A Tribute to Mama Grace Owoloa Oyin-Adejobi for 96 Years of Faith, Fame, and Favour_
By Vincent Akindele (08132262807)
This piece was first published on July 21, 2022 by Chronicle.ng in preparation for Mama’s 92nd Birthday Celebration. It was titled, “Iya Osobgo at 92: Longevity by Grace” argued that the Yoruba belief is that a name wields great in the life of an individual. It has been updated to reflect the present situation to accommodate the increase in age and the passage of time.
There is a Yoruba saying, “orúkọ ọmọ ni má nro ọmọ” which can be translated to mean that the name one bears have a lot to do with what one becomes in life. This posits largely that names have the potency of bringing fortunes or misfortunes. Quite a number of circumstances or situations influence the decisions of parents on the names they give to their children.
Instructively, christening is done with ecstatic fanfare. Some edible items are symbolically used to offer prayers at the occasion. A few of these items are sugar cane, honey, and fruits. As a result of their qualities of being sweet and generally acceptable by many, they symbolise favour, fortune, and success. Kolanut and bitter cola are also important items used: The Yoruba name for Kolanut ‘obì’, as pronounced in the Yoruba language, could ward off evils. The same goes for bitter cola, ‘orógbó’, in its phonetic sound, is believed to attract longevity.
Quite interestingly, Mama was christened Grace Owoola. These two names have positively wielded great influence on her life. From the Christian perspective, grace has been described as the gift of God to an individual for outstanding successes and achievement according to the scripture, “And of His fullness have all we received, and grace for grace.” (John1:16). One can, therefore, conclude that by God’s grace, Grace has found grace to live this long: 96 years in a country where life expectancy is put as 55 years. This is worth celebrating!
So, family, friends, and fans will gather once again on Sunday, September 13, 2026 at Gamaliel Onosode Hall, University of Ibadan Conference Centre to honour and celebrate this living legend. It is a time to join her to thank God for a beautiful, fruitful, and wonderfully fulfilling life. Part of the activities lined up for the 96th Birthday Celebrations is the public presentation and launch of her biography titled “Grace Owoola Oyin-Adejobi: Iya Osogbo, Track of A Nigerian Theatre Icon,” by me and my friend, Sola Oyin-Adejobi her youngest son.
Iya Osogbo was born on August 23, 1930, to the family of Pa John Okebiyi and Mrs. Deborah Olabisi Okebiyi at Isale Osun, Osogbo, of a royal lineage. She was the third of her father’s children and the second of her mother’s five children. She started primary education at All Saints’ Anglican Primary School, Balogun Agoro, Ile-Abodua, Oluode, Osogbo in 1941.
It is amazing that Mama is still active in dancing and singing to the delight of her fans. How did this ageless actress venture into theatre? Her biography, adequately and sufficiently captures this. Enjoy the excerpts:
“Mama Grace Oyin-Adéjọbí took to acting through an invitation by her late husband to join the Oyin Adejobi Theatre Company in 1953. She had initially thought that acting was only an enjoyable and interesting pastime. To her, acting grew from being a mere pastime, to a vocation which later became a worthwhile and highly rewarding career. She pointed out that benefits of acting are not limited to monetary terms, but include the fame, public recognition and societal appreciation that make her feel fulfilled and grateful to God.
“Her humility, enthusiasm and alacrity to make maximum contribution to the success and fulfilment of her husband‘s ambition propelled her to the limelight. It started with a lady, her co-wife, who was also very good at acting. Everyone in the Oyin Adéjọbí Theatre Company treated her with respect and admiration. At times, she enjoyed preferential treatment, so that she would make herself available for rehearsals and performance. This woman, conscious of her seemingly indispensability, would always create a scene so that she would be appeased to participate.
“One day, the group had prepared to embark on a tour. Everyone was set, some of the group members were already seated in the vehicle about to take off. Then, this talented woman was nowhere to be found. She was sought after and when she was found, she said that she was not ready to go with them. Every member had to beg her but to no avail.
“Then, the manager of the company got annoyed and vowed never to involve her in production again. The onerous task fell on Mama who willingly accepted the responsibility and yielded herself for training and rehearsals. This has really paid off for her. Beside taking major roles in their plays, whenever their group went to stage plays or they were showing a film in a cinema she was the one who would ticket, not minding of what miscreants might do.”
This biography is a delightful and inspiring read. Get your copy.
Akindele, a Media Practitioner and Researcher, writes from Ibadan.