By Banji Ayoola
Mrs. Rachael Adenike Petinrin, the mother of Nigeria’s former Chief of Defence Staff, Air Chief Marshal Oluseyi Petinrin, retired, has died. She passed on at 3.45 pm on Friday, April 24, at the Federal Medical Centre, Owo in Ondo State. She was aged 89.
Apart from the retired Air Chief Marshal Petinrin, the deceased is survived by Mrs. Oluwayemisi Olowojesiku, Mrs Oluwatoyin Oluwafemi, Mrs Opeyemi Olalekan-Mensah, Mrs Omolara Bayo-Anjorin and Mrs Olabisi Debo-Odunlade.
Until her passage, she was living at her residence at the Federal Housing Estate, otherwise called Shagari Village, in Akure, the Ondo State capital.
Mrs. Yemisi Olowojesiku, who spoke with The Radiance in Akure, described her departed mother as the “best mother in the world.”
In her words: “My mum is the best mother in the world. She was very beautiful, kind hearted, and mother of everybody. She loved everybody generally.
On that day, before her death, 30 minutes before dying, she told us that we should remove her from this place; that she was no longer here; that we should take her home; that she wanted to go to her home, her heavenly home. And later she was telling us that the devil had failed over her life.
All these good attributes made this mama to get to heaven. We are sure of that because of her testimonies; and everybody has been saying so many good things about her, even by coming to greet us here.
I feel swollen headed by what people have been saying about her. They say she was generous, that she was just like Dorcas; People said she trained their children; she gave them food, money and all that, to take care of their families; that they hoped the Lord would just return her too like Dorcas. But no, it is not possible again because mama was already 89.
We really miss this mama. We would continue to miss her. She was loveable, kind hearted. I don’t want her to go, but the Lord says she should come. So there is nothing I can do. I cried so much, but I cannot bring her back. She is a mother.”
Recounting her experience when she and her siblings were growing up, Mrs. Olowojesiku said: “I just knew that mama would bring everybody together, even those that were not her children. She would be giving us food together. At times, some of us would even be annoyed that she was not giving us enough; that when she cooked food, all the food would go to visitors and not even the children alone. She loved everybody; not her children alone, but everybody generally. And she wanted everybody to be educated as well.
Like her character again, two of her grandchildren had not got job. But she would collect children of her church members that were poor. She would tell you that those people needed jobs more than her two grandchildren; that if my brother could help them to give them these jobs instead of even giving those people. Mama did so much like that.
That was why we said this mummy was a very good woman; and everybody has been attesting to that fact since they have been coming here.”
She said that the funeral arrangements would be after the prevailing lockdown due to the rampaging coronavirus pandemic.
Her words: “Based on this coronavirus of a thing, most of her children are in the US. So they cannot come down now. The whole place is shut down. Nobody can come home. And we all want to witness the end of this woman on earth, at least before her burial.
So we are waiting. We are praying fervently that this situation would end on time, so that anytime it ends, we would do the necessary burial ceremony for mama. She deserves it.”
She added that the tributes being poured on her departed mother by sympathisers who had called, “made me to realise that all of us should have Jesus Christ as our Lord and Saviour. “
She said: “We should love one another. It is not just any church you attend or whatever. If you have any grievances with your neighbor or anybody, please try and be at peace with everybody, so that we too can make heaven like mama did.
She did more than required in the church. The pastor and everybody attested to that fact that she did not owe any money on the contribution they asked them to be making. Mama has paid that and even more than she was expected to pay.”
Sympathisers who had visited Mrs. Olowojesiku’s residence, near her departed mother’s include the Estate President, Mr. Emman Adumashin.
He wrote in the condolence register: “On behalf of the entire residents of Federal Housing Estate, Shagari Village, Akure, we join the entire families of Petinrin and Olowojesiku to celebrate the glorious passing of Mama Petinrin. She was a resident, very impactive, cooperative, supportive and Godly.”
Also, Revd Canon and Mrs. E. Olu Fatile of Christ Anglican Church, Federal Housing Estate, Akure, wrote: “Beautiful is the remembrance of the righteous after their departure from this sinful world. Mama lived a righteous life according to testimonies from all around. Her Christian life was exceptional and preached the gospel of Jesus Christ. We shall all miss her and her Christian virtues.”
The departed Mrs. Petinrin was born on September 12, 1931 into the royal Arigbabowo family of Ipetu-Ijesa, Oriade Local Government Area, in Osun State.
Her father was the late Mr. Jacob Ariowopeyimeso Omilana and her mother was late Mrs. Julianah Omiyejo Omilana ‘Mummy Ipetu’ as fondly called by many. She had an eventful life, coming from a disciplined Christian family and the only surviving child of her mother.
She was baptised into Christianity at Saint Paul’s Anglican Church, Ipetu-Ijesa in 1946. She started her primary education at Saint Paul’s Primary School, Ipetu-Ijesa in 1941. She also went to Methodist Girls School, Ilesa, from where she proceeded to the Teachers Training College, Jos, in 1955. During the holiday period, she sold palm oil in Ede and yams in Osogbo, both now in Osun State. She later graduated as a teacher. Because of her love for education, she also attended various teacher institutions in Jos Plateau State.
She got married to her husband, late Pa Titus Oluwakayode Petinrin, in 1954; and the marriage is blessed with six children; a male and five females who are all happily married with children and some with grand children.
She and her husband worked in several towns because of the nature of the husband’s job as a Post Office Supervisor. Their duty posts included Lokoja, Jos, Osogbo, Owo, Ikire, Otan-Ayegbaju and Ilesa.
Mrs Petinrin was well loved by all the people around her in these towns, which made some of the people she met to still come visiting her in her Akure residence till her passage.
She started her teaching career in 1951 and she retired as Headmistress of C. A. C Primary School, Ipetu Ijesa in 1987. Coupled with her teaching career, she was a sewing mistress and proved herself to be hardworking, industrious and a virtuous woman.
She was active in church service that she was a choir mistress till she turned 60. She attended church programmes regularly and she would always tell people to pray and have faith in God whenever people came to confide in her that they had one problem or the other. As a result people used to her to pray for them so that they could be like her.
The departed Mrs. Petinrin was a blessing to her children, family, the church and mankind at large. She touched many lives positively; a mentor and an inspiration to many successful souls through her rich inner being and life style. She was humble, reliable, kind, sympathetic, tolerant, patient, forgiving, a peace lover and considerate.
Her open door policy of accommodating members of the family, friends and even strangers was unique. The first question she usually had for anyone who came visiting her after the usual greetings is: ‘What will you eat?’ and she would get the food ready before the visitor settled down.
She was a loving and caring mother to many children aside her biological children, who attribute their successes today to her care, financial and moral support. She was a lover of priests.
