For a true follower of Jesus, death marks the beginning of eternity. Mama Leadway, Dame Matilda Odukale’s transition brings both happiness and sadness: happiness for her fulfilled ninety-six years of faith, and sadness because her fellowship, love, wisdom, and counsel will be missed. I am grateful to God for the privilege of meeting her—first in Kaduna during His Eminence Dr Sunday Mbang’s apostolic tour of the Northern diocese, and later in Lagos and Ilisan. In each encounter, I sensed her sweet, humble spirit; she was always caring and possessed a servant’s heart, working with her husband to realise God’s vision and mission.

To celebrate, Dame Odukale emphasises the spiritual and lasting significance of the home, urging us to see it as more than a place of comfort or appearances. Through her example, she demonstrates God’s intended purpose for wives and mothers, showing that vision in homemaking preserves its eternal value. By living out these principles, Dame Odukale invites others to embrace this higher calling, as seen in the home she shared with her late husband, Sir Hassan Olusola Odukale, founder of Leadway Assurance Company Limited. Although Sir Olusola Hassan Odukale, a Knight of John Wesley (KJW) and revered as Baba Odukale, passed away 23 years ago, his legacy and values remain influential today.

Marrying Baba Odukale meant Dame Odukale was called to a special ministry, with the Holy Spirit as her guide. Behind Baba Leadway’s business and philanthropy stood Mama Leadway. Her contributions were crucial to Sir Odukale’s success, though often unseen. She was always ready to help, care for her family, and model the Proverbs 31 woman. She was a home builder, bearing heavy burdens unknown to others, encouraging her husband “when the shadows are darkest.” She was a prayer warrior, full of grace, always welcoming, and cared for the less privileged. She selflessly carried the burdens of the church, the community, and her family. Her time was never her own; needs came constantly.

In accepting her husband’s devotion to both his business and ministry, Mama Leadway, Dame Odukale, found strength through solitude and prayer, making significant sacrifices to maintain a strong home front. Her steadfastness ensured that the family’s foundation remained strong even amidst personal loneliness. Now, having completed her life’s journey, she meets her Master face to face—a fitting end with God’s special reward awaiting her.

Echoing the words of Diane Tappe, Dame Odukale was the woman who stood in the background while her husband thrived in public view, fully aware of her husband as a divine gift. She returned her husband to God through both business and service, enduring loneliness born from sharing him with the community, individuals, and many groups at home and abroad. This ongoing sharing links to her earlier sacrifices and reinforces her indispensable role in Baba Leadway’s story and legacy.

Mama Leadway, Dame Matilda Ibidunni Odukale (née Odubiyi), hailed from Imodi, Ijebu Ode, and was born on 18th December 1929. Similarly, Baba Leadway, Sir Odukale, born in March 1926 in Ilisan Remo, shared a life anchored in faith and service. Their marriage in Kaduna on 26th December 1953 marked the beginning of a partnership that supported Sir Odukale’s evolution as a Christian entrepreneur and philanthropist, whose work, including his role as founder of Leadway Assurance Company Limited, left an enduring mark not only on their family but also on Nigeria’s insurance industry, particularly in the North. This shared background enriches understanding of their collective legacy.

It is impossible to write about Mama Leadeway, Dame Odukale without also writing about her husband, Baba Leadway, Sir Odukale, as their stories are closely intertwined. Mama Leadway, Dame Odukale, exemplified that only an entrepreneur’s spouse can truly understand what it means to support an entrepreneur, and she set a model of respect and support. As the Christian wife of a leader described in 1 Timothy 3, she was indeed ‘a woman worthy of respect’ (v 11). Fulfilling this supportive role, she provided a spiritual history and legacy for those aspiring to serve their families and ministries. As a devoted follower of Jesus Christ, Mama Leadway, Dame Odukale, consistently embodied right relationships and behaviour; her faithfulness, humility, cheerful spirit, honesty, and purity created a strong home for her hardworking husband. Baba Leadway, Sir Odukale, was fortunate to have such a supportive life partner, whose gentle demeanour and candour reflected her spiritual depth. Together, they built a loving home and raised godly children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.

