Renowned Educator And RCCG Deaconess, Esther Esiwu-Ade Olufemi, Dies At 94

The Nigerian education and Christian community is mourning the passing of veteran school administrator and deaconess, Esther Esiwu-Ade Olufemi, who died peacefully on Thursday, July 4, 2025, at the age of 94.

Born on June 17, 1931, in Ijebu-Ode, Ogun State, Esiwu-Ade Olufemi was a woman of rare distinction whose life spanned nearly a century of service, devotion, and transformative leadership. She was born into the respected Agoro Odunsi family. Her father, Pa Quazim Agoro Abass Odunsi, was a prominent transporter in the region, and her mother, Wuraola Eyinfunjowo, died when she was just 15 years old. Thereafter, she and her elder sister, Sidi, were raised by members of their extended family.

She began her education at Moslem Primary School, Ijebu-Ode, and proceeded to Remo Secondary School in Sagamu. In pursuit of a teaching career, she enrolled at the Teacher Training College, Ilesha, between 1955 and 1958, earning a Grade II Teacher’s Certificate. Not one to settle for local achievement alone, she later travelled to the United Kingdom, where she studied at Dundee College of Education in Scotland and was awarded a Diploma in Education in 1964.

Her teaching career began at Ansarudeen Primary School in Ebute-Metta, Lagos, and blossomed into a decades-long commitment to shaping young minds and building institutions. Over the years, she served as headmistress at several top Lagos schools, including Araromi Baptist School (Moloney), Zumratul Islammiyyah Primary School, and St. Patrick’s Catholic Primary School. Known for her discipline, intelligence, and motherly leadership, she earned the admiration of colleagues and students alike. She retired in December 1993 with the respected rank of Head Master Special I.

Beyond the classroom, Esiwu-Ade was a woman of deep and evolving faith. Raised a devout Muslim, she once embarked on the Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca, but experienced a dramatic spiritual conversion in May 1990, when she publicly gave her life to Jesus Christ. Her new walk of faith led to her ordination as a deaconess in the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) in 2005 at the Redemption Camp, marking a profound chapter of ministry in her later years.

Her life was a testimony of resilience, transformation, and unwavering service to humanity—through both education and faith.

She is survived by her children: Mrs. Yetunde Situ, Mr. Babatunde Ajayi, Ms. Sola Bickersteth, Mrs. Remi Ojo, and Mr. Mojibola Bickersteth, along with numerous grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

The family has requested privacy at this time and stated that funeral arrangements will be announced in due course. Friends, former students, and well-wishers across Nigeria and the diaspora continue to pay tribute to a life lived with dignity, purpose, and grace.