Tag: Immortalising

Thirty-six years may be a young age to die.  But, Olubunmi Adedayo, the only child of the founders of Tastee Fried Chicken (TFC) packed a lot into that age before he died.  The memories of his love and support for less privileged children  have given new meaning to his family to actualise what he lived for, reports KOFOWOROLA BELO-OSAGIE.

It was an unusual post humous birthday celebration for Olubunmi Adedayo on Tuesday.  The Shell Hall of the  MUSON Centre in Onikan, Lagos, was tastefully decorated with blue, yellow, red, melon, orange and white drapes, some of which formed a canopy that hung down from the ceiling and covered parts of the walls.  Tables and chairs were covered with white and a dash of the other colours.  The stage had a huge backdrop picture of an ideal classroom – beautiful and well equipped.  Unlike the norm, seated on the stage were pupils reading story books, playing with lego bricks, or colouring.  They were the dignitaries.  The adults were members of the audience. The atmosphere was cheerful.

Were he to be alive, Olubunmi would have been 39. He would have been proud of how his family spent the day – launching a foundation that caters for the educational fortunes of less privileged children.

Olubunmi was the only son of Olakunle and Olayinka Adedayo, owners of Tastee Fried Chicken (TFC), arguably Nigeria’s biggest indigenous fast food business.  As Executive Director of the company before his death at 36, Olubunmi was credited with re-directing the firm’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programmes towards helping less privileged children.  During Christmas, he organised surprise Santa Claus visits to public schools in areas that had TFC branches.  He also arranged for TFC Santa Claus to visit the Massey Children Hospital on Lagos Island to distribute gifts.  On Children’s Day, he organised musical concerts, spelling bee