In this interview with ARUKAINO
UMUKORO, 92-year-old Gabriel
Olayide Olusanya and 90-year-old
Florence Olusanya, both retired civil
servants, share a part of their
history and the secret of their 65-
year-old marriage
Where did you school?
Gabriel: I attended St. Paul’s
Primary School, Odogbolu, Ogun
State. I went to Ijebu Ode Grammar
School from 1938- 1944, where I
sat for and passed the second grade
school certificate examination.
After my secondary education, I
sought employment and got a job to
work at the Federal Government
Press, Lagos, on January 10, 1945. I
went to Yaba College of Technology,
where I obtained a certificate in
Administration. Later, I travelled to
the UK on scholarship given to me
by my department at the Press. I
was attached to Norwich City
College Arts School between 1954
and 1956. My final certificate was
the City and Guild of London, in
1957. I studied printing in the UK
and did my attachment with Messrs’
Jarrod Printing Press, Norwich. I
continued working with the Federal
Government Press when I returned
to Nigeria.
Florence: I attended St. Saviours’
Primary School, Ijebu Ode. But I
did not go to secondary school.
How was growing up like for you?
Gabriel: I grew up in Ijebu Ode. My
parents also brought me up to
honour people and live with people
harmoniously. Those were some of
the virtues they taught me; they
always cared for the people. My
father was from a humble
background and he had a lot of
relatives who ensured that I was
properly trained. One of my close
relatives, Chief S.A Olukoya, the
father of Sonibare of Maryland
Estate, trained me at Ijebu Ode. He
was the manager of UAC Nigeria. He
was my mentor. He did a lot for me
and I learnt a lot from him.
Florence: My father was a
successful cocoa farmer. I lived
with my half-brothers later on,
where I spent different number of
years with each of them. One used
to work as a railway inspector.
How would you describe your
working experience?
Gabriel: I thank God that I was able
to serve my employers faithfully, to
the extent that they honoured me
with such recommendation for
training in the UK because I was not
the only one there. I was given that
honour because of my loyal service
and what they saw in me. Also then,
we had a British administrator who
took notice of me and recommended
me for the training. I never thought
of resigning. I am grateful that I
was sent to the UK, it helped me get
rapid promotions. I started with the
technical department, but retired as
chief superintendent of the press,
on level 14, in December 1984.
Florence: I worked at the Federal
Government Press as book binding
assistant and retired as book
binding assistant. I retired with a
salary of £22 10 pence. On
retirement, I thought about what to
do to train our seven children, who
were all brilliant. So I decided to go
into the business of selling beer.
What are your favourite meals?
Gabriel: Rice is my favourite food, I
like eating it with vegetables. It is
followed closely by Iyan (poundo
yam), not the one they labour to
make. I like eating it with efo. I eat
a lot of fruits too, especially banana.
It supplements my protein diet. My
advice to people is that they should
eat good and nourishing food.
Florence: I like my Ikokore, it’s an
Ijebu type of food. It is prepared
with water yam. I like corn flakes
and any good food.
How would you describe the
Nigeria of your days?
Gabriel: The people feared God
more than they do now, although
there are so many churches today.
Independence was good for Nigeria
because the white men wanted to
rule us and take our money. On
Independence Day in 1960, many
Nigerians had predicted that things
would be better afterwards. Back
then, we had a special class of
leaders like Chief Obafemi Awolowo
and Nnamdi Azikiwe who did their
best.
Things are not working well in
Nigeria now because the leaders are
not helping us. What bothers me now
is the lack of honesty of our
leaders. They have failed to provide
the basic amenities and
infrastructure for our people. We
don’t have leaders who are ready to
make sure they help the country
provide things like water,
electricity, good roads and health
care system.
Florence: We enjoyed the country
before independence. Nigeria then
was better than what we have today.
Then, you could cook for your family
with only 10 or 50 pence. But now,
with N2, 000, you can’t go to the
market to cook for your children.
We used to take my children to
Leventis and Kingsway stores to buy
stuff for them. But now, things are
different.
How did you meet and when did
you get married?
Gabriel: We knew each other quite
well before we got married on
August 5, 1948. I took great pains to
let her know I was in love with her
then. She was also in love with me.
Luckily, we ended up working in the
same place later on. My employers
gave her the chance to join me in
the service because of the likeness
they had for me. We worked
together in the same organisation till
she retired in 1971.
Florence: We met at Ijebu Ode. He
was attending Ijebu Ode Grammar
School at that time, while I attended
St. Saviours’ School. Sometimes, we
used to go to his school for sports
competitions or other extra-
curricular activities. That was how
we met.
Then, he used to visit me at home
but my father would drive him away.
Fortunately, we met again when I
relocated to Lagos. When we came
to Lagos, he was working at the
Government Press; while I was
looking for a job. He was the one
who told me to write an application
and bring it there, which I did and I
got the job. I was lucky to get my
first job with my husband at Federal
Government Press at Broad Street
Lagos in 1945. So, our relationship
continued until we got married in
1948. I retired in 1971. We have
seven children.
What is the secret of your 65-
year old marriage?
Gabriel: The secret is love. She also
gave me good children, children who
are doing a lot for us today and
doing well for themselves. They are
based in Nigeria, US and the UK.
