James Sowole in Abeokuta

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo, yesterday, relived the legacy of his late wife and First Lady of Nigeria, Mrs. Stella Obasanjo, saying, “I missed my wife”.

Obasanjo made the declaration at the thanksgiving service on her 20th anniversary memorial.

The former president said the former first lady lived a life of service.

Mrs. Stella Obasanjo died on 23 October 2005.

The former president described her as a woman who dedicated her life to serving the country.  

Speaking to journalists after the church service held to celebrate her at the Chapel of Christ the King of Glory, Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library (OOPL), Obasanjo said: “We came to celebrate a life of service”.

Recounting the motherhood love he missed, her son, Olumuyiwa Obasanjo, asserts that the late Stella’s impactful life will be missed forever, adding, however, that her legacy will live on. 

He stated that his mother was caring, protective of him as an only child, but would not tolerate any deviation.

“So, I’ve kept that in mind, and I’ve continued to try to live my life in that way”.  

According to him, “her laughter, kindness, and you know, all the advice, life lessons that she shared will be missed, have been missed, and you know, her legacy will live on.”

While ministering at the celebration service, the Pioneer Chaplain of the Aso Villa Chapel in Abuja, Prof. Yusuf Obaje, stated that Stella’s name is written in the book of immortalised people because of her impact on humanity.  

Obaje, who spoke on the topic: “On duty for God and Nigeria’s greatness”, stated that the Earth is largely a theatre of arrivals and departures, where the supreme owner and Lord of the universe ultimately determine the timing of arrival and the departure of all creations and things on earth. 

“For humans, the arrival time is celebrated at the time of Earth, while the departure time is often mourned at the time of death. The period and indeed their departure provide a stage where each human, actor or actress displays the given challenge, which reflects the character”. 

Obaje posited that in Nigeria, the late Mrs. Stella Obasanjo was in the class of those identified as the people with immortalised names in the land of the living.

Meanwhile, former Governors Gbenga Daniel and Ibikunle Amosun of Ogun State, in their own tributes, described her as a loving woman while she was alive, noting that her support was top-notch.  

“We thank God for her life, 20 years down the line, the legacy she left behind, the son and grandchildren, we will continue to miss her motherly support.”

“In particular, during my time as governor of the state. That was why we named a motherless home after her,” Daniel said.

On his part, Amosun said, “She loved Nigeria. And while she was with us, when she was first, everybody could attest to the fact that she carried herself well, and she did well in that office. She promoted that office and elevated that office.

“I will continue to pray that the good Lord will grant her eternal rest.”

In his own remarks, John Abebe, who is her younger brother, said that Stella was somebody of happiness at any time, and always smiled through everything, every difficulty.

Abebe recalled that she was the only person who put smiles on their parents’ faces whenever they were angry, saying, “Sister Stella had a unique way of doing things.”

“I remember when my oldest brother passed on as soon as my sister came from Abeokuta to see my parents or to stay with my parents, everything changed in the house. With her smile and huge encouragement to my parents, the grief was reduced”.

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