Tribute to Mrs. Florence A. Olomu (1934-2009)

Tribute to Mrs Florence A. Olomu (1934 – 2009)


Behind every successful man, there is a strong, supporting and encouraging woman or two or even three. I knew this from when I was growing up, but interestingly enough, some of the people that made this statement at events/functions did not live their lives like they believed this.

The one person I know lived the “Cliché” and still does to date is my best friend, whom I have great respect for and whom I have a lot of time for. Dayo Olomu is one of the children of the late Mrs. Florence A. Olomu and this blog is about her rather than Dayo. Since Mrs Florence A. Olomu passed away, I have analysed my best friend’s life over the last 20years that I have known him and the massive impact that “Mumsie” as we called her had on Dayo.

I have learnt from observation and experience that there are two types of Mummy’s Boy, the one that people talk about the most happen to be the negative one, I am talking about the Mummy’s Boy that will not do anything other than what “mummy” say/said, this one depends on “mummy” either for his means of livelihood or lets “mummy” determines how he lives his life. This kind of “mummy’s boy” will not have a lot of respect for other women except his mum and that only differs if he has mummy’s instruction to respect the woman.

The Mummy’s Boy that ladies talk about and criticise the most is the boy/man who would sense or even know a wrong decision, but would bend over backwards to follow it through because his mummy said it’s what he should do. He will most likely use and discard women and would have difficulty maintaining long or lifetime relationship with a woman because the dominant force in his life will not allow what is perceived as competition for his attention.

Having said that, the other type of Mummy’s Boy is the one that sees his Mum as the source, the greatest supporter of everything he does and the most enduring encourager in his life. This is the Mummy’s Boy that out of respect for his Mum would never attempt to treat a woman poorly/badly. He extends his love for his mum to women in his life and around him in all situations. I know from experience that such a man is groomed with love from the mother and learn to appreciate womanhood.

My “bestest” friend – Dayo Olomu has been blessed to have had a mother who devoted her life to bringing up her children in the best possible way you can imagine. Mumsie Olomu was a woman of virtue with strong faith in God and would not compromise her faith and belief under any circumstances. When you see someone who holds fast to their faith no matter what, you know you have a strong character before you.

Mumsie Olomu groomed a boy called Dayo Olomu into a young man with faith as the prized cornerstone of his life, and self belief in the midst of adversity as a tool to propel him into a winner. If you read the story of my friend and you do not appreciate the strong woman that encouraged, supported, assisted and even pushed on occasions then you would have missed the key element to the success that we see today in Dayo.

I strongly believe that what Dayo’s kids and gorgeous goddess of a wife(Folasade Olomu) enjoy today are the qualities that were groomed by Mrs Florence A. Olomu, as she worked her socks off with less than minimum wage to send the kids to school and still find time to educate them. I am a firm believer in the fact that going to school and receiving education are two different things, but the analysis of that belief will be subject for another blog another day in the near future. Mumsie Olomu worked to pay for schooling of Dayo and his siblings while her life was education in Technicolor or better still, in 3D.

When you grow up in a very humble environment with a hardworking mother that puts everything on the line for you and in the midst of that would not compromise faith or cut moral corners, then you know for sure that you could do the right things the right ways and still come out tops.

The reason a massive number of people appreciate the honesty of the motivational speeches of Dayo Olomu is because he has lived what he is speaking. A man who has grown up with very little and chosen not to blame anyone for lacking good things of life, but instead used that lack as impetus to get out there and be inspired to achieve surely has a lesson or two to teach others.

My tribute here is to the woman who spent her life living by example so her children learn not to complain about problems but to seize it with both hands as opportunity to excel in the area of challenge.

The lesson to mothers today comes from the fountain of knowledge of Mumsie, Mrs. Florence A. Olomu, and mirrored by her children, especially Dayo. It is easy to see the awesome impact mothers can have on sons to ensure they learn to treat women well, live an honest and hardworking life, be true to themselves and aspire to live a life of virtue.

It does make me wince when I hear some young ladies nonchalantly say “men are dogs” and of “no use”, and yet they have a son or praying to God for a child that might be a boy. I know for a fact that our words are powerful and that is why churches like CCC and C&S that treat things of the spirit with reverence do end up having serious impact in the lives of their congregation.

I have never been a member of the white garment church, but what you realise when you observe is that there is intense enlightenment in the power of words in those churches, as they talk along the lines of professing with your mouth what you wish and pray for.

It will be good if the one thing that we all learn from Mumsie is to teach ourselves and our children or kids around us how to love everyone around us without “attached strings” so that we show respect for them and treat them well; handle adversity as a challenge, and like the kids that Mumsie groomed not be bothered about lacking anything, but rather see that as opportunity to take on the challenge of having that thing and finally never see failure, but rather deem not achieving as a chance to get better as we try.