Florence: We love each other. We
go for outings and come back
together. Marriages break up today
because the wife or husband has no
patience. Two people may fight, but
a wife should stick with her husband
in good times and bad times. They
should also have patience in training
the children. No matter the amount
the husband gives the wife for
home keeping, she should be able to
manage it, whether it is a penny or
£100. But nowadays, some people do
not have the patience for that. We
never fought. If he gave me a penny,
I took it. If he didn’t, I was all right
with that. We were patient with each
other.
Your husband said he went to
great pains to let you know he
loved you. What did he mean?
Florence: When my father drove
him away, we couldn’t speak with
each other. But, we spoke to each
other whenever we saw outside. I
gave him assurance that he shouldn’t
be worried, that I would marry him.
My father kept driving him away for
about two years, until we came to
Lagos. Then, my uncle, whom I was
staying with in Lagos, never allowed
him to come into the house
whenever he came visiting me. We
used to live on the second floor. So
he would stay outside until we closed
the gate, then he would go home. I
guess my father refused to allow
him visit me then because I had not
introduced him. By that time, I was
still in school,but I was already
working when I was living with my
uncle, who said that my husband was
too black. But I didn’t mind him
being dark in complexion. My
husband was patient enough until we
got married.
When you finally got married,
what did you father say
eventually?
Florence: Well, he got the dowry
and everything required, as tradition
allowed, before our marriage. So he
was very glad. I got married at the
age of 25.
How was it like training seven
children?
Gabriel: It is another special grace
of God. They are all successful. We
have a doctor, dental surgeon,
laboratory scientist, petroleum
engineer, optometrist, senior special
assistant to Lagos State Governor
Babatunde Fashola; another is also a
doctor and an assistant director at
Federal Industrial Research,
Oshodi, Lagos.
Their mother was helpful in a great
deal also because when she retired
in 1971, she went into business and
had more time to plan for herself
and the family. She got favour from
friends to expand her business. God
helped her to make some fortune,
which helped to train the children
up to the university level. She was
able to help me pay for their tickets
to the UK. There is nothing better
than the blessings of God. We now
have ten grandchildren.
Florence: I started my business
three years after I retired from
the service. It is very difficult to
train seven children, even up to
secondary school, not to talk of
university. I spent the little profit I
made to train the children and
support their education in the UK
and US. One of my sons in the US
got a scholarship after he had
secured admission into the
university. The university later
refunded the one year school fees
we had paid for him. I gave it back
to him to travel to do a summer
holiday in London. Another one also
gained scholarship to study in the
US. I thank God I was able to train
my children. Every year, I bought
clothes and shoes for them and
organised Christmas parties for
them. Some of them attended
boarding school then, like
Mayflower School, Ikenne. But they
appreciated it and did very well in
school.
What are your fondest memories
and things you are most fulfilled
about?
Gabriel: I was not a socialite. I liked
staying indoors. But I was successful
in my career. Also, my achievement
is to see the grace of God upon my
children. God has helped me so much
and also gave me a wonderful wife to
support me. I have no regrets.
Rather I thank God.
Florence: I remember we used to go
dancing at Forrester, Lagos Island
club and other places. But now, you
need to have a lot of money to go to
such places. I like dancing, even
before we got married, I used to go
to these places with my uncle. I like
all kinds of music. I was once a
leading dancer for the late Hubert
Ogunde when I was much younger. I
did it for a few years on a part-time
basis. I can’t remember all the
performances I featured in, but I
remember Yoruba Ronu, Strike and
Hunger. Also, my husband and I
loved to attend the Miss Nigeria
pageant show every year. We didn’t
miss it. We are too old now to
attend.
Is there anything that brings
unpleasant memories?
Gabriel: That was when I lost one
of my daughters a few months ago.
She has been one of the most loving
to me. That is the only thing that
saddens me.
Florence: Our daughter was one of
my most beloved, which was why I
didn’t want to celebrate my 90th
birthday. But my children prevailed
on me to. They said, “Mummy, you
are a good mother.” They came from
the US and UK to celebrate with me
in Nigeria. Losing her was painful.
What are your hobbies?
Gabriel: I was not involved in
sports. Now I cannot walk well.
Because of the inconvenience
walking causes me, I hardly go out
nowadays; although, in my younger
days, I was not a party crawler. But
I loved watching television. Today, I
watch when I feel like watching.
Florence: I like travelling. Before
now, I used to travel to London or
the US every year. Sometimes, I
stayed six months, a year or two
years. I celebrated my 78th
birthday in London, 79th in the US
and 80th in London. My husband and
all my children were there and we
had a great occasion.
What’s the secret of your long
life?
Gabriel: I give thanks to God that I
celebrated my 90th birthday and
added two more years to it. The
secret is God Almighty. I don’t know
any other secret, but that it is the
grace of God Almighty which has
sustained me until today. It’s not by
just eating good food or living
comfortably.
Florence: I didn’t live a wayward
lifestyle. I don’t drink. I only take
soft drinks. Even though I sold
beer, I never tasted it because I
didn’t like beer. I eat Ijebu food
(laughs). But I don’t want to live up
to one hundred. To grow old is not
easy. I have arthritis now and can’t
hear properly, but I thank God for
my life. My advice to people who
want to live long is to pray to God
and He will give them anything they
want. They will live long if they can
also exercise patience in life.

SOURCE: www.punchng.com/news/secrets-of-our-65-year-old-marriage-nonagenarian-couple/