get her attention.

Then together we did the following:

1. On behalf of all of her children and sister: Tai, Toyin, Tutu, Bunmi, Tosin, Tolu and Aunty Tai (we mentioned everyone's names), we thanked her for all that she had done for us.

2. We assured her that we all love her dearly.

3. We let her know that we will all be okay when she eventually leaves, especially because of her investment in us - her legacy. When she goes, "Na God win!"

4. We led her to reaffirm her faith in God and Jesus Christ. She confirmed that she is born again, and knows that she is going to Heaven. We let her know that all her sins have been forgiven.

5. We asked her to forgive any one that may have hurt her. She said she had done that already.

6. We shared with her the significance of breaking bread / Holy Communion.

7. We broke bread with her, and prayed with her.

At each stage, we solicited answers (yes/no) from her, and she answered clearly, appropriately and without hesitation. She fully understood everything we said.

By the time we were done, we were all filled with so much peace; with joy unspeakable and full of glory. Mummy even responded "jantolo" to our pet song!

That was the last lucid moment Mummy had.

It’s Wednesday 27th July, 2016…

Praise the Lord! A saint has just been translated unto glory; to live and reign with her Lord and Saviour forever!

What a testimony!!!

Tutu Balogun (Pastor)

Biography

of

Mrs. Comfort Adunola Rowaiye (nee Oduwobi), FCII, FCIB, FIIN

Oloye Asiwaju Onigbagbo St. Phillips Anglican Church, Ijebu-Igbo

June 5th 1937 – July 27th 2016

The life story of Comfort, Adunola, Ibidunni, Rowaiye achieves the accolades of a phenomenal comforter, consummate ICON and matriarch which expresses the vision of her nativity and fulfils the appellations of her names by her parents: the Duke, Bale of Torimogunje, Thomas Senuga Oduwobi and her mother who was phenomenally named Iyalode Abigail Oladunni Oduwobi with matrilineal ancestry of being born to the Iya-Alaro Comfort Onayemi of 37, Asigidi Road Itale Oke-Agbo, Ijebu-Igbo. ‘Adunola’ was really the sweetness of her prestigious birth and a joy of procreation ‘Ibidunni’.

The Icon’s prodigious education in 1945 started significantly in the Infant School of the church celebrating her funeral, St. John’s Anglican School, Oke-Sopen. The Icon’s infant education from the hill top ‘Oke’-Jaga in Ijebu-Igbo was concluded with credentials in 1947 from Ogbere United Primary School, coincidentally, now St. Phillip’s Anglican Primary School of St. Phillips Anglican church which as would be seen later, honoured Mrs. Comfort Adunola Ibidunni Rowaiye.

Young vibrant Comfort Adunola Ibidunni traversed and navigated education through the prestigious Anglican Girls School, Igbeba, Ijebu-Ode in 1953, Government Teachers Colleges Ikorodu and Oshogbo between 1956-1957 and 1960-1961 respectively; and then to pioneer the then uncharted terrain for female gender in associateship of the Chartered Insurance Institute of London reputably known as ACII in 1967. Mrs. Comfort Rowaiye characteristically devoted to ‘comforting’ the unfortunate by devotion to hard work in the cover, assurance, protection, coverage, indemnification and insurance calling, earned in 1972, fellowship of the Institute of Commerce FCII having attended the famous East London College of Commerce and Holborn College of Law respectively. Returning to our domestic professional bodies she had held fellowships of the Chartered Insurance Institute of Nigeria FIIN and of the Nigerian Council of Registered Insurance Brokers FCIB.     

The credentials of Mrs. Comfort Adunola Ibidunni Rowaiye gave her career leeway of teaching in Ansar-ud-deen Primary School Epe between 1959-1960, being Head Mistress of the Local Government Primary School Lalupon in 1961, before she proceeded to London in 1962 and was articled with Freeman Mail Order Services for Keith Shipton Insurance Brokers, Calphan Road, London between 1964 - 1966. Mrs. Comfort Adunola Ibidunni Rowaiye qualified to assume the position of Insurance Institute Overseas Trainee with the prestigious General Accident Fire and Life Assurance between 1967 and 1968. Prior to Mrs. Comfort Adunola Ibidunni Rowaiye’s return to Nigeria she worked in Legal and General Insurance Co. Ltd. London from 1969 to 1971.

