- Talks About Her Life & Marriage
- Says: “I Grew Up As A Village Girl”
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When you talk about a woman who is beautiful, stylish and well loved, the name of this tall, pretty and glowing wife of Professor Babalola Borisade, the former Minister of Aviation and Education will not be found wanting. She is an epitome of beauty; she is easy going, adventurous and highly connected lady. She is blessed with a large heart. She looks good any time any day and her presence ignite light at any gathering she steps in. This amiable woman that runs her private business lost her mother few months back and she was buried few weeks ago. The burial ceremony took place in Usi Ekiti and its still the talk of town till this day. City People Abuja Correspondent, ADEBOLA ADEYELE was with her some days back and she opened up on her life while growing up as a village girl, her business and the influence of her Mum in shapping her life. Enjoy it.
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What are some fond memories of your mother, Chief (Mrs) Eunice Abeke Agbetuyi that you wont forget forever?
My Mum has a lot of lovely memeories that I wont forget forever, she meant so many things to so many people, what she meant to me is different from what she meant to the students she taught in school during her service days, she was a teacher, an encourager, an Adviser. My mum as a teacher was a very strong disciplinarian,when you hear her voice alone, as a student, you keep running hear and there, my mum taught me in school when growing up, she taught my class Bible Knowledge and she also taught Yoruba language, anytime you heard my mum coming for lectures, you sit tight. So many people came from all over the world, due to whom she was to them back in the days, the principal in my school then , Principal Fasaki, anytime the principlal was unable to discipline any student, he brings them to my mum, she will beat you with one hand and draw you closer with the other hand, that is the kind of mother she was to everybody. You will love to be around her, if you want to be disciplined, but if you are not, you scared yourself away from her. There were lots of memories about her, very prayerful woman, you will see her with her Bible and Hymn book praying both day and night, it was so loving growing up in that kind of enviroment, and I bless God for her.
What are the lessons you ve learnt from her that has shaped your life?
Lots of lessons, my mum will always tell you, there’s no problem without solution, she was like a soldier, a very had working woman, my mum will tell you there is nothing without solution except if you don’t want to stand up and look for one. She never allowed any problem to overcome her, she will tell you she will go on her knees and the problem will be solved. I learnt a lot from her when it comes to prayers, because I grew up knowing my mum with Bible, I could still remember when my mum was suffering and running around, I was just 4 years old when my father died, and I am the last born, I met my mum in christianity, with Bible when I was growing up. She was also a very hardworking woman, when my mum was teaching, she was also sewing clothes, I still remember when my Aunt got married in 1982, my mum made all the clothes the family members wore, she’s always using all those olden days machine, not the ones we use now, she taught us how to sew, she knitted caps, table cover, television cover, socks and lot more, and also trade at the same time, my mum will leave school Friday afternoon take a bus to Ilorin, buy beans, rice everything you can think of, and bring them back to Ekiti to sell, she teaches in Osun State, she was in Ilesha for so many years, even before she got married. It was so wonderful having that kind of a wonderful mother. My Dad died when I was just 4years old and she raised the 5 of us.
You said you lost your father at a very tender age, how was life growing up without having your father around?
It was tough, I will tell you, I will say I wasn’t brought up with a silverspoon and I will also say I was brought up with a silverspoon, because she didn’t allow us to lack anything. She prefered to wear one clothe for months to train us than to change clothes everyday without training us well, at the end of the day, the Anglician Church, Usi Ekiti, looked at my mum, saw all the suffering she went through while training us, all her mates will be buying clothes, but my mum used the money to train us, now we buy so many clothes for her, sometimes we will go there and give her like 6 to 7 clothes, she will start crying, that I said so, that you people are my clothes, the church gave her a title, (Mawotana), someone who does not repeat clothes. It was fun, it was wonderful, my mum never allowed anybody to go hungry, whether you are her biological child or not, she won’t allow you to go hungry, her hospitality was superb, you won’t go to her house without eating and even if you didn’t eat, she will make sure she gave you something to take home. We bless God for her life.
As a very good looking woman, what is the secret behind this?
The secret is God, then when you look at my mum, you will know it runs in the family, even at 89 she didn’t look her age, when Hajia Titi Atiku heard my mum died and she ask of her age, and I told her she died at 89 years, she said no, she couldn’t believe it, she said my mum looks like a 70 something year old, I will say it is the Lord’s doing.
But what are your beauty routines?
(Laugh) well, I eat what I feel like eating, irrespective of whether you are telling me, its fatty or not, I eat what I feel like eating, and at the same time, I have enough sleep, if you call me in the morning before 10 0’clock, I won’t pick your call, because my phones will be on silent , I ensure I have enough sleep every day. I am a little bit fashionable but I just make sure I dress moderately, I wear very comfortable clothes.
As a big time business woman and a mother, how have you been able to balance business and your home front?
I will say I learnt that from my Mum, she balances up everything, if my mum has to sew she has time for it, if she has to write her lesson note, she has time for it, she also has time to tell us stories. I have been able to balance both my business and home front and the secret behind this is to draw a schedule.
How can you describe life as an Abuja celebrity woman?
Am I celebrity woman? Nobody knows me, am a very quiet person, although I go out if I want to, I have loads of friends I wine and dine with, its been very interesting being in some circles, I have some friends that we step out together, I have some friends that we go for church programmes together, so it’s been fun and interesting.
Can you let us into your growing up days?
My growing up days were very fantastic, am a Village girl, I grew up in Usi-Ekiti, my Mum, being a teacher was always being transferred to different places , and being the last born, I always followed her but at the same time, I had my secondary education here in Usi, I later left Usi for Lagos, for like 4 to 5 years and in those days, if you don’t pass Jamb, there’s no other way, so I was in Lagos trying to make Jamb, but at the end of the day, I went to NCE, Ilesha, and after that, I worked briefly in my late Uncle ‘s company, I got married, and immediately I got married, I proceeded for my BSC and I finished from the University of Abuja. Back to my growing up days, I enjoyed being a village girl, they all know me, up till now, so many people call me, Aunty Ireti, when some of my friends in Abuja calls me Boris, when you get to Usi, they call me Aunty Ireti. There was a function I went for in Epe, I just heard someone say Aunty Ireti, I knew that person knew me from Usi, when you call me Bunmi, then I know you knew me from school. I remember they used to call my mother’s house ‘Boarding House’ when I was growing up, because its either we are like 12, 15 or 17 children living with her, I also remember Parents used to bring their children to my Mum to train, being a teacher, whenever they notice any form of stubbornness in them. By the time I was leaving secondary school, we were like 17, so it was so wonderful, we don’t cook with pots, we cook with all those big pots for parties (Ikoko Irin) and when we finish cooking, and we have visitors, my Mum will first serve them before us, if its not enough, we will go back and cook more, it was fun!
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