Rev. Mother Superior Olive Adejobi tells ARUKAINO UMUKORO about her life
When and where were you born?
I was born on September 26, 1927, in Abeokuta, Ogun State. My parents were traders. My father traded in palm kernel produce while my mother was a petty trader. They were loving and caring parents.
How was growing up in those days?
Those days were pleasant when compared to nowadays. My father was a disciplinarian and one must never miss the Sunday school in church. Many of the teachers in the Sunday school then were also our teachers in the regular school. So when one got to the classroom on Monday, the teacher would ask who missed the Sunday school the day before. And if you were one of those who did, you were in for it. We enjoyed it anyway because Sunday school helped us as we grew into adulthood, and we became good citizens. There was peace. Also, we had good relationship with one another in the neighbourhood with no fear, unlike today. There was a strong sense of community life. Everyone knew the other person and was their brother’s keeper. It’s a pity that things have changed nowadays. I don’t know where to put the blame because things are not as they should be. Parents, the society and government have to do more and join hands to make society better and produce better citizens.
What role should the church play in making worshippers good citizens?
The minister must not only preach the gospel, but also advise the youths on becoming good citizens. This is because one does not only go to church, but also live among other people who do not attend the church. The youth in the church have to know how to relate with those outside the church.
What were the other highlights of your youthful days?
I remember very well when I was in primary school at St. Peters Primary School, Ake, Abeokuta. The school period started from 9am and ended at some minutes after 2pm. I can’t remember the period I attended the school, but I remember that the school headmaster at the time was the father of (Prof.) Wole Soyinka. I’ve forgotten his name. I knew Wole Soyinka and his elder sister, Tinu, when they were very young. I don’t know where the sister is now. I knew them because we lived in the same neighbourhood.
Can you tell a bit about Prof. Soyinka’s character then?
No, I can’t really tell since I didn’t know him very well and he was younger than I was then. He wasn’t even up to primary school age when I had just started primary school.
After your primary school, what other schools did you attend?
I attended Yaba Methodist School, Lagos. I also can’t recollect the period, but I was staying with my elder sister then at 92, Olonode Street, Yaba. Later, I went back to Abeokuta to attend the Anglican Girls Grammar School, where I got a scholarship to continue my studies at Queens’ College, Lagos. I finished my secondary schooling in 1944.
After schooling, where did you work?
I worked in the Post Office Savings Bank for about four years, from 1944 to 1948. An expatriate was the head of the bank then. I worked in the accounts department. Our department was responsible for ledgers, which contained the accounts of deposits and withdrawals of customers across Nigeria, but we did not deal directly with cash. However, we did with cheques. On the ledgers, one could clearly see a customer’s transactions and what he or she had in his or her account with us.
Can you compare today’s banking with the type that was practised in your days?
I cannot compare because I don’t know what they do now. But I can say that I enjoyed my time working there. There was honesty and people were hard working, there was no room for laziness. I did enjoy working there. I got married afterwards.
How did you meet your husband?
I met my husband, Rev. Apostle Emmanuel Adejobi, who is late now, in the church. He was then the pastor in charge of the church I attended. Getting married to my husband was God’s divine direction.
What attracted you to your late husband?
Initially, there was not much of an attraction really. At the beginning of our relationship, he told me about his life. His mother died when he was about three months old and someone else had to take care of him. Even when one has a father, it is not easy to live without a mother. So, he went through some good and bad times. He told me everything about himself. I felt sorry for him. But he also told me that he was not seeking for a wife, but a mother, because he did not grow up with one. He said he asked God to provide him a mother instead of a wife. When he said this, it touched my heart. Then, I made up my mind that no matter what, I would marry him.
Did he propose to you officially?
Yes, he did. And I said yes. We did not court for long. I got married at the age of 21.
Do you support early marriages for young ladies nowadays?
It depends. Age doesn’t matter. I only feel that it was God’s choice for me at that time.
What are the secrets of a successful marriage?
It is helpful when one has a good home training from one’s parents, and God’s guidance. Also, I had a successful marriage because I was able to listen to the advice of my parents and through God’s guidance, my husband and I surmounted all challenges that came our way. When one leans on Christ’s guidance, He will help one overcome marital problems. I remember when we started courting and got married; he was still young in his ministry calling as a pastor, although he was nine years older than I was. So, it was not easy for him at the start, but we soldiered on together. Nowadays, doing the work of God seems easy, but it wasn’t so in those days. Then, it was very difficult. I knew I was getting married to a minister of God and I was ready for the service to support him in his ministry. My husband died in 1991. I miss him a lot. It’s only now I am getting over it.
How many children do you have?
We have eight children and they are all married. I have many grandchildren and a great grandchild.
How did you cope with raising eight children and being married to a pastor at the start of his ministry?
It was through the grace of God. Even when we were in Sierra Leone, my husband had to travel to Ghana to establish new churches. That was in the 50s. But I was able to cope because I had some church elders around me.
Does being a minister’s wife confer on the wife the title of a minister also?
