HID’s Death Forced Me, Patience Out Of Hiding – Jonathan

Former President Goodluck Jonathan has said that the death of Hannah Idowu Dideolu Awolowo forced him out of his hiding, as he had to break silence to honour the late Awolowo matriarch.

Jonathan and his wife were among dignitaries who visited the Ikenne home of the Awolowos to pay tribute to HID who passed on on Saturday.

Jonathan praised the late Awolowo saying her kindness, encouragement and advice were things he was going to cherish for a long time.

He added that her legacy would remain indelible, and that the country missed a rare gem.

He said, “My wife and I are not mourning because Mama has passed on. For me, we believe that it’s a rare privilege to add extra 29 years to the biblical three scores and 10; it’s not easy.

“Ordinarily, we wouldn’t have been mourning but Mama was a rare mother. She was a woman of virtue described in the Bible and she was a mother to all of us.

“A mother that her milk of kindness we still need, her milk of encouragement we still need, her milk of advice we still need and today she’s no more with us.

“We, just like her immediate children, and indeed this country, have missed her. Within this period, my wife and I have been hiding; we don’t even go out. We thought we’ll be hiding for at least 12 months.

“But in this particular case, we cannot hide. So, we have come for the condolence and to encourage our brothers and sisters that we are together. God brought her for all of us. She just had to be the direct mother of a few but she was a mother to all. We shall mourn more than even the direct children would.”