SHELIA LOVED HER HUSBAND SO MUCH TO RETURN TO ENGLAND- HID AWOLOWO

Sheila Solarin, widow of the late human rights activist, educationist and social crusader, Dr Tai Solarin, died on Sunday, aged 88. At the Ikenne home of the Awolowos on Monday, the matriarch of the Awo family, Chief (Mrs) HID Awolowo, shared fond memories of the late Sheila, a foremost educationist and author. Abiodun Awolaja reports.

SHEILA Solarin has joined the bodies terrestrial, but she lives on in the heart of the matriarch of the Awolowo family, Chief (Mrs) HID Awolowo. That much was lucidly articulated at the Ikenne home of the Awolowos on Monday when Mama shared fond memories of the British-born widow of the late social crusader, Dr Tai Sholarin. Ás Mama talked, serenading the illustrious woman who, in her own words, “loved Tai too much to want to go back to England,’’ everything felt just like yesterday. But behold, the story unfolding began ever before 1956 when the Solarins established the famous Mayflower School.

“Tai was a close friend of ours before and after his marriage. When they came back from England---Sheila was British---they went straight to Molusi College, Ijebu Igbo. I think Tai was the first principal of that school. Then both came to find a very big land for their own school. They started Mayflower and were doing fine.

“Papa liked Tai very much and he too liked Papa. Actually, they began their friendship at Wesley College, Ibadan, when Papa was a clerk and Tai was a student."

Nor has Mama forgotten how the Solarins stood by her and Papa during the treasonable felony trial when they were restricted to Lekki, Lagos, just to break the spirit of the sage.

“When we were restricted (to Lekki), the Solarins visited us there, although rain was pouring, as it was the rainy season. They sat on the bare floor. We had nothing to offer them but eba. But some people said ‘This Oyinbo won’t eat eba. Sheila said she would because she had become part of us. “The funny thing, however, ‘’ Mama recalled, laughing, “was that when they finished eating, because we had no napkin or serviette to give them, Sheila wiped her hands on her husband’s jumper.

“Somebody said: ‘E wo obinrin yi; o ma n fi aso oko e nu’ wo!’ (Look at this woman wiping her hands on her husband’s cloth!’) But Sheila said ‘I’m using part of his jumper to clean my hands, yes. That’s why I bought brown colour for him,’’ presumably because it could retain much dirt.

When my husband was alive, both (Tai and Sheila) used to visit us. What I remember was that during Papa’s burial---everybody knew that Tai wore knickers, the same uniform as his pupils—but when Baba was going to be buried, he said he was going to honour him by wearing long trousers.’’

Sheila was, in Mama’s view, a very homely, respectful and decent woman who always greeted her  (Mama)kneeling,  like a wife would greet her mother-in-law. She also lauded the late educationist for holding firmly to the legacy of her husband after his demise. Mama’s words: “ Sheila held on to the legacy of her husband. She held the school together as if she was the only owner. She was very humble and honest. Actually, both (Tai and Sheila) were."

Sheila was Mama’s confidante as well. “When she decided to build a small apartment for herself, she told me and when she finished it, she asked me to come and see the place.

“The Solarins’ two children, Corin and Tunde, were born here in Ikenne and, in fact, completed school certificate here. After the school cert, they went to England to complete their education. Tunde came back as quickly as he could but Corin stayed back and got married in England. She has three girls: two are working and one is still in the university. Tunde speaks Yoruba as fluently as any Yoruba person can.’’

According to Mama,  the pupils at Mayflower loved Sheila because she was like a mother to them all and she was a very good person.’’

But apart from eba, what else did Sheila eat whenever she was visiting the Awolowos? Mama said she (Sheila) always ate together with her family, eating whatever was available to eat. She could not recall any time that anyone ever reported Sheila to her, or ask her to reprimand Sheila for anything. “ No one ever reported Sheila to me because she was always very respectful; always so kind and loving.’’

Asked if there was ever a time that Sheila ever contemplated returning to England, perhaps because of her husband’s austere lifestyle, Mama said that she loved her husband to such an extent that it was impossible for her to be separated from him.”She loved Tai so much that she had no mind of going back, although she often visited home on holidays.

“In fact, rather than returning to England, she brought her elder brother here in Ikenne to see me.’’ And Mama also has appreciative words for Corin and Tunde: “The school has been doing well since they took over,’’ she said. Corin is the current proprietor of Mayflower.