Nigerians celebrate couple who died 11 days apart at 97 and were buried same day

• Chief Oludolapo Akinkugbe and his wife Janet were both 97 when they died in September 2025.

• Janet died on September 11, while her husband died 11 days later on September 22.

• After nearly 70 years of marriage, the couple were buried together in Ondo.

For almost 70 years, Chief Oludolapo Akinkugbe and his wife, Janet, shared the kind of life many couples hope for: growing older together, building a family, and being there for each other through life's changing seasons.

Then, just 11 days apart, they died.

Janet Oladunni Akinkugbe died on September 11, 2025, at 97. Eleven days later, on September 22, her husband, Chief Oludolapo Ibukun Akinkugbe, also died at 97. The couple were later buried together in Ondo, bringing an unusual and emotional end to a marriage that lasted about 70 years. 

The unusual timing of their deaths has prompted tributes online, with people remembering the couple not only for how long they were married but also for the affection they showed each other.

One person who shared a personal connection to the couple was X user @_DeejustDee, who identified them as his uncle and aunt.

“That’s my uncle and aunty. Wholesome lovebird through it all,” he wrote, recalling how Janet and Oludolapo used to drive to Ondo when he was a child. He described their life as “really pleasant” and said they “lived gracefully”, before adding a prayer for their souls.

Another X user, @iyanunimi99, recalled the reaction in church when members went to visit the family after Janet's death.

“I remember when mama died last year, and church went to greet the family, only to hear about baba days later,” the user wrote. “Church was like, 'Baba should have told them he’s going to die too.'"

The commenter described their relationship as the kind that even death couldn’t separate.”

A third reaction focused on how quickly Oludolapo followed his wife. “You just know he loved her so dearly,” @CrownThirst wrote. “11 days after, his old heart couldn’t take it.”

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The comments reflect how the couple's story has resonated with people who see the timing of their deaths as a striking final chapter to a long marriage. 

Their granddaughter, Dolapo Akinkugbe, has also shared intimate memories of the couple. In a tribute shared after their deaths, she described her grandparents' marriage as an example of “long-lasting, unwavering love.”

She remembered her grandfather as a kind and intelligent man who always put his family first, while describing her grandmother as the “brightest light” in the family.

One of the memories she shared was particularly intimate. As her grandfather's eyesight began to fade, Janet would read the newspaper to him almost every day for many years.

She also remembered her grandmother's generosity, saying that nobody could visit her home and leave with an empty stomach. Janet was known in the family for her cooking, including a jollof rice recipe her granddaughter said she still follows.

“She always taught us to be grateful, to look out for others, and above all else to enjoy life,” Dolapo wrote.

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Their marriage had lasted through decades of enormous change in Nigeria, from the country's early post-independence years to the modern era.

Oludolapo was one of Nigeria's prominent pharmacists and businessmen and became a major figure in the country's corporate world.

Born in Ondo in 1928, he studied pharmacy at the School of Pharmacy in Yaba, Lagos, and began his career in the health sector. He later became involved in business, professional organisations and public service.

He founded Palm Chemists and was a co-founder of Spectrum Books. Over the course of his career, he served as a director or chairman of numerous Nigerian companies and organisations, including Barclays Bank of Nigeria, R.T. Briscoe, Nigerian Tobacco Company, Fan Milk and others.

His extensive boardroom career earned him the nickname “Chairman of Chairmen”. But despite the scale of his professional achievements, those who knew the family often spoke about Janet's role in his life.

BusinessDay reported that Akinkugbe regarded Janet as his partner in everything and credited her support for what he achieved.

After Janet's death on September 11, Akinkugbe lived for only another 11 days before he died peacefully in the early hours of September 22.

The couple were eventually reunited in a joint burial ceremony in Ondo. THISDAY reported that their coffins were placed side by side as family, friends and other mourners gathered to say goodbye to them.

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For those who knew them, the story is not simply about two 97-year-olds who happened to die less than two weeks apart. It is about a couple who spent most of their adult lives together and continued caring for each other into old age.

And in the end, after living side by side for decades, they were laid to rest side by side too.