HID: Mama’s death brought us out of hiding –Jonathan

• Eldest daughter confirms Nov. 25 burial date
  …Centenary birthday programme now funeral rites

By Moshood Adebayo, Charles Adegbite and Segun Olatunji, Abeokuta

FORMER President Good­luck Jonathan yesterday in Ikenne, Ogun State said he and his wife, Patience were compelled to come out of “hiding” due to the sudden death of the matriarch of the Awolowo family, Chief (Mrs.) HID Awolowo.

Jonathan said this just as the Awolowo family yester­day declared November 25 the burial date of their late matriarch, confirming the story published on Monday by Daily Sun concerning her funeral.

The former president ar­rived in the Ikenne coun­try home of the Awolowos in company with his wife and other former officers of his government at about 1:17p.m.

Jonathan, who was re­ceived by former governor Gbenga Daniel, explained that since leaving office on May 29 this year, he and his wife took a decision not to go outside their home state in the next 12 months.

The former president ex­tolled the virtues of the late matriarch, adding that she was a rare mother to all Ni­gerians.

In her response, eldest daughter of the late matri­arch, Mrs. Omotola Oyedi­ran declared that her mother would be buried on Novem­ber 25, the day she was sup­posed to celebrate her cente­nary birthday.

Oyediran assured that the programme being put in place for her centenary cel­ebrations would be retained for her funeral.

“By the grace of God, we haven’t concluded all the arrangements, but I can let you know that on the very day that she’s supposed to be 100, that day she will be buried. There will be a lot of dancing, perhaps, a bit of tears to say good bye to a very beautiful woman, to a beautiful friend, to some­body that I always referred to as ‘Iyaniwura’.”

Earlier, the leaders of the pan-Yoruba socio-political group, Afenifere; former sec­retary general of the Com­monwealth, Chief Emeka Anyaoku; popular Juju mu­sic maestro, Chief Ebenezer Obey-Fabiyi, Chief Ayo Adebanjo; National Chair­man of the All Progressives Congress, Chief John Oye­gun, Chief George Moghalu paid condolence visits to the Ikenne country home of the Awolowos.

The Democratic Peo­ple’s Congresss (DPC) on Wednesday described HID’s death as shocking.

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) said on Wednesday that the death of the matriarch of the Awolo­wo family, Mrs. Hannnah Awolowo, represented the end of a great era in Nigerian history.