Biography of Alhaja Zainab Abiola Adeyemo

Alhaja Zainab Abiola Adeyemo was born on Wednesday, 12th of April 1939, to the duo of Mutiatu Eesu and Sunny Odunbaku of Fashina family of Okepopo area of Lagos Island. She was the 11th child among 16 children.

She attended Zumratul Islamiyyah Primary School in Lagos Island. After her education, she started working and was engaged in different businesses.

She got married to Mr. Mufutau Ayinde Adeyemo and the union was blessed with many children and grandchildren. Alhamdulillah!

Alhaja Adeyemo worked at the Children Section of the Central Library at Broad Street as a library assistant.

Mummy Library, as she was fondly called by the children who frequented the Library, was loved for her caring nature. Due to her kind nature, mummy became a sit-in care-giver/minder to the children of most of the staff of the companies around that area (e.g., Mobil and CSS Bookshop) who stayed at the library after school. She also instilled the love of reading in most of her children’s friends who used to flock to the library in the afternoon from their school at Anglican Girls’ School on Broad Street.

She later worked at different sectors in the Lagos Island Local Council. She retired from active service upon attaining 60 years of age.

While working at the Central Library, Alhaja Zainab was also engaged in different petty trades, prominent among which was the cooked beans business which earned her respect and made her a darling of many people, both young and old. She was fondly called ‘Mama No Beans – Ko Si Ewa’

Alhaja Zainab was a member of the Ansar ud Deen Society of Nigeria and a devout worshipper at the Jakande Mosque in Phase 2, Lagos Island.