ForeverMissed
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Her Life
April 12, 2021
Life and Legacy 
Chief Mrs Yemisi Agunbiade - Sanusi was born in Nigeria on the 29th September, 1955 to Christian professional middle class parents. Her grandparents were Christian evangelists who built ‘Agunbiade Christ Anglican Church’ and a primary School in Abeokuta and Ibadan, Ogun State, Nigeria. Yemisi and her siblings (one brother and four sisters) are successful and well-accomplished professionals who are contributing to the global economy in the following fields: medical, banking, police and government and entrepreneurship. Our father was Chief Cornelius Segun Agunbiade, a retired Trade Union leader and The Baba - Ijo of Agunbiade Anglican Church. Our mother was Chief Dorcas Oladoja Agunbiade, an accomplished midwife and the Iya - Abiye of Fiditi, Oyo State Nigeria. Both of them are now deceased but were excellent achievers in their own rights, whom set an excellent  foundation for Yemisi and her siblings. 
 
 
Yemisi trained and qualified as a Psychiatric Nurse from the Federal School of Nursing; a WHO Centre of Excellence at Aro hospital in Abeokuta, Nigeria in 1977. Yemisi continued her training as a social worker at the prestigious University of Lagos, Nigeria. After graduating from the University of Lagos, Yemisi proceeded to pursue a Postgraduate Diploma course at the University of Manchester and on completion of this course; she further her studies to a Master’s Degree in Social Work at the University of Kent in Canterbury in 1984. 
 
On her return to her beloved home country, Nigeria, Yemisi pioneered the psychiatric social services at the Neuro-Psychiatric Hospital, Abeokuta. She was promoted as the first Chief Psychiatric Social Worker and served meritoriously for 23 years before she migrated to work for the National Health Service (NHS) in England in 1997. Prior to her migration to the United Kingdom, Yemisi served as the first African woman appointed as the Vice President for the World Federation of Mental Health (a United Nation's accredited agency). She has  travelled widely to virtually all continents in the world promoting mental health matters at world congresses in Mexico (1991), Japan (1993), Ireland (1985), Egypt (1987), USA (2006) to name a few. Yemisi was also a wonderful wife to her late husband, Chief A R O Sanusi, who she fondly always spoke about with wonderful memories and affection.
 
After fulfilling her dreams of helping people with mental health and helping to de-stigmatise the issues, Yemisi took early voluntary retirement from the NHS in 2012. Yemisi was a proud mother of three British trained graduates; Lizzie - a Senior IT consultant and CEO of Eldimaa Fashion,  Diana - an international artist based in Stockholm, Sweden, and Meg - an educator. She was also blessed with a brilliant granddaughter, Khloe. Despite widowhood, God sustained Yemisi to bring up all her precious daughters successfully.