By Segun Atanda/
On a day that echoes sacrifice and rebirth around the world, something quietly beautiful happened in a corner of Lagos yesterday.
It was Good Friday, and while Christians everywhere reflected on Christ’s ultimate gift to humanity, inside the cozy hall of CLAM Teens Church in Omole, friends, family, ministers, and dignitaries gathered not just to mark a 50th birthday—but to honour a life that mirrors that very spirit of giving.
Mrs. Oluwatobiloba Ajoke Oluwasegun turned 50. But instead of simply blowing candles or raising glasses, she chose to raise a legacy—launching the Ariyike Foundation, an initiative focused on uplifting underprivileged children. It wasn’t just a celebration. It was a manifestation of purpose, steeped in humility, praise, and impact.
Good Friday has always been about love laid bare. And on this particular one, it found flesh in a woman who’s spent decades nurturing, giving, mothering—and now, building.
Children dressed in violet Ariyike Foundation T-shirts surrounded, embraced her and took photographs.
Throughout, Mrs Oluwasegun stood, not as a woman basking in applause, but as a vessel—grateful, reflective, fulfilled.
The service unfolded in two deeply moving sessions. Ministers including Pastor Sola Olaleye, Pastor Olufemi Olubakinde, Pastor Funso Irede-Daniels, Pastor Akinniyi Akinyugha, and Pastor Ebenezer Adegboyega led the congregation in praise, reflection, and prayer.
Pastor Olaleye read passages from Proverbs 22:9 and Psalm 41 to illustrate God’s disposition and promise to those who are good to the poor.
He said, “The vision in the hand of Sister Tobi is a very big vision. I remember when she came to my office to share it. I said I covet this!
“She showed me pictures of the students she had clothed, buy food for them, bags and what have you… There’s blessings in taking care of the underprivileged.”
Pastor Olaleye, in his exhortation, read from Psalm 90:12: “Teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts to wisdom.” He wasn’t just speaking to the celebrant. He was inviting everyone in the room to measure life, not by the years lived—but by the lives touched.
And by every testimony shared, Tobi Oluwasegun has touched many.
“She raised me and my siblings,” said Mrs. Bimpe Babalola, the first person to testify. “She’s always a giver. Always present.”
“She embodies Christ’s love,” added Bro. Adeyemi Emmanuel, “and serves God with all her heart.”
“She’s resilient, humble, and dogged,” said another. “If you want something done, give it to Sister Tobi.”
When someone called her “dogged”—a word often reserved for men, or soldiers, it described a woman who has walked through storms and still stood, hands open, heart wide.
There was no shortage of witnesses to her strength. Her love. Her willingness to carry others even while bearing her own burdens.
Then came the moment everyone had been waiting for.
With emotion in her voice, Mrs. Oluwasegun spoke about a calling that started as far back as age 15. A time when most girls were still figuring themselves out, she was already asking hard questions:
Why are some children not in school? Who helps those who have no one?
“I love children,” she said. “I’ve always wanted to do something about it.”
That “something” is now the Ariyike Foundation—a bridge for children in underserved communities to cross over from survival to success.
The Foundation is providing essential school supplies—uniforms, shoes, books, bags—as well as financial support for examinations like NECO. More than that, it will offer mentorship, guidance, and a sense of belonging. It aims to raise thinkers, builders, leaders—children who not only dare to dream but have the tools to make those dreams real.
Her husband, Pastor Wale Oluwasegun, offered his own quiet reflections. He spoke of their courtship—five years of walking side by side before marriage—and the years that followed, marked by faith and grit.
“I thank God for having her in my life,” he said. “She’s a go-getter, very resilient, very supportive. Always there for me. Always encouraging me and giving me the push.”
Mrs Oluwasegun also described her husband as very accommodating and supportive.
In him, she has found not just a partner in love but in vision.
Pastor Oluwasegun told how his wife was always thinking of what she could do and handover to her children.
Dignitaries were out in numbers to honour her.
Among them are Mrs Tolu David and her husband, Retired AIG Shola David; Chief Ayo Dawotola, the Otun Agura of Ilaro, who brought royal greetings from the Olu of Ilaro, the paramount ruler of Yewaland, and Dr. Kunle Alabi, husband to the celebrant’s elder sister who also shared testimonies. So were Mrs. Stella Oyelola and many others—each one a thread in the rich tapestry of a life lived in quiet service.
Chief Dawotola said, “Not everyone is privileged to witness such powerful testimonies about themselves while alive. This is grace.”
During the Holy Communion, the mood deepened. Pastor Olubakinde, leading the session, invited the Holy Spirit to cover the Oluwasegun family.
“You won’t walk into sudden death,” he declared. “You won’t bury a child. The battles of life have been won for you.”
The bread was broken. The cup shared. And in that sacred moment, the room wasn’t just celebrating a woman—it was consecrating a mission.
In Yoruba, Ariyike means “the one who is worth caring for.”
How fitting.
Because the foundation is not just about charity. It’s about dignity. About telling every child it touches: You matter. You are seen. You are worth caring for.
And maybe that’s the most powerful message from this Good Friday gathering. That love, when given freely, multiplies. That legacy isn’t built in grand halls or fleeting applause—but in the daily, deliberate decision to care.
During the service, Pastor Olaleye said that Mrs Oluwasegun could read people’s mind and “know when somebody is not happy”. He jokingly named her “Elder Mrs Oluwasegun”.
Reading passages from Matthew 25, he highlighted what God says about people who are taking care of His own.
As the event drew to a close and guests lingered to take photos and embrace one another, one could sense a shift.
This wasn’t just a party. It was a passing of the torch—from a woman who has carried many, to a foundation that will now carry others.
Mrs. Oluwatobiloba Ajoke Oluwasegun has lived 50 years. But in many ways, she is just beginning.
And on this Good Friday, as the world remembered the ultimate gift, she gave hers too—a promise to the children of Nigeria that their dreams are valid, their futures possible, and their voices worth hearing.
