You had me at 20 years old - Sowore pays tribute to his mum on 73rd birthday

Human rights activist and Sahara Reporters publisher, Omoyele Sowore, has penned a heartfelt tribute to his mother, Esther Kehinde Sowore, on her 73rd birthday.

Celebrating his mother in a post on his X (formerly Twitter) account on Saturday, April 13, 2024, the pro-democracy advocate extolled the virtue of Esther, noting that she gave birth to him when she was just 20 years old.

Sowore also shared the story of how his mother's passion for education spurred her to pursue education as an adult despite his father's reluctance.

The African Action Congress (AAC) presidential candidate in the 2023 general elections also revealed how Esther had 11 kids without visiting a maternity ward or any known hospital. 

“Happy Birthday to my mum, Esther Kehinde Sowore, fondly called “EK” by her husband (my late dad). She turned 73 years old today,” the tribute reads.

“Even though the last four to five years have taken a significant toll on her health, she continues to trudge on resiliently.

“My mum had me when she was only twenty years old. Between then and when she stopped making babies, she popped 11 kids without getting to a maternity ward of any known hospital.

“I remember vividly one day in 1980 when she had a serious argument with my dad, himself a teacher at my local secondary school, asking to be allowed to register at our high school as a class one student, the same class I was then, my father’s feeble response was that she might come late to school one day and he wouldn’t like to flog his first wife in public for arriving late to school.

“My mum never gave up. She attended every after-school ‘adult education’ class there was then and ended with some auxiliary nursing certificate in order to fulfil her dream,” Sowore's post read.

In 2019, Esther appealed to former President Muhammadu Buhari to release Sowore who was being detained over a treasonable felony charge.

She had said her son's continued detention was taking a toll on her health.

A Federal High Court in Abuja eventually discharged Sowore of the treasonable charge preferred against him by the federal government in February 2024.

The activist-cum-politician has since returned to the United States to reunite with his wife and children.