​Tai Solarin’s widow, Sheilla, dies at 88.

Guardian. Lagos, Nigeria. 22.10.12

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MRS. Sheilla Solarin, wife of the late social critic, Dr. Tai Solarin, is dead.
The deceased, a Briton, passed on at the Babcock University Teaching Hospital, Ilishan-Remo, Ogun State, yesterday afternoon. She was 88 years old.
The Guardian gathered that Mrs. Solarin fell down on her way to bed a couple of months ago and was rushed to the hospital. The deceased, who was reported to have had a broken hip as a result of the fall, was said to have undergone a surgery and had been recuperating.
Her two children, Tunde Solarin and his sister, Corin, were said to be at her bedside when she breathed her last at exactly 4.30 p.m.  The body has been taken to LASUTH morgue.
The late Mrs. Solarin came to Nigeria with her late husband in the 50s, and together, the couple later established the famous Mayflower Secondary School, Ikenne-Remo, where she was the principal for several years.
Meanwhile, there have been reactions from her children and some members of the public.
Ogun State Governor Ibikunle Amosun described the demise of Mrs. Solarin as most painful and a great loss to Ogun State and Nigeria in general.
Amosun, in a statement, said: “Mama Solarin was a foremost educationist, a great teacher and disciplinarian who rendered an immeasurable service to the people of Ogun State and Nigeria through the Mayflower School. The school, founded in 1956, became one of the best schools in the country and has produced many of the leading lights in our nation.”
The deceased’s daughter, Corin Solarin, said: “I cannot summarise her life and times in words. She was a good, kind- hearted and humane personality. She played the role of mother to thousands of people across the world. Her love and service to humanity were exemplary and legendary.”
Former Ogun State governor, Gbenga Daniel, said: “The death of Madam Solarin, in spite of her advance age was a huge loss.” In a statement by his media aide, Mr. Adegbenro Adebanjo, Daniel described the deceased as an epitome of the best of womanhood, saying her contributions to the development of education in Nigeria would not be forgotten.
The senator representing Ogun East District in the National Assembly, Adegbenga Kaka, said “Madam Solarin in her life time sacrificed all that she had for the sake of her husband. She kept the flag flying at Mayflower School, Ikenne. She remained an epitome of good womanhood. She was caring, not only to her children, but all that passed through her husband. She will be missed just like we are missing her husband. She was hardworking, diligent and straight forward person.”
Mrs. Alake Sobo, niece to the late social critic, Tai Solarin, described the deceased as a rare mother who gave all that she had for humanity.
To Dr. Wale Omole, founder, Tai Solarin Hospital, Lagos, Mrs. Solarin’s death is a big loss to humanity.
“She and her husband sponsored thousands of Nigerian children to the university level. They knew little or nothing about those children’s parents, especially those that were affected by the Nigeria Civil War”, he said.