Health tycoon, Babatunde Okewale gives mum 5-star funeral

By Funsho Arogundade

Mother is golden. It is said that a mother’s love is so strong that it cannot be quantified with anything. The loss of a mother is a sorrow that time may soften but never erase. This is what was displayed last weekend in Abeokuta, Ogun State when accomplished gynaecologist and founder of St. Ives Hospital Group, Dr. Babatunde Okewale hosted some cream of the Nigerian social establishment as he paid his last respects to his late mother, Madam Adenike Ayoka Susanah Okewale (Nee Sobo).

For Okewale, the weight of the grief of losing his mother- she slept in the Lord in October 2024, at the age of 88 – is as profound as it is personal but he ensured befitting obsequies for the matriarch who instilled in him the virtues of faith, generosity, and love. Okewale’s love and admiration for his mother was so strong. And this was evident in the meticulous plans Okewale —alongside his siblings including veteran broadcaster Toun Okewale-Sonaiya— put into making her burial an epic ceremony full of grace and grandeur. The funeral started with a service of songs on Wednesday, January 29 at The Cathedral of St. James African Church, Idi-Ape, Abeokuta, Ogun State. Hundreds of well-wishers gathered to reflect on Mama Okewale’s life and expressed their respect and admiration for her.  The Christian Wake followed on Thursday, January 30, at the OK Centre in Ibara Housing Estate, Abeokuta. The sombre but heartfelt event provided another opportunity for the community to honour and share memories of the deceased’s life.

On Friday, January 31, the final day of the funerals started with the lying-in-state at her residence on Wole Soyinka Road, Abeokuta where loved ones paid their last respects to Mama Okewale, followed by the funeral service at The Cathedral of St. James African Church. The deceased was later interred into the earth at a strictly family-only event. To cap the three-day celebration of life, Okewale hosted a lavish reception at The Legacy Hall of Abeokuta Sport Club in Ibara GRA, Abeokuta. It was the gathering of the crème of social establishment. Indeed, many friends and family members who came from different parts of the world to honour and give Mama Okewale the beautiful farewell she deserved, were in unison that the deceased raised a good son and presented to mankind a gift – given her son’s commitment to the well-being and happiness of many who have experienced Okewale as an accomplished medical practitioner and healthcare entrepreneur.