As a wife, mother, grandmother, scholar and for an entire generation of children on her street, especially in Akobo, Ibadan, “Mummy” served as their first Professor.
Today, Professor Oladunni Akinnawo turns 80. We mark not just the years, but the lives. Those who know her first mention her questions, such as “Have the children eaten?” “How is Tunde’s WAEC?” “Did Folake get admission?” In the 1970s, 80s, and 2000s, when many parents were content if their wards simply stayed out of trouble, Prof. Akinnawo was keeping a mental register of every child on the lane. She asked them for their names, dreams and report cards.
Today, those children answer her. They are engineers, doctors, lecturers, entrepreneurs and civil servants—graduates all. The boy she once sent back to school with textbooks is now a principal. The boy she tutored through JAMB is now a PhD holder. Her living room served as their first library, and her admonition was their first convocation speech.
This achievement reflects her scholarship: it did not remain confined to journals. It walked the street. It nurtured, corrected, encouraged and insisted. Prof. Akinnawo understood early that a university is not a building but a culture, and she planted that culture in compounds and corridors long before those children saw a campus.
At home, she modelled what she taught. As a wife, she was her husband’s partner in intellect and in grace. As a mother, she raised children who speak of discipline without bitterness and excellence without arrogance. As a grandmother, she is now watching a third generation inherit her questions, “What did you learn today?”
Eighty years have not dimmed her. They have distilled her. The voice is softer now, but the standard is unchanged. She still asks after the neighbourhood, even if the neighborhood now spans continents. And from Lagos to London, Calgary to Cape Town, Akobo, Ibadan to Modakeke, and Ilesa to China, her “children” still call to say, “Mummy, I passed. “Mummy, I got the job. Mummy, thank you”.
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A proud alumna of the University of Ibadan, Prof. Akinnawo studied Chemistry and later earned a Ph.D. in Human Nutrition. She resided at Queen Elizabeth 2 Hall with Prof. Abiola Odejide, the former Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic), during their undergraduate days at UI, who also turned 80 last week. She is a food chemistry expert who, at one point in her career, urged NAFDAC to intensify enforcement against potassium bromate, a banned substance that is still widely used in Nigerian
Prof. Akinnawo, who retired from Ajayi Crowther University, Oyo, Oyo State, said her study in Ibadan and Oyo towns found potassium bromate in 72% of bread samples. She made this disclosure during the University’s 9th inaugural lecture in 2018.
Potassium bromate is used to strengthen dough, boost loaf volume and improve texture. But Prof. Akinnawo warned that it could cause sore throats, abdominal pain, diarrhea, nausea, and vomiting. In extreme cases, it may lead to kidney and heart failure. The compound is also linked to cancer in humans and animals and is classified as a potential carcinogen.
She further cautioned against uncontrolled food additives in snacks, blaming them for rising obesity, and condemned steaming moinmoin in polyethylene wrappers. The practice releases dioxins and carcinogenic toxins into food, she said, advising the use of leaves instead for safety and taste.
Prof. Akinnawo urged Nigerians to diversify their diets beyond garri, fufu, amala, and rice, calling on the government to promote maize, yams, fruits and vegetables. “We need to enlarge our food basket to ensure a variety of diets for good nutrition and optimal health”, she said.
Scholars from Ajayi Crowther University and the University of Ibadan attended the lecture, which was chaired by the then Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Dapo Asaju, now the Bishop of Ilesa Anglican Diocese, whom I so much admire for his public conduct.
Nigeria is richer because Professor Oladunni Akinnawo chose to mother beyond biology and to teach beyond the classroom. In an age of retreating to private gates, she kept her door and her heart open. The result is a harvest of graduates she did not bear but did help raise.
On this 80th birthday, we return her question to her: “Mummy, are you proud?” The answer lies in the lives that flourished as a result of her inquiries.
Happy Birthday, Ma. May your light continue to guide, and may you live to see the children of your children’s children call you blessed.
Igba odun, odun kan ni o. As’eyi s’amodun, Mummy Professor.
Tunji Oladejo, mnipr, JP, MANUPA, writes from the University of Ibadan, is the Chairman of The Progressive Forum, Ibadan (TPFI); and is a member of the Board of Trustees of the Bayo and Bimpe Oyero Foundation (BBOF) and the 2026 Central Council of Ibadan Indigenes (CCII) Icon of Ibadan Heritage Awardee via oladejo65@gmail.com. 08077284442
