Breaking: Afenifere chieftain, Olaniwun Ajayi, dies at 91

A chieftain of pan-Yoruba socio-cultural group, Afenifere, Chief Olaniwun Ajayi, is dead, in the early hours of Friday in a Lagos hospital at the‎ aged of 91.‎

‎Sir Olaniwun Ajayi LP was born in Isara Remo on April 8, 1925 to Mr Benjamin Awoyemi Ajayi a farmer & Marian Efundolamu Ajayi who traded in the farm produce to sustain the family. 

Sir Olaniwun first enrolled at the Islamic Primary School, Epe where he schooled for three months.

Sir Olaniwun later enrolled into a primary school in 1937 and completed his primary education in Ode-Remo after-which authorities of the school engaged him to teach there due to his intelligence and excellent result. 

Sir Olaniwun resumed by teaching the Class Two infants (Nursery 1/2) for a year and he was paid 10 shillings, six pence per month. From his monthly salary Sir Olaniwun paid three pence as class fee as a Christian which was a membership fee as a junior member of the church. He also did monthly contribution of two shillings, six pence and later increased it to five shillings so that at the end of the year he could have at least £6 saved for himself. Sir Olaniwun later decided to go to Wesley College, Ibadan, Oyo State, for a four(4)-year teacher’s course.

Owing to the fact that there were no means of funding his 4-year course, Sir Olaniwun approached the manager of the schools in Remo and Ijebu district, William Frederick Mellor to request for a written consent to the principal of the school to defer payment of his school fee till the following year. Reverend Mellor agreed to do so and the school principal did as Mellor requested in the letter. Having done that, Sir Olaniwun had to look for money to buy a few other things to take to school. Spending four years at the college saw Sir Olaniwun pass through hardship paying for the remaining two years at college as there was no source of funding.

Sir Olaniwun is married to Late Mrs Adunola Ajayi who died on the 6th of December 2007. Their union is blessed with 2 medical doctors and 2 lawyers.

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