Felicia Adebola Adeyoyin (6 November 1938 – 1 May 2021) was a

University of Lagos The University of Lagos (UNILAG) is a Public university, public research university located in Lagos, Nigeria, which was founded in 1962. UNILAG is one of the education in Nigeria#First generation universities, first generation universities in ...

professor and a princess from the Iji ruling house of

Saki Hector Hugh Munro (18 December 1870 – 14 November 1916), popularly known by his pen name Saki and also frequently as H. H. Munro, was a British writer whose witty, mischievous and sometimes macabre stories satirise Edwardian society and ...

Oyo State Oyo is a States of Nigeria, state in South West (Nigeria), southwestern Nigeria. Its capital is Ibadan, the List of Nigerian cities by population, third most populous city in the country and formerly the second most populous city in Africa. Oyo ...

. She was the author of the Nigerian national pledge.

Early life

Felicia Awujoola was born on 6 November 1938 in Ogbomoso,

. She attended Idi-Aba a Christian Baptist School from 1953 and graduated in 1957 from its teacher programme. In 1965 she married Solomon Adedeji Adeyoyin, who had attended Idi-Aba's brother school, the Baptist Boys' High School.

Education

She received her Bachelor's Degree with honors in Geography from

Birkbeck, University of London Birkbeck, University of London (formally Birkbeck College, University of London), is a Public university, public research university located in London, England, and a constituent college, member institution of the University of London. Establ ...

in 1968 and then her

Diploma of Education The Diploma of Education, often abbreviated to DipEd or GradDipEd, is a postgraduate qualification offered in many Commonwealth countries including Australia, Sri Lanka, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom. Overview The diploma can build on th ...

at the same university in 1976, followed by an M.A. in Social Studies from

Columbia University Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...

, New York in 1977, before finally earning her PhD in 1981 from the

Career

Adeyoyin was Professor of Education at the University of Lagos and a consultant for the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...

. In 1976, she wrote the pledge published in the July 15 edition of the '' Daily Times'' in an article titled "Loyalty to the Nation, Pledge". Then-Head of State

Olusegun Obasanjo Chief Olusegun Matthew Okikiola Ogunboye Aremu Obasanjo (; ; born 5 March 1937) is a Nigerian former army general, politician and statesman who served as Nigeria's head of state from 1976 to 1979 and later as its president from 1999 to 200 ...

modified the pledge and introduced it as the national pledge, decreeing that school children should recite it during assembly. Adeyoyin was also Deaconess of Yaba Baptist Church, Yaba.

Death

Adeyoyin died on 1 May 2021 after a brief illness.

Awards

In 2005, Adeyoyin was given a national award, the Officer of the

Order of the Niger The Order of the Niger (OON) is the second highest Award, national award in Nigeria. It was instituted in 1963 and is junior to the Order of the Federal Republic, the highest order of merit in the country. Award The two highest honours, the Gr ...

(OON).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Adeyoyin, Felicia 1938 births 2021 deaths Nigerian princesses Nigerian royalty 20th-century Nigerian women writers University of Lagos alumni Officers of the Order of the Niger People from Oyo State 20th-century Nigerian writers Nigerian women academics Academic staff of the University of Lagos Nigerian Christians Deaconesses Columbia Graduate School of Arts and Sciences alumni Nigerian consultants Alumni of Birkbeck, University of London