Skip to main content

Tribute to Sheila Solarin By Leo Igwe

October 29, 2012

On Sunday, October 21, 2012, the co-founder of Mayflower School, Sheila Solarin passed away. Sheila, like her late husband, Tai Solarin, was an educationist. She devoted her entire life to working and campaigning to improve the quality of education in Nigeria. Through her Mayflower Schools, she provided that high quality education to Nigerian children. I encountered Sheila not so much in her capacity as an educationist but more in her role as the matron of the Nigerian Humanist Movement(NHM). Very few Nigerians know about Sheila’s humanist credentials, especially that she continued the tradition left behind by Tai of supporting secular education and also promoting the humanist outlook.

On Sunday, October 21, 2012, the co-founder of Mayflower School, Sheila Solarin passed away. Sheila, like her late husband, Tai Solarin, was an educationist. She devoted her entire life to working and campaigning to improve the quality of education in Nigeria. Through her Mayflower Schools, she provided that high quality education to Nigerian children. I encountered Sheila not so much in her capacity as an educationist but more in her role as the matron of the Nigerian Humanist Movement(NHM). Very few Nigerians know about Sheila’s humanist credentials, especially that she continued the tradition left behind by Tai of supporting secular education and also promoting the humanist outlook.



I never met the late husband Tai who died in 1994. But I was inspired by the humanist legacy he left behind.

In 1998 I travelled to Ikenne to see Sheila and to inform her of the formation of the Nigerian Humanist Movement. I invited her to be the matron of the organisation, which she readily accepted. I can still recall vividly my joy and excitement on getting Sheila’s endorsement of the Nigerian Humanist Project. Sheila was visibly worried by the damaged caused by superstitions especially the way religious fanaticism was hampering the growth and development of the nation.

She was not anti religion or anti-theism. She was of the view that organized religion fulfilled some social good and that with more knowledge the god-of-the -gaps would fade away.

Sheila was unequivocal in her support for an alternative to dogmatic religions and superstitious beliefs and for the promotion of reason, science and critical thinking. She bemoaned the colossal waste of lives by violent extremists and the way Nigeria had been turned to a religious supermarket at the expense of human development.

Mrs. Solarin was a pillar of humanism not only in principle but also in practice. She keynoted the first humanist conference in Sub Saharan Africa, organised in 2001 by the Nigerian Humanist Movement at the University of Ibadan. In 2004 Sheila was instrumental in the hosting by the NHM of the Tai Solarin memorial conference at the Mayflower School in Ikenne. She was a kind and generous woman. I can recall that at the end of the conference in Ikenne, we incurred some extra costs but Sheila readily accepted to defray them. In her talks and messages, she emphasized the importance and imperative of critical thinking. She always urged Nigerian youths and students to question and to think critically.

When she was asked, at one of her last outings at the Tai Solarin memorial lecture in Lagos, to deliver a short message to the Nigerian youths. She simply said, “think ahead”.

Sheila was so many things to so many people. She will be missed by both humanists and religious folks alike.

Personally I will miss her sharp sense of humor, wit and insight when discussing social and political issues.

Adieu Sheila Solarin. Rest in peace mama re re

Leo Igwe is the founder of the Nigerian Humanist Movement
 

googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('content1'); });

googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('comments'); });

googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('content2'); });