[3] Awe was born on 28 January 1933 in the town of Ilesa, Colonial Nigeria to Samuel Akindeji Fajembola and Mosebolatan Abede.
[4] Her father was originally from the town of Ibadan, and also he was a cocoa trader a manager at the John Holt & Co, a shipping and general merchandise company.
She was born in a community where practitioners of Islam, Christianity, and the Yoruba religion lived harmoniously.
[17] However, she resigned from her post in 1992 after the government restructured the commission, placing it under the control of the First Lady of Nigeria, Maryam Babangida.
[16] When history professor Toyin Falola was interviewed he spoke about some Nigerian figures who he believes have been recognised prematurely for their achievements.
His list includes Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Chinua Achebe, Teslim Elias, Babatunde Fafunwa, Simeon Adebo, Bala Usman, Eni Njoku, Ayodele Awojobi and Bolanle Awe.