Remembering Rachael Babawale 15 years after

The late radical Priest of the Anglican Diocese On The Coast, Bishop Ebunoluwa Ogunele, in one of his words of exaltations, once said: “To live and die for the joy and betterment of others is to engrave yourself in their world of existence and at departure, is to be interred in their evergreen memory.

Indeed this is the beginning of eternity, crowning it with life of full devotion to God the Almighty, is assured path to immortality with the Most High God, in the life after”.

Indeed the above provides us the untainted premises and spirit-inspired heart to remember our illustrious mother and grand-mother, a devoted servant of God, Deaconess Rachael Ebunlomo Babawale, who lived and died in the service of God and fellow human beings. She joined the triumphant saints on April 1, 2008 and was interred on May 29, 2008, exactly 15 years ago.

Mama was born into the family of the late Pa David Ajao Adeogun and the late Madam Sarah Odubola Ajao of Arewuyo’s compound, Inisha, Osun State. When Mama was a few years old, she went to Ghana with her parents where she assisted them in trading.
She returned to Nigeria (Inisha) after some years in Ghana.

The year 1955 was a remarkable one in her life as she came in contact with Samuel Olayanju Aweda Babawale, the man she later got married to in 1956. As a responsible wife, she stood by her husband and supported him in building the family from the scratch to a formidable level where education and a Spartan-life moral training and Godliness was the code of conduct.

Mama was very supportive of her husband in farming activities at Igboore alongside her own petty trading in clothes. They later moved to Ara- Joshua in Ife North Local Government, where they had acquired a cocoa farmland in 1960. Mama and Papa were well loved in their new location by the neighbours and trading partners, culminating in their fame and success in the village and its suburbs. Mama complemented her husband with her trade in carpentry tools until they later shifted to patent medicine vending.

After about 10 years sojourn in Ara-Joshua, Mama and her husband returned to Inisha where they both went into the sawmill business in 1979. They were in this business until the death of Papa in 1986.

Although Mama was of the Anglican faith before her marriage, she later joined her husband in the Adventist faith. While in Ara -Joshua, the family was the only one in the village that was worshipping on Saturdays. Determined to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ in the environment, she inspired and supported her husband to build the first Seventh-Day Adventist Church in the village, which began with only a few worshippers.
She served as the leader of the Dorcas Women Society in the church between 1975 and 1976.

Mama as your name goes, Ebunlomo, you were indeed a gift to us just as you were a gift to the household of God. Each day since your departure is like one year to us because of the difficulty in substituting the roles you played in our lives. Our dear jewel of inestimable value, how much we tried to stop your departure in our limitless desperation, forgetting that no mortal could stop the immortal!

We are, however, consoled by the fact that regardless of the brevity of your physical sojourn here, you fulfilled your destiny, especially in the successful upbringing of your children and as a benefactor to many families as well as your support to many church societies. We rejoice in the conviction that you did not fully depart us, but like the Holy Spirit, you are regularly with us and we always feel your presence. Though invisible, you are with us gently ministering to us and counselling us everyday.

The high value for discipline, kindness and generosity you inculcated in all of us has remained the unquenchable light to our footpath. Adieu, our highly cherished Mum.