It’s not all the same. I wasn’t ordained as a minister until some years later (I can’t remember how many). When we returned from Sierra Leone and we came back to our headquarters in Nigeria, I served for some months before I was ordained and then sent back to my husband. Sometimes, like one’s husband, one may also be called into the ministry. But, even if one doesn’t have the calling, as long as one is a minister’s wife, I think it is a bounding duty for that lady to know that she is a helpmate for the husband. She has to make the whole thing to be successful. After working in the Post Office Savings Bank, I didn’t take any other job when I married my husband. I served in the ministry with my husband until 2001 when I retired.
What were some of the challenges you faced initially?
There is no job without its peculiar challenges. The most challenging times for me as a reverend mother were whenever we went to establish new churches. Being a new branch, one had to endure so many hardships, from feeding, clothing, trying to mould the people themselves and live an exemplary life of service to God. It wasn’t easy at the start.
Then, there was no money as it is now, especially when you say ‘Aladura’ church; many people would just look down on one. They saw one as ignorant or downtrodden, but because I know who I served, we had the assurance and courage to go on. There were so many obstacles and trials along the way. Sometime, we didn’t have food to eat. My husband pioneered the branches of the church, Church of the Lord, Aladura, here in Lagos and then in Sierra Leone. In Freetown, they never knew anything about ‘Aladura’ church. To them, it sounded like a strange doctrine. There were times when we started the service in church and ended it in the police station. This was between 1948 and 1953. There was great opposition but we surmounted it through the grace of God. The church is now well established in the capital and other cities in Sierra Leone. The founder/pioneer of the church, Rev. Apostle Josiah Olunowo Ositelu, was from Ogere-Remo. He pioneered the one in Ijebu. But my husband was the one who pioneered many of the branches in Lagos and Ghana, where we have many branches, in Sierra Leone, as well as in London, UK, and the US.
How do you feel about the Ebola Virus Disease outbreak in Sierra Leone and Nigeria?
I sent a message to them (the branches of the church) in Sierra Leone, to encourage them. Thankfully, there was no incidence in the church because the branches of the church are all over that country. I thank God it was also contained in Nigeria.
What are you most fulfilled about?
When I look back, I give praise and thanks to God Almighty because I feel He has led me from my youth. There were some ups and downs that would have made one to go astray, but we overcame them through God’s grace. I thank my parents for the education they were able to give me. I also thank God for my husband because we were able to live together amicably. There were times of difficulties, which I would call times of nakedness, but through it all, the Lord saw us through. Also, I am proud of the work that God has enabled us to do, especially in Freetown, and in Lagos. When we first moved to where we lived in Anthony Village, there was no building in the area, no electricity or water. It was all surrounded by thick bushes. But we stayed and survived it. Things are better now.
What’s your advice to young couples who are facing difficulties in their marriages?
I would advise them to look up to the Almighty God. Also, they should be patient and enduring. There are times when it may look so dark, but there will be light. They should also be prayerful and have faith in God and in themselves.
You still look fit at 87. What is the secret of your longevity?
It’s by God’s grace.
What kind of exercise do you do?
I just take walks. I also talk a lot because people come to me day and night. It’s my job. I have to talk in the church, outside the church, and in my house. So, I do a lot of talking.
Do you want to live up to a 100?
If it is God’s will; I can’t choose for myself. But, I’m happy. All my children now stay with their own families. But I thank God they did not leave me alone. They are always around me, especially the female ones. Some men don’t like (to have) female children. I’m happy God gave me both male and female children, but then I thank God for my female children. Even though my male children are also trying in taking good care of me, I have to leave them with their wives.
What are your hobbies?
I like singing. I like listening to hymns. Every Sunday night, from 8pm to 9pm, I listen to church hymns on the radio. It used to be from 11am to 12am. I always sing with them whenever I lie on my bed or sit down in the room, until the end. Then I will put off the light in my room and go to sleep. That’s my hobby. Before I had problems with my eyes, I also liked watching the television, but now, I just listen to the radio. I loved reading too. I read much of the Bible and related books.
Do you like the music of contemporary artistes like Wizkid or Davido?
What is that? I don’t even know them.
What’s your favourite food?
Rice and plantain.
What would you say about Nigeria of today compared to your days?
When I see what is happening in the country today, I am not happy. I feel very sad about what Nigeria has become. Nigeria wasn’t like this before. There was peace and rest of mind. But now, I am sometimes afraid to listen to the news because the whole country has issues. I pray to God to help us and our leaders. The problems are becoming too many as if we cannot handle the situation anymore. I remember the children; when they grow up, are they going to live in this tumult? It makes me sad. In my days, one could move freely and not be afraid of anything. It is not so today.
What are some of your favourite hymns?
I have a lot of hymns that I like. I like, ‘It is well with my soul’ and ‘Rock of Ages, cleft for me.’
What would you want to be remembered for?
I would love my children and the church to remember me for singing. I was in the choir and I loved to sing. I always corrected the choristers whenever they went wrong. I did the same even last Sunday.
Would you say singing helps one to live long?
Yes, of course, singing helps one to live long because, it makes one forget one’s problems sometimes, and it relieves one of daily pressures. Singing also helps the body system to function well, because it helps blood circulation, and some of those burdens one has would become light. I think singing is good because it heals. I’m a happy woman and I thank God for everything.
Copyright PUNCH.
All rights reserved. This material, and other digital content on this website, may not be reproduced, published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed in whole or in part without prior express written permission from PUNCH.
Contact: editor@punchng.com