A tribute to Aunty Ruth, (Miss Ruth Howard) by Gbenro Adegbola

A British missionary teacher who gave over 30 years of her life, her entire career, 1963-’99 to Nigeria.

She died recently at 91 & buried in Moffat Scotland on July 2.

She arrived in Ibadan in 1962, a year ahead of my family.

Our paths crossed when my mother joined St Anne’s School in ’63, where she was also teaching.

Though a bit younger than my parents, they became very good friends. She frequented our house and became part of the family.

She taught generations. And to many of who knew her, she was simply Aunty Ruth.

She was also very good friends with my parents in law, who together with my parents were all part of a friendly study group know as The Senior Friends.

This is a group of young , and not so young professionals who were Students Christian Movement members in university.

She taught Mathematics at St Anne’s & would later serve as Vice-Principal.

She also handled co-curricular stuff like elocution & drama, making her a favourite of most students as these gave regular contact with all the girls.

She was to teach both my sister, & my future wife!

Her Yoruba was excellent, but hilariously non-tonal.

She was quite feisty by nature. Whenever she visited, my parents would hear her old Volkswagen Beetle pull up and welcome her with mock exasperation:
“Wàhálà dé! Ó yá má wolé bò”

(“Here comes trouble! Just come right in.”)

She soon took over the joke.

Before anyone could greet her, she’d shout from the garden, grinning, arms raised: “Wahala, wole!”

Aunty Ruth was so much fun. Loud, warm, dramatic, full of mischief, in her signature Dr. Scholl clogs.

She always brought life and light with her.

I had severe dietary distastes as a child. My foods were mostly white: plain rice, bread, yam, milk.

Aunty Ruth noticing this at a Sunday lunch, teasingly asked my mother: “Àbí ọmọ òrìṣà funfun ni?” She playfully asked to appease the Òrìsà for me. We still laugh about that.

She left Ibadan in the late ’70s and moved to Anglican Girls’ Grammar School, Ughelli as Principal.

After that, Idia College in Benin City.

Her leadership at the two schools was vintage Ruth Howard; quiet but firm, compassionate and fair to all.

In 1986, she was approached by the late Chief Emmanuel Adesoye to help with fleshing out the dream for Adesoye College, Offa.

She became the founding principal of Adesoye in 1987, leading it with the same vision and discipline that marked all her years in the Nigerian classroom.

Till she left Nigeria finally in 1999, she’d still drop by at my parents whenever she passed through Ibadan.

Her physical departure from Nigeria did not mean severing her ties.

A big part of her remained here in Nigeria with her vast network of Nigerian friends and students.

I joined her dignifying, small funeral online on July 2.

It was deeply gratifying to see several Nigerian faces in the congregation, including a Nigerian Anglican priest who performed the final committal.

She was remembered with warmth on both sides of the world.

Aunty Ruth, you arrived in Nigeria, a 28-year-old, dreamy-eyed Anglican missionary teacher.

You gave yourself wholly to the task.

Your dreams found life in the hundreds of girls, and later, boys, whom you taught, mentored, and dignified.

You were more than a teacher; you were family and kindness in motion, making a home in a land far from yours.

Your memory blooms already, in every life you touched. And it will echo still, in the generations they raise, and the dreams they pursue.

Glory to God!

Rest well.

–Adegbola was Managing Director of Verista Publishing and co-founder of Bookcraft