International participants from Nigeria, the UK, Canada, and the US will gather virtually and physically today at the Dilay Event Centre, Old Bodija, Ibadan, for the 50-Year Memorial Service and Celebration of Life of the late Olufunke Olayinka Akinyele.
The prominent milestone event, marking five decades since her passing on June 25, 1976, will serve as the launchpad for two major initiatives: a national youth support foundation called “Diamonds in the Rough” (DIR) and a commemorative magazine titled Funke at 50.
DIR, founded by Olufunke’s daughter, development professional Dr. Funmi Akinyele, is designed to provide mentorship and a psychological lifeline to Nigerian children aged 0–19 who have suffered maternal loss. Dr. Akinyele was just 20 months old when her mother died at the age of 28.
The second major highlight, the Funke at 50 magazine, contains 27 personal tributes from childhood friends, classmates, and relatives. Dr. Akinyele tracked down these contributors over months of research to answer a singular question about her late mother: “Tell me who she was.” Contributors remembered Olufunke as highly intelligent and elegant, describing her as “Royalty both at home and in school.”
Olufunke was born into Ibadan’s prominent Ogunsola family, the daughter of Chief James Ladejo Ogunsola, MBE, and Mrs. Marian Adunola Ogunsola. An elite scholar, she studied French at the University of Ibadan and Besançon, France, before marrying Professor Isaac Olaolu Akinyele in 1971.
She relocated to the US, working as an Admissions Officer while studying Early Childhood Education until her untimely death. Her husband, who later served as Dean of Public Health at the University of Ibadan, raised their two children in Nigeria. He founded Food Basket Foundation International (FBFI).
The memorial will also celebrate the Ogunsola Award, a fund established in 2025 by Olufunke’s sisters to sponsor students at Queens School, Ibadan.