Bringing the gains of education, training and experience home, Mrs. Comfort Adunola Ibidunni Rowaiye joined the Royal Exchange Association of Nigeria plc, and rose steadily to Accident Manager in 1981. In the interim Mrs. Comfort Adunola Ibidunni Rowaiye lectured in the Chartered Institute of Insurance between 1973 and 1978, serving on several committees of the Institute and becoming a member of the Council of the Chartered Insurance Institute and of the Nigerian Council of Registered Insurance Brokers.

Mrs. Comfort Adunola Ibidunni Rowaiye’s participation in the brokerage aspect of the insurance industry was as Managing Director, Milestone Insurance Brokers Ltd. and she later forged business enterprise with her husband in Rowodu Enterprises and conceived and ran another family business, Hermon Limited.

After Mrs. Comfort Adunola Ibidunni Rowaiye retired ‘meritoriously’ (a word that was not merely used) in 1989, the Icon emerged president of the Chartered Insurance Institute between 1996 and 1998 remaining an indefatigable Member of Council thereafter. As a prelude to Mrs. Comfort Adunola Ibidunni Rowaiye as pillar and matriarch in the insurance industry, she was an iconic founding member and the first secretary of the influential Professional Insurance Ladies Association ‘PILA’.

Mrs. Comfort Adunola Ibidunni Rowaiye was not only about business. Of course she ‘Rowaiyed’, looked at life, and her radiance and ‘Adun’ charmed her surviving husband then young engineer, now Pa J. O. Rowaiye (a prominent pillar of St. John’s Anglican Church). This sweet ‘Adun’ yielded ‘Ibidunnis’ – insurance clones. Mrs. Comfort Adunola Ibidunni Rowaiye’s mentoring and child rearing has also produced medical, finance, pharmacy, surveying and public relations clones albeit, biologically, as there are a host of mentees whose parentage she supported till her final days. 

In rejoicing in Christ our Saviour, Mrs. Comfort Adunola Ibidunni Rowaiye was:

Founding Member and Deputy President of the Congress of Ijebu-Igbo Community (CIC); Past President Premier Club of Ijebu-Igbo Ladies (PRECIL); Member of Anglican Fellowship, Archbishop Vining Memorial Church Cathedral, Ikeja Elected Member of the Greater Chapter of the said Archbishop Vining Memorial Church Cathedral Matron/Patroness of: Agape Christian Sisters, Archbishop Vining Memorial Church Cathedral, Ikeja Band of Mercy, Archbishop Vining Memorial Church Cathedral YWCA, Archbishop Vining Memorial Church Cathedral Christian Unity Band, Christ Anglican Church, Agege Anglican Youth Fellowship, Archdeacon Ogunbiyi Memorial Church, Ikeja Anglican Youth Fellowship, St. Phillips Anglican Church, Oke-Agbo, Ijebu-Igbo; YCF, St. Phillips Anglican Church, Ijebu-Igbo; The Choir of St. Phillips Anglican Church, Ijebu-Igbo; Ibukunolu Social Club, Ijebu-Igbo.

As her soul continued to magnify her saviour our Lord Jesus Christ, Mrs. Comfort Adunola Ibidunni Rowaiye was recognised as the celebrated Asiwaju Onigbagbo for her leadership in devotion to Christendom by St. Phillips Anglican Church, Ijebu-Igbo in 2011.

With gratitude to God for a life well spent we must submit to Divine Will that surpasses all understanding in the recall of Mrs. Comfort Adunola Ibidunni Rowaiye. Her Family thanks all those who had honoured in numerous letters, award of numerous plaques, prayed for and been part of the Mrs. Comfort Adunola Ibidunni Rowaiye Story. May her radiant Soul Rest in Perfect Peace as she rightfully deserves.

From the Archives of the Rowaiye Dynasty.

July 27th 2016.