BIOGRAPHY
She attended Otapete Methodist Primary School Ilesa and then proceeded to Atakunmosa High School, Osu for her secondary education. From there she went to the School of Nursing in Ado-Ekiti where she trained as a Midwife/Nurse and became a registered Nurse/Midwife in 1969. Her quest for further knowledge propelled her to later study at the Faculty of Health Sciences, Obafemi Awolowo University where she bagged a diploma certificate in Community Health in 1985.
Deaconess Obaniyi started her working career as a Staff Nurse in the Federal Ministry of Health in 1971 and rose through the rank till she retired as an Assistant Director of Nursing in November 2006 after 35 years of meritorious service. In addition to pursuing her nursing career, she also participated in numerous community health initiatives with the foremost one being her involvement in UNICEF Baby Friendly initiative organized by the Federal Ministry of Health which took her to the nooks and crannies of the country working with different teaching hospitals in Nigeria in the last 15 years of her working career
Mama was a versatile woman who by the grace of God made good success of many responsibilities God gave her to handle simultaneously both in her secular career, on the home front and her spiritual calling/church service. Her love for the work of God made her take on different responsibilities in the House of God especially the Methodist Church Nigeria at large. She was a member of Young Women Christian Association (“YWCA”), one of the leaders of the Methodist Evangelical Movement, one-time Captain, and later matron of the Girls Brigade 3rd Battalion. Mama Obaniyi loved to study and share the word of God hence she was made an accredited Lay-Preacher in 1992 and later ordained a Deaconess of Methodist Church Nigeria in 1997 after successfully completing the Diploma in Theology at the Methodist Theological Institute, Sagamu, Nigeria.:
Deaconess J.O. Obaniyi was a devout Christian whose love for God and the work of God cannot be questioned as she devoted the last 20 years of her life to serving God in various capacity until she passed unto glory. She voluntarily looked after the Opa local parish of Methodist Church Nigeria for over 15 years and sought to know more of God daily till she breathed her last breath. She went on holy pilgrimage to Jerusalem in Israel with the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, Pastor E.A. Adeboye in her quest to deepen her relationship with her Lord.:
We are confident she has gone home to be with her maker to continue her assignment on the other side of eternity and take her incorruptible crown which the Lord has been kept for her (1 Corinthians 9 vs 24 – 27). We celebrate JO today because she ran a good race and kept the faith (2 Timothy 4 vs 7), we celebrate her beliefs because she finished well and finished strong, we celebrate her time on earth because she left good legacies (1 Peter 4 vs 10), we celebrate her unwavering belief in her Lord (Galatians 2 vs 20), we celebrate her gallant exit as a soldier of the Lord who has fought a goof fight and was courageously ready for her homecall (2 Timothy 4 vs 6-8); we look forward to meeting her again at the Great Banquet with our Lord Jesus Christ (1 Thessalonians 4 vs 16 and Luke 14 vs 15 -25). Till we meet to part no more, we all say: Good night Mama. Sun re o!