Entrepreneurship brings its own demands and challenges. Baba Leadway, Sir Odukale, found a true partner in Mama Leadway, Dame Odukale, who, through understanding, adaptability, and shared values, supported and thrived alongside him. Her flexibility complemented his drive, creating a balance crucial to their mutual success and continuing the legacy described above.

Mama Leadway, Dame Odukale, is more than a wife acting as the “home front” for a businessman; she manages the household as her own business, acting as a CEO to create stability, security, and a supportive environment so her partner can focus on business growth. Her mostly behind-the-scenes role involves independence and responsibility, handling operations without daily consultation. These actions are shaped by mutual trust, honesty, and transparency.

Baba Odukale’s business growth depended on support and home-front stability. Mama Odukale created a nurturing foundation that enabled her husband’s success. Their business began modestly with Hassan Stores in Kaduna, evolving into a lasting legacy in textile trading. Leadway Assurance Company Limited, founded in 1970, aimed to fill the gap left by indigenous insurers and compete with foreign firms. Baba Odukale built Leadway’s solid reputation for integrity and excellence, with vital support from his wife, the home-front builder. By 1976, Leadway and other indigenous companies outnumbered foreign insurers. Today, Leadway is one of Nigeria’s leading insurance firms with a strong reputation for service and reliability.

Baba Odukale and Mama Odukale fulfilled the biblical legacy as caring parents and devoted partners. They left an inheritance for their descendants (Prov 13:22). Their lives provided a fountain of life, peace, prosperity, and happiness to many.

Sir Ezekiel Folorunso Ogunjuyigbe’s personal tribute adds another dimension to our understanding of Mama Odukale. He recalls first meeting her through Baba Odukale, when they lived on Bida Road in Kaduna. On a November Sunday in 1979, after attending Wesley Methodist Church (now the Cathedral at Abeokuta, by Ibrahim Taiwo Road), Ogunjuyigbe was introduced to Mama Odukale, with whom he would later work closely, as she served as the choir’s Matron while he was the Choirmaster. This personal connection mirrors the caring leadership and collaborative spirit Mama Leadway extends to many.

Mama was simple and elegant, always moderately dressed. She managed the home front of the Hassan-Odukale family. Mama was a contented wife, a role model to many women, especially at Wesley Methodist Cathedral, Kaduna. She intervened in business matters only when necessary. I remember Mama once interceded for me with Baba, not because I asked, but out of love. She pleaded, “Omo daradara ni o, omo choir mi si ni” (He is a good boy, and a member of the choir). Mama was a quiet giver and generous philanthropist. Ministers’ wives benefited from her benevolence.

Unknown to many, Mama’s interest in the building of the Cathedral was an impetus for Pa Hassan Odukale’s aggressive financial support for the project.  Mama would call me to give her a report on the Cathedral building, since I was the Secretary of the building Committee. The subsequent results of my report would be a massive supply of cement and other building materials to the site, at the instruction of Baba Odukale. Mama Odukale’s patience, perseverance, and prayers were the unseen hands that supported her husband, my Benefactor, Sir Hassan Odukale, in his business. Mama lived a life of service to God and humanity. Mama lived well and touched many lives.’

After her husband’s death, 23 years ago, Mama Odukale continued the legacy of her husband till her transition on Saturday, 7 March 2026. Mama Odukale served as the Grand Matron of the Ilisan Youth Development Association (IYDA) till death.  According to the Association, ‘Mama Odukale was a woman of deep faith, compassion and unwavering commitment to the service of God, the church and humanity. Her motherly role, wise counsel and consistent encouragement to the youth and the Ilisan community will remain a cherished memory to all who were privileged to know her. As the Grand Matron of our Association, she stood as a pillar of support and inspiration, always urging the younger generation to pursue meaningful service, unity and community development.’

Mama and Baba Odukale were rich toward God, people, and Christian mission, especially in Northern Nigeria. They used their money, time, and talents to serve God and humanity till their death. Wealth was not an obstacle to their Christian devotion and commitment, but rather a means of evangelism and a means of helping the needy. For Baba and Mama Leadway, the chief end of man, along the lines of the first question in the Westminster Shorter Catechism, is ‘a grateful response to unmerited gifts from God.’ Baba and Mama Leadway gave and spent from their ‘immersion in God’s overflowing generative love’ and riches. For Mama and Baba, it is the grace of God that transforms wealth and ‘no longer an obstacle to following Jesus, it becomes a means of service to God.’

