People came from far and near, just to pay homage to the departed
Madam Patience Osagie. As they read her biography over and over again, tears of joy dripped down many cheeks. Here was a woman, a woman after God's heart.
Biography of the extraordinary Patience Otiti Oseghae Osagie:
Fondly called Nene, Madam Patience Osagie was born on June 20, 1936 in Uhiele, Ekpoma, Edo state (originally Mid-Western State), to the family of Esene. She was the third born child and 3 seemed to have turned out a lucky number for this remarkable woman.
She attended primary school in one of the village schools in Uhiele, Ekpoma. She saw the value of education at an early age but in those early years, education was not considered important for women and despite her desire to be schooled, she was passed by and nudged in the direction of marriage instead.
She got married in 1955 to a wonderful man, Blessed Oseghae. After the wedding her husband proceeded to get his college education in Owo, leaving his beautiful wife behind. On his return, he moved with his wife to Sapele, where he got a job as a well sought after teacher.
All this while, Nene has started nurturing her natural entrepreneurial skills. She caught the business intelligence from her mother who was the probably the most trusted circumcision specialist in the entire community. She became rich in the process and Nene quickly learnt from her mother, the valuable money lesson that stayed with her all her life- that what matters is not how much money you make, but how much you are able to keep by investing wisely.
The Jos roots:
Nene moved to Jos with her husband in 1963 along with their 3 children. She played a highly important role as the pillar of the household while her husband furthered his education and advanced his teaching career.
Nene just didn’t fold her arms and wait for her husband to do all the work. She started a petty trade, selling provisions on a small table. And gradually she started sowing her business roots.
The purpose and value- driven mother:
Nene was the mother of 8 children. She instilled in them a sense of purpose and direction. She taught them some fundamental life principles and values and instilled in each of them brimming self-confidence and sparkling work ethic
Nene taught her children to learn to stand tall, to pursue excellence in whatever you do, to outwork anyone around you, to pursue your dreams and trust in God.
These values formed the foundation that Nene built her family on, and the children all complied and reaped the positive results in their lives as well.
The business touch:
Though she had no formal education, Nene had business class. With discipline, hard work and good business instinct, her small time trade soon expanded into a successful enterprise, including real estate.
Her visionary approach helped her to identify opportunities long before they became obvious to many. She then made wise investments which paid off for her and her family.
Church, community and connection:
Nene was active in the church and community. She was in the Benevolence Society of the Jos St Luke’s church and was the Vice President in the late 80s. She was involved in several groups in the church as well.
In addition, Nene was the initiator of Ishan general Meeting (Women Wing) in the whole of Jos.
She was also sincerely philanthropic and took a special interest in providing emotional and financial support to many widows across the country, especially in Ekpoma and Jos.
Nene was not just a sunday-sunday church goer. She believed that true Christianity is defined by your intimacy with God.
In her 70s, she studied the scriptures one on one and made a decision to rededicate her life to God and Nene got born again into Christ in 2008 in Ikeja ICOC.
The story of Nene is truly the story of an “unschooled” but extraordinary, Proverb 31 woman.
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