By Yinka Sokunbi
Mrs. Funmilayo Rosaline Talabi
There is always a time to be born and a time to die.
No matter how much we desire to live as long as possible; the inevitable will happen some day.
For Mrs. Funmilayo Rosaline Talabi, Managing Director, Rostol Nice Vita, a woman who touched and loved humanity to a fault, her end came like every mortal on Tuesday, October 15.
Born on May 20, 1950 at Odosenbora to Late Pa Phillip Oyekanmade Okuyeri and Late Madam Eunice Ibisola Onafuye (nee Sigbeku), Funmilayo started her elementary education by attending Nursery and Primary Schools both in Ijebu-Ode, and at Epe then in Western Region between 1956 and 1961.
She later proceeded to the LA Modern School at Imuroko-Ijebu between 1961 and 1963 and furthered for her West African Schools’ Certificate at Adekile Goodwill Grammar School, Ibadan between 1964 and 1968 during when fate brought her in contact with her husband ‘Tola Talabi in 1965 when she was just in form two and he was in form five and about to leave School.
Immediately after completing her First School Leaving Certificate, Funmilayo couldn’t bear to wait for too long before joining her mother in her stock of business-patent medicine. She soon got a teaching appointment with Lara Day Nursery and Primary School at Adeniyi Jones, Ikeja where she experienced her first love for teaching; this gave her the drive to go ahead and pursue a career in the noble chalk profession.
In 1973, Funmilayo enrolled at the Protestant Teacher’s Training School Idi-Araba, Lagos for the Grade 11 Teachers’ Certificate and in 1976, proceeded to the Advanced Teachers’ College now Adeniran Ogunsanya College of Education to complete her training in Child Education and received the award of the Grade 1 National Certificate of Education.
Due to the desire to grow her small scale business as well as her love for her fiancé who was also living in Lagos, Funmilayo had prayed that her national posting should be in Lagos and of course was so happy when her National Youth Service Scheme (NYSC) was to Lagos State. In 1979, Mrs. Talabi was posted to the Apostolic Church Grammar School, Ketu where her record for excellence in child training and education stood out and was rewarded with immediate employment as a full staff after the NYSC.
Fifteen years of teaching at Apollo, Talabi’s zeal for children grew by the leap. Testimonies abound that from her meagre income at the time as a fresh Graduate, she found passion in encouraging indigent students to stay on in School by paying for their Schools Certificate Examination (WASCE).
As a Youth Corper, Mrs. Talabi paid for the WASCE of two indigent students who could have dropped out of school. After she was retained, as a Year tutor, she would go round the final year class to look for brilliant but indigent students and help pay for their school cert.
She did not really set up a Foundation to sponsor indigent students but she always had funds set aside from her petty business to cater for those who would either approach her or she discovered by chance. There was hardly a year she did not have at least six students either in Secondary School or at the University level that she sponsored from the time she took up teaching as a career till her death.
On October 10, 1974 Roseline ’Funmilayo married her heartthrob, Tola Talabi after a courtship that lasted 9 years and the union was blessed with four beautiful children, Gbenga, Femi, Tinuke and Adebola (Lulu).
Recalling the early years of their relationship, Otunba Talabi noted, “Right from when we got married, Funmilayo began to demonstrate her industrious nature when she started trading in our one bedroom apartment in patent medicine. She would hawk from door to door all in a bid to make ends meet”.
Although Funmilayo continued with her teaching career, she didn’t loose focus on business as she was always quick to advise all who cared to listen on the need to have a second calling for the rainy day.
Such was her dream that by the time the family moved from Somolu to Emmanuel Street Ojota, her patent medicine business had grown and expanded into a Supermarket. Soon, another shop was acquired and was mainly for frozen foods, drinks and toast bread and moinmoin.
While she was doing all these, it became obvious that her thirst was not to be a small business entrepreneur. “Her dream was to go into manufacturing and for this reason; my wife ventured into making shampoo, pomade, hair cream and so on always enquiring on how to do one thing or the other, a very hardworking woman indeed”, Otunba Talabi spoke glowingly about his departed wife.
Unfortunately, for lack of financial capability, her dream to establish a manufacturing line in body care was not accomplished rather, she ventured into another line of business which was introduced to her by one of her in-laws on one of her numerous marketing trips using her L300 Misubishi bus she got through a loan.
With so much excitement and enthusiasm, Funmilayo announced to her husband one afternoon in 1994 that she has finally found her business dream—eruku Oshodi as it was called—the production of cocoa drink.
In her excitement, Funmilayo immediately made the purchase of a bag of cocoa after she was told about eruku Oshodi took it home and together with her husband, began to mill the first batch of cocoa drink by crushing sugar cubes to add and make a difference.
“But we soon found out that cubes of Sugar were difficult to crush. Later we bought granulated sugar and began to mill.
“At a point in time we thought it would be better to go beyond the level of every other person; that was when we began to add milk to our mix” Otunba Talabi recalled with nostalgia.
When Rostol Nice Vita came into the Nigerian market in 1994, it was widely accepted because Yeye Funmilayo Talabi had marketing ability inherent in her. The company started by taking the first batch of the product to the 1994 trade fairs organised in Lagos and Ogun States. In fact it was at the Abeokuta trade fair that the product had its explosion and instant success and that is why Abeokuta has remained the major market for Nice Vita till date.
Yeye Roseline was a member of Christ Morning Star Band (CSMB), All Saints’ Anglican Church, Ikosi-Ketu, and Young Women Christian Association, St Paul’s Anglican Church Odosiwonade/Egunsen. She was the matron of Men’s Friendly Society (MFS), All Saints Anglican Church, Ikosi-Ketu and Christian Unity Band of Nigeria (CUBN), St. Jude Anglican Church, Ojota.
Until her death and testimonies thereafter, one did not realize perhaps, that she was an “Angel” who had a mission to fulfill in life. A mission to touch positively lives of those she had contact with.
Yeye Roseline Olufunmilayo Talabi a Philanthropist and Entrepreneur of worthy note indeed fought a good fight and finished the race after keeping the faith. As she is committed to mother earth tomorrow; she is genially awaiting the laid up crown which the Lord, the righteous judge will give to her and every other righteous souls who have loved His appearing. Good night, beautiful Rose.