The family Ajufo of Umuehea, Ibusa in Oshimili North Local Government of Delta State, has announced the transition to higher glory of the matriarch of the family, Mrs Caroline Ogbeianu Ajufo at the age of 86.
Mrs Ajufo who is the mother of many children including, the President of Outdoor Advertising Association of Nigeria (OAAN), Chief Emmanuel Ajufo will be buried at Ibusa, her home town on Friday, November 26, 2021.
According to a statement released by the family and signed by one of her children, Pattie Ajufo, Mrs Ajufo was born on December 24, 1934 in Burutu, Delta State to the family of Obi William Ojei and his wife Anasi-Obi Janet Ogolibueze of Umualofe Umueze, Ibusa.
‘’Mama was a very beautiful woman and a cynosure of all eyes because she was very fair in complexion, she was admired by all and called names such as Oyibo, Oyibo Miss, Oyii the Great, Onyeoma-data, among others’’, Pattie said.
Emmanuel Ajufo, President of OAAN said of his mother, ‘’Mama was a faithful and dutiful house wife, a loving and caring mother who sacrificed her pleasure and comfort to give her children the best training and education hence she was called ‘Nne ndi oyibo’ (mother of educated children). We will sorely miss her.’’
Oyii the Great, as she was fondly called by her family and friends, was a very hardworking and resilient woman. A trader of household wares, her shop was a go-to for newly married ladies who need to acquire household items that would enable them settle comfortably in their new homes. Because it was almost a taboo in those days to send a girl-child to school, mama Ajufo could acquire a formal education at an early age. She was to make up for this by enrolling in an adult education class later in life and she excelled with dint of hardwork.
Amidst numerous suitors, the young Caroline Nwoboshi married Michael Nwanji Ajufo who was then a miner in Jos, Plateau State. Together they had several children of which five: Patricia, Donatus, Michael, Catherine and Emmanuel have survived her.
Late Mrs Ajufo was also very spiritual as she was a devout Christian of the Catholic faith. She was a member of several bodies in the church including, the Sacred Heart of Jesus and Immaculate Heart of Mary, Catholic Women Organisation, among others. She was crowned a Golden Mother and later made a Patroness.
Until her death, she was ‘Ada Alofe’(the oldest woman in her quarter of Umueze, Ibusa).
Aside her children, late Mrs Ajufo is survived by her brother, His Royal Majesty, Obi Louis Nwoboshi, the Obuzor of Ibusa and a Professor Emeritus of the University of Ibadan.
