Early Years and Education
Kikelomo Christianah AKinluyi was born on November 30, 1964 at Ikere Ekiti in Ekiti State, Nigeria to the loving family of Chief Aro Owolabi and Mrs Esther Owolabi. Chief Aro Owolabi was popular and loved by all and sundries for his wisdom, native intelligence and modest wealth. He married 11 wives and Mrs Esther Owolabi was the last and only surviving wife, herself a gift from her father to Chief Aro Owolabi to deepen the bond of their friendship. Kikelomo had an interesting but challenging childhood given the prevalent intrigues and dynamism of a polygamous family in a rural setting of the 1960s. The father loved and dotted visibly on Kikelomo and her siblings to the envy of other children of their ages and their mothers. One vivid memory she never forgot when relating the overt demonstration of love by her father was his penchant of regularly sewing her new dresses and mandating her to march ahead of him, carrying his umbrellas to the Ogoga’s (King) Palace for their weekly meetings. He was unabashed and unrestrained in boasting and bragging about Kikelomo’s ebony black beauty and preciousness to members of the family and fellow chiefs. Of course, she reaped the full repercussions of this upon the demise of her father in 1986. Kikelomo started school very early, long before she was qualified by age as a school teacher who was a tenant in the father’s house took a liking to her preciousness and started taking her to school on her Raleigh bicycle. She
eventually started primary school at St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School, Oke Paadi, Ikere-Ekiti in 1970. She proceeded to St Benedict’s Secondary Modern School in 1975 as was the case then. She was admitted into the renown African Church Comprehensive High SChool (ACCHS), Ikere-Ekiti in 1976 and completed her secondary education in 1981. As a student, she was studious, diligent and excelled in extra-curricular activities (sports, farming, carpentry, masonry, animal husbandry, etc) for which the school was noted for. She was particularly grounded in numbers and mathematics that she became a pseudo tutorial teacher for classmates from Form 3. Upon finishing in 1981, she was offered admission at the University of Ilorin to study Geography which she turned down because she wanted a course that would avail her the opportunity of becoming a professional. The ever dotting and loving father processed and secured admission for her to the College of Education, Ikere-Ekiti in 1982 but she refused, explaining to her father that she was not prepared to be a teacher. The father got angry and confused because four of his other daughters had gone through the College and were doing well as teachers. Kike eventually got admitted in 1983 to study Accountancy at the Federal Polytechnic, Ado-Ekiti. She graduated in 1988 with Upper Credit and as one of the best in class, combining brilliance with humility.
what kike represents
Christianah was dedicated to her family. As a daughter, loving spouse, devoted mother, and friend who treated everyone like family, she poured her heart into every role she played. Her love knew no bounds. Her family was her foundation—the source of her strength and the place where her deepest joys resided. It is impossible not to imagine more occasions she would have celebrated with them – the moments that would have filled her heart with pride. Taken too soon, she left us wondering what could have been.