Back then in Okoro-Gbedde High School (OGHS) many were oblivious to the name, Mrs Kanjuni, except for some of us who were extremely very close to the family.
But the name Matron was as popular as money!
Matron or Mama Ariyo as she is fondly called back then was a good and generous mother to all the students, especially the female students she’s primarily employed to oversee.
I was specially close to her. She sold garri, kulikuli, corn cake, short cake biscuits (olokotombo) and many of ready to eat food items.on several occasions when I went there to buy kulikuli, my luck would catch eba, or amala with chicken and I will quickly devour and relish the meal.
Her son, Bro Folorunsho Kanjuni ( AKA “In The Body”) was my Senior. He was in form 5, while I was in form 1 in 1988. Bro Folorunsho was a close friend to my school father, Mathew Ogbonaiye(AKA Bazooka) in that year. Her second son Ariyo Kanjuni (AKA “ARIBA”) was my Senior, he was in form 2 while I was in form 1 in 1988.
Her third son Lekan Kanjuni was my junior but we became classmates and close friends as I had to repeat SS2 class in 1992.
Her husband a fairly tall man from whom all the sons took their heights was a very amiable and loving man. He and my father had some friendly relationships as he would always asked me to greet my father when I get home. He rode one chocolate colour simple car then.
Upon the completion of their new house which was painted purely white colour, situated shortly after the market square. I remembered vividly that my friends Omoniyi Braimoh, Paul Uyamadu, Dele Ajisafe and Bafor Okorosobo and myself went to visit and rejoice with our Senior friend Ariyo Kanjuni, we even spent the entire weekend in that house, eating and merrying freely.
No doubt, Mama has passed on into glory at an advanced age, may her gentle soul find repose in the bosom of her Lord.
May her children and every loved persons she left behind find divine favour and grace with the Lord.
And may all the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, find resting peace.
My heartfelt condolences to the entire family of the Kanjuni’s.
May her gentle soul find repose in the Lord.Adieu mama.
Signed@seatosea.com.
Babayemi Opeyemi Olorunjuwon (KOMOBS)