Unlike the fanfare that greeted the 80th birthday ceremony of Hajia Bintu Fatima Tinubu, almost two months ago, the same cannot be said of the funeral of Chief Olajide Oyewole, the father in-law of Wale Tinubu, the Chief Executive Officer of Oando Plc. His wife, Bola who abhors publicity like a plague, ensured that her father’s funeral was as simple as it can be, devoid of all the attendant extravagance characteristic of parties thrown by her ilk.
Although Chief Oyewole, who was the Otun of Igbajo, died on April 1, 2023, his funeral didn’t take place until two months later. It began with a commendation service at the Archbishop Vining Memorial Church Cathedral, Ikeja GRA. This was followed by a Christian Wake two days later at Osun State and then he was interred the day after, following a funeral service at Holy Trinity African Church, Igbajo, Osun State.
The simple ceremonies were planned by Eventful, a foremost events planning company owned by socialite Yewande Zaccheus. A notable corporate lawyer, investor and board member of several multinational companies including DHL Nigeria, Beroid Oil Services, Boulos Enterprises and King Carpets, Chief Oyewole established his own law firm, Olajide Oyewole & Co, focusing it on being a solicitor’s firm which dwelt on serving the legal needs of corporate entities, even though the company could also handle litigation matters. He ran the company until he retired from active practice in 1990 and immediately moved to Igbajo the year after where he devoted himself fully to community development. A key project he was involved in was the establishment of Igbajo Polytechnic, the first community polytechnic to be established in Nigeria. He used his personal and corporate contacts to obtain substantial donations from various individuals and companies he was involved in to ensure its establishment.
Ivory Ukonu is a versatile journalist with many years of experience, with entertainment and society reporting as her area of core competence.
