Trending
Transition: Michelle Obama’s mother, Marian Robinson, dies at 86
Marian Robinson, the mother of former US First Lady Michelle Obama, has died at 86, her family has announced.
In a statement, the Obamas said that Robinson had died “peacefully” on Friday morning.
Robinson was a well-known fixture at the White House during the eight years of Barack Obama’s administration between 2009 and 2017.
She spent much of that time taking care of her two granddaughters, Michelle and Barack Obama’s daughters Malia and Sasha.
In a statement posted on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, Mrs Obama called Robinson her “rock, always there for whatever I needed”.
“She was the same steady backstop for our entire family, and we are heartbroken to share she passed away today,” she wrote.
In a separate tweet, Mr Obama said that “there was and will be only one Marian Robinson”.
“In our sadness, we are lifted up by the extraordinary gift of her life,” he added. “And we will spend the rest of ours trying to live up to her example.”
No further details were given about the cause of death.
Born in 1937, Robinson grew up one of seven children in Chicago, the city where she spent much of her life before agreeing to come to Washington DC after Mr Obama’s electoral victory.
Early in her life, she studied to become a teacher before working as a secretary. She raised Michelle and her other child, Craig, together with her husband Frasier Robinson on Chicago’s South Side.
“At every step, as our families went down paths none of us could have predicted, she remained our refuge from the storm,” the Obama statement said.
“On Election Night in 2008, when the news broke that Barack would soon shoulder the weight of the world, she was there, holding his hand.”
An image taken on the night in 2008 when her son-in-law made history as the nation’s first African-American president showed Robinson sitting on a sofa with him, watching the results come in.
The statement added that Robinson had agreed to move to the White House after a “healthy nudge” from Barack and Michelle Obama, who, along with their daughters, “needed her”.
It was said that she insisted on doing her own laundry there.
In a later interview with CBS, the BBC’s US partner, Robinson said she felt compelled to move to Washington because she felt “like this was going to be a very hard life” for her daughter and son-in-law.
“And I was worried about their safety,” she added. “I was worried about my grandkids. That’s what got me to move to DC.”
Robinson – whom Mr Obama once called “the least pretentious person” he knew – said that it was a “huge adjustment” to have her needs met by White House staff.
“Rather than hobnobbing with Oscar winners or Nobel laureates, she preferred spending her time upstairs with a TV tray, in the room outside her bedroom with big windows that looked out at the Washington Monument,” the family statement said.
“The only guest she made a point of asking to meet was the Pope,” it added.
Trending
“It took me getting married and giving birth to realise marriage benefits men more” — Woman shares emotional thoughts
A woman has stirred serious conversations online after opening up about how marriage and motherhood changed her perspective on life.
In a heartfelt reflection, she said it was only after getting married and giving birth that she began questioning who marriage truly benefits.
According to her, women often carry the heavier load — emotionally, physically, and mentally.
She explained that marriage can make women feel like tools, responsible for cooking, cleaning, caring for the home, and even contributing financially, while still bearing the full weight of pregnancy, childbirth, and childcare.
She questioned why something described as a “blessing” should come with so much pain, stress, sleepless nights, and emotional strain for women.
In her words, childbirth comes with intense pain, followed by years of responsibility that largely fall on the woman, while many men continue life almost unchanged.
She admitted she never strongly pushed for marriage herself and only went along with it after family pressure. It was the lived experience — not theory — that opened her eyes.
While she made it clear that she loves her son deeply and finds joy in him, she said motherhood also forced her to confront uncomfortable truths about expectations placed on women.
📹: TT/mummychika1
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DSP0XSnjAvd/?igsh=MTd3ZzdlbWI0dHV1Nw==
A jet operated by Flybird Airlines has crash-landed at the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport (MAKIA), Kano, causing panic among airport users and sending shockwaves through the aviation community.
An eyewitness stated that the aircraft, which arrived from Abuja, was carrying 11 occupants, including three crew members, when the incident occurred at about 9:30 a.m. on Sunday, December 14, 2025.
According to the accounts, the jet experienced difficulties on landing and crash-landed on the runway, leading to tense moments as passengers were quickly evacuated from the aircraft.
All occupants were safely evacuated, with no immediate reports of injuries or casualties.
Airport authorities were said to have promptly secured the scene, while emergency response teams were deployed to prevent further danger and ensure the safety of passengers and airport personnel.
Operations around the affected area were temporarily restricted as officials began preliminary assessments.
As of the time of filing this report, the cause of the crash-landing had not been officially determined, while aviation authorities were expected to commence a full investigation into the incident.
https://www.instagram.com/p/DSP6bFqjC2v/?igsh=MWQ1bmk0NTI2Zng2
Trending
One of the gunmen who opened fire on innocent civilians observing Hanukkah at Bondi Beach has been identified as Naveed Akram.
One of the gunmen who opened fire on innocent civilians observing Hanukkah at Bondi Beach has been identified as Naveed Akram.
On of the suspects was disarmed by a bystander and it’s been gathered that the police have arrested one of the suspects.
NB: This page does not support violence and this is just a news report for awareness.
FG Bans Admission, Transfer Of SS3 Students
“It took me getting married and giving birth to realise marriage benefits men more” — Woman shares emotional thoughts
Private jet crash lands at Kano airport
-
Business1 year ago
US court acquits Air Peace boss, slams Mayfield $4000 fine
-
Trending1 year agoNYA demands release of ‘abducted’ Imo chairman, preaches good governance
-
Politics1 year agoMexico’s new president causes concern just weeks before the US elections
-
Politics1 year agoPutin invites 20 world leaders
-
Politics1 year agoRussia bans imports of agro-products from Kazakhstan after refusal to join BRICS
-
Entertainment1 year ago
Bobrisky falls ill in police custody, rushed to hospital
-
Entertainment1 year ago
Bobrisky transferred from Immigration to FCID, spends night behind bars
-
Education1 year ago
GOVERNOR FUBARA APPOINTS COUNCIL MEMBERS FOR KEN SARO-WIWA POLYTECHNIC BORI