“I thank God I came to the world through her” What a way to reminisce a mother!
This tribute to late Mrs Caroline Abiona Omosanyin by none other than her first son Mr. Biodun Omoosanyin, is worth etching in a wedge of gold.
Overall, they are words which indicate the high esteem and veneration which Mama’s children held her.
Mama Caroline fondly called Iya Ibadan by her children will remain evergreen in their memory for what she stood for in her life time, her demeanour, perspective of life and vision which ultimately impacted the lives of her children, who all cannot but acknowledge how Mama carefully moulded their lives in the direction that has seen them make marks in life.
The secret of late Mrs Omosanyin crafting of her children was not lost on them, as exemplified by her devotion to God, even at old age.
She did not just attend church, she was a member of the church’s prayer warriors.
Life for Mama Caroline never began on a bed of roses. She was born in Ifon, Ose Local Government Area of Ondo State in 1942 to the family of Pa and Mrs Esibayere.
Iya Ibadan was the last born of the nine children of her parents. But then tragedy struck! Imagine loosing both parents between the ages of 2 and 4. Her mother was the first to transit to the world beyond when Iya Ibadan was just two years while her father followed when she was four.
Hardly do orphans find life cosy, Mama Caroline was not an exception to the disadvantages orphanhood bring. Her aunt with whom she lived after her parents death, told Iya Ibadan that she could no longer bear the burden of sending her to school, and that Iya Ibadan would have to learn a trade. So while in Primary Three, Mama Caroline had to drop out of school and started out another life of following her aunt on business trips to places like Sapele, which is today part of Delta State; Saboginda Ora in present Owan West Local Government, Benin, both in Edo State, learning trading with the aunt.
At the age of 25, Iya Ibadan met her heart throb, late Chief Kolawole Joseph Omo Osanye, and came down to Ibadan with her husband after marriage, living all her life in Ibadan till her demise.
Their union was blessed with four children, three boys, Abiodun Oluwatoba Omosanyi, Gbenga Niyikaye Omosanyi Seun Omosanyi and a girl, Folake Arinola Awotoyinbo now residing in the United States, marred to an Ijebu man, an IT icon.
Chief Joseph Kolawole Osanye and Iya Ibadan raised their wards to become successful and responsible personalities.Her eldest son Biodun captures their moulding, upbringing. Iya Ibadan was a disciplinarian to the core. Her gestures, warning looks and coughs, rather than smacking and spanking loudly conveyed the message the children needed to behave and act as instructed at home.
And of course, Mama Caroline could be jovial. Her eldest son recalled a video call with her children the night before her death. She jokingly raised her two hands and told him, “Olori ebi bambam, who am I to argue when you are talking, lest my monthly allowance hangs.To sum it up, Iya Ibadan lived a good life: she came, she saw, and conquered.
