Hannah Idowu Dideolu Awolowo
| Hannah Idowu Dideolu Awolowo | |
|---|---|
| First Lady of Western Region, Nigeria | |
|
In office 1 October 1954 – 1 October 1960 | |
| Succeeded by | Faderera Aduke Akintola |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Hannah Idowu Dideolu Adelana 25 November 1915 Ikenne, British Nigeria |
| Died | 19 September 2015 (aged 99) |
| Nationality | Nigerian |
| Political party |
Unity Party of Nigeria (1978–1983) Action Group (1950–1966) |
| Spouse(s) | Obafemi Awolowo (m. 1937; d. 1987) |
| Relations |
Yemi Osinbajo (grandson-in-law) Dolapo Osinbajo (granddaughter) |
| Children |
Segun Awolowo Tola Oyediran Oluwole Awolowo Ayodele Soyode Tokunbo Awolowo-Dosunmu |
| Residence | Ogun State |
| Education | Methodist Girls' High School |
| Profession | Businesswoman |
| Religion | Christianity |
Hannah Idowu Dideolu Awolowo (née Adelana; November 25, 1915 – September 19, 2015), popularly known as HID,[1] was born to a modest family in the small Ikenne community of Ogun State in Nigeria and attended Methodist Girls High School, Lagos.[2] She was married to politician Obafemi Awolowo from December 26, 1937 to his death in 1987.[3] He famously referred to her as his "jewel of inestimable value". She was also a successful businesswoman and astute politician. She played an active role in the politics of Western Nigeria. She stood in for her husband in the alliance formed between the NCNC and the AG, called the United Progressive Grand Alliance (UPGA), while he was tried and in jail.
The plans were that she would contest the elections, and if she won, would step down for her husband in a by-election. To fulfil his dream of becoming president in the Second Republic, she toured the length and breadth of the country with her husband campaigning. She also coordinated the women's wing of the party and was always present at all party caucuses. A successful businesswoman, she became the first Nigerian distributor for the Nigerian Tobacco Company (NTC) in 1957. She was the first to import lace materials and other textiles into Nigeria. In addition to a variety of other titles, she held the chieftaincy of the Yeye Oodua of Yorubaland. On September 19, 2015, she died at the age of 99 just over 2 months short of her 100th birthday.[4][5][6] She was laid to rest beside her husband in Ikenne on November 25, 2015.[7]
References
- ↑ Oyetimi, Kehinde. "Hannah Idowu Dideolu Awolowo(HID) clocks 95 on Thursday". Retrieved 5 August 2013.
- ↑ Musa Odoshimokhe (November 25, 2015). "How Awolowo met, married HID". The Nation. Retrieved June 16, 2016.
- ↑ Adeniyi, Tola (1993). The jewel: the biography of Chief (Mrs.) H.I.D. Awolowo. Gemini Press. ISBN 978-978-31953-0-1.
- ↑ "Late politician's wife dies at 99". Pulse Nigeria. 19 September 2015. Retrieved 19 September 2015.
- ↑ Samuel Awoyinfa. "Mama died in my arms – Tokunbo Awolowo-Dosunmu". Nigeria: The Punch. Retrieved September 22, 2015.
- ↑ Earnest Nwokolo (September 20, 2015). "H. I. D. AWOLOWO 1915 – 2015 'Mama died singing, praying'". the Nation. Retrieved September 22, 2015.
- ↑ Daud Olatunji (November 27, 2015). "Hannah Idowu Dideolu Awolowo: Buried in grand style". The Vanguard. Retrieved December 6, 2015.