Those who say that Nigeria is a natural federalism, partly because there is no dominant identity that can go it alone unlike say, India, and partly because of an inherently centralising and decentralizing character can always find evidence from the everyday to buttress the argument. As President Buhari was re-assembling the power elite in Kano for his son’s marriage, so also was an Amazon being buried in Kogi State. The Amazon in question is Chief Mrs Julie Olufunmilayo Ade-Cole who, according to some of her mentees such as Ene Ede, the Abuja based gender activist, was such a magnificent mega-personality.
The programme of her rites of passage as shown in the cover picture have passed without a hitch and what is left at this point is to close that chapter with this beautiful portrait of the essential Chief Mrs Julie Olufunmilayo Ade-Cole that escorted her to her maker. The piece which is not exclusive to Intervention is published as written by her very first daughter, unedited:
Hello everyone. We are here today to celebrate the life of a great woman, and remember her for everything she meant to each of us. For those of you who I haven’t had a chance to meet yet, my name is Olufunmilola Cole-Aka. I am her second child and first daughter. My entire family and I really appreciate you being here today for this celebration of life.
Chief Mrs Julie Olufunmilayo Ade-Cole was born in Kabba on July 2nd 1946, where she had her primary education. She then went on to Women Teachers College, Kano, after which she taught briefly at Shekara Girls’ primary School, Kano, as a Grade II Teacher. She upgraded her teaching qualification by attending the Advanced Teachers College, Zaria, Kaduna State, where she obtained her National Certificate in Education (NCE), and also excelled in Drama. From 1970-71, she worked with Schools Broadcast, now known as National Educational Technology Center, as an Educational Broadcaster. In order to further enrich her educational qualification, she attended Ahmadu Bello University from 1971-74, where she not only graduated with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in English, she also met and married her life partner Mr. Jonathan Olorunfemi Ade-Cole. The marriage was blessed with four daughters and two sons.
Ace gender activist, Ene Ede, one of Chief Ade-Cole’s living legatees!
Her extra-ordinary life began when she started off her working career as a lecturer at the Kwara State Polytechnic, but somehow ended up as one of Nigeria’s most notable women politician. She was widely travelled, and represented Nigerian women in conferences held all over the world.
The love for her community and the desire to help develop and build a better life for the people of her state led her to contest, not only for Chairmanship of Kabba/Bunu Local Government, but also the Governorship office of Kogi State. Her drive, desire, principles, and ambition, plus unmatched love for her country were recognized by the leadership of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) which earned her the job of President Olusegun Obasanjo’s Liaison Officer to the Senate, in 1999.
Additionally, her political aspirations and shrewdness was noticed by the Government of the United States of America, through reports gathered about her from their Embassy in Nigeria. They not only invited her as an Executive member of The Nigerian league of Women Voters, to undertake a tour of the States to observe how elections were conducted in their country, they were so impressed by her contributions that she was conferred with an honorary citizenship of the State of Oklahoma.
As noted by Dr. Okello,” young Julie was exposed to Northern Nigeria’s diverse cultural and religious diversity by growing up in the Royal Court of Kano during Emir Ado Bayero’s reign. She spoke the language with a royal twang. The grooming she got from her Northern family made her one of the rare breed of Nigerians who could serve as a social and political bridge between the country’s bubbling nationalities at the highest political and economic arenas”.
Chief Mrs. Julie Ade-Cole, had a larger than life personality. She was as energetic as they come, highly intellectual, very steadfast, and resilient. All of these qualities were wrapped in compassion, empathy, love, kindness, inclusiveness, altruism, peace and more. She was a strong, selfless and patriotic woman; these traits she exhibited with no apologies.
Speaking to her passions, there were quite a number of them. First off, she was deeply passionate about her family. She sacrificed all that she could for her family. She loved music (she was choir mistress of both Saint Peter’s Anglican Church, Adewole Estate Ilorin, and Saint Mathews Anglican Church Maitama, Abuja), Sports (she played Table Tennis and Lawn Tennis with elegance and grace), Nation Building (to this she contributed her quota in any capacity possible. She was founding or pioneer member of several women organizations that still exist to this day, such as Nigerian League of Women Voters and Nigerian Association of Women Entrepreneur. Also privileged to be a National Representative at the Beijing Conference of 1995, China).
The exit of this one person, Chief Mrs. Julie Olufunmilayo Ade-Cole, a woman, a wife, a mother, a sister, an educationist, a nation builder, a quintessential administrator, a community leader, a God lover, a friend, a mentor, a fashionista, and a matriarch of her community, must be heaven’s gain. She came, she saw, and she conquered!
