To mark the 20th anniversary of the departure of the late former First Lady, Chief Mrs Stella Obasanjo, who died on October 23, 2005, former President Olusegun Obasanjo, Olumuyiwa Obasanjo, and other dignitaries gathered to celebrate her impact and legacy.

Obasanjo described the late former First Lady as a woman who dedicated her life to serving the country.Speaking to journalists after the church service dedicated to celebrating her at the Chapel of Christ the King of Glory (OOPL), Obasanjo said, “We came to celebrate a life of service”.

Recounting the motherhood love he missed, Olumuyiwa Obasanjo asserts that late Stella’s impactful life will be missed forever, yet her legacy will live on.He said, “Stella was caring and protective as an only child; most people understand that, but she was also strict and would not tolerate any deviation from, you know, what she has—the knowledge she imparted to me. So I’ve kept that in mind and continued to try to live my life that way.”Her laughter, kindness, and all the advice, life lessons that she shared will be missed, have been missed, and her legacy will live on.

“While ministering at the celebration services, Prof. Yusuf Obaje, the pioneer chaplain of the Aso Villa Chapel in Abuja, stated that Stella’s name is inscribed in the book of immortalised people for her impact on humanity.

Abebe, who spoke on the topic titled “On duty for God and Nigeria’s greatness,” stated that Earth is largely a theatre of arrivals and departures, where the supreme owner and Lord of the universe ultimately determines the timing of the arrival and 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,” he said.He concluded that what Stella thinks and always looks at is not about her husband but about Nigeria’s greatness.

“If you are a citizen of a particular country and you don’t see that God has put you on duty for him in that particular country, then you are in failure,” he added.Meanwhile, former governor Ibikunle Amosun, in his submission, described her as a loving woman while she was alive, noting that her support is top-notch.”While she was with us, when she was First Lady, everybody could attest to the fact that she carried herself well, and she did well in her office. She promoted and elevated that office. You can see what she did with her foundation, supporting what I call the less privileged, particularly children and women.”So that’s what we remember.

I will continue to pray that the good lord will grant eternal rest,” he said.Similarly, former governor Gbenga Daniel also appreciated God for the late Stella Obasanjo’s life, noting that her legacy is blossoming and that she will continue to be missed.He added that she was one of the pivotal people during his administration as governor in Ogun.”We thank God that the legacy that she left behind, the child, the son and the grandchildren have grown up nicely, and of course, we continue to miss her motherly support, particularly for my administration while it lasted.

That was why we named the motherless home after we thank God for her life, and we thank God for the life of the former president, who has been able to hold on despite all,” he said.

In his own remarks, John Abebe, her younger brother, said that Stella was someone who was happy at all times 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, “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. “