Mama Leadway, Dame Odukale’s strategic collaboration went beyond domestic chores, allowing her husband to take risks, build wealth, and focus on business growth. Her role involved nurturing god-fearing children, managing family finances, maintaining relationships with extended family members, and participating in the church life in Kaduna, Lagos, and Ilisan. Inspired by mutual trust, the home front management is often done independently, requiring strong decision-making skills to manage daily household logistics. An important legacy from Mama and Baba Odukale points to their husband’s and wife’s roles as a partnership (not competitive), where both are “strong” and “ambitious,” but choose to divide responsibilities so that one focuses on the business while the other manages the home, ensuring the family thrives.

For Mama Leadway, Dame Odukale, the home is not just a place for leisure, where the amenities of life are to be fostered. Using the words of Amey E Watson (1928), home to Dame Odukale is ‘where spiritual values are to be conserved. The home undoubtedly exists primarily to build the personalities of the next generation, to surround children with that environment which will call out the best that is in them; but to do this adequately, the personalities of both mother and father must also be released, and those of the workers within the home.’ Dame Odukale’s legacy tells us that ‘husbands and children expected to find the home a healthy, sustaining retreat from the outside world, as it had been depicted in popular culture since the mid-nineteenth century. At home, one found appropriately cooked food, charmingly served; clean clothes; clean, orderly, and refreshing spaces for bathing, sleeping, eating, and socialising; and happy, well-mannered children. The time-consuming tasks required to meet this ideal represented a labour of love—of service to the family’s members.’

In reflection, the words of Hebrews 13:7, in relation to Dame Odukale’s transition and open-door spirituality, invite us to remember those who spoke God’s Word to us, to consider the outcome of their way of life, and to imitate their faith. Dame Odukale’s way of life points to patience, kindness, understanding, flexibility, and respect. Mama was empowered by each of these through the Holy Spirit and the life-changing power of the Word of God. Mama, as a clear characteristic of a godly wife, respects her husband even in death (Eph 5:33). Mama Odukale’s traits were not in earthly apparel but a heart for God. She was a beautiful Rose that God allowed us to share. Her influence, dedication and passion live on with us in our own journey of life. Even in death, Dame Odukale speaks and is being used as a mouthpiece for the Kingdom. She was a woman of noble character. Who can find a virtuous woman, because her price is worth more than rubies.

Baba Odukale’s wide range of philanthropic activity and legacy, shaped by ‘a theological and philosophical framework for discerning,’ was shaped by hidden and unseen hands and the home front of his wife of over 46 years. They both put a smile on people’s faces. To them, having money is a way of loving, praising, serving, desiring, and reflecting God. Mama and Baba were devout Christians and detribalised Nigerians who supported many church-based and community projects throughout their lifetime in every region in Nigeria.  Mama and Baba followed John Wesley’s principle of “gain all you can, save all you can, and give all you can.” Baba and Mama Baba were committed to bringing out the best in people and were known for their fair treatment of clergy and workers and were very particular about personal good dressing. Together with his wife, he personally paid the school fees for many in colleges, universities and seminaries.

Mama Leadway, Dame Odukale’s legacy defines home as a temporary dwelling and reflection of our eternal home by not forgetting to show and practice hospitality (Heb. 11:14, 13:2, Lk 10:38-42, Acts 16:15, 2 Cor. 5:1, 8-9). Mama Odukale’s legacy tells us about the potential of our home and the purpose of cultivating it as a taste of eternal life in Jesus Christ. It is true that there is no perfect marriage, no perfect parent, no perfect children, no perfect homes. However, Baba and Mama Leadway are examples that we can experience God’s best in the context of our home life. Home is God’s plan for multi-generational Gospel transformation.

To the glory of God, Baba and Mama Leadway leave us their legacy. Kindly remember the children and family in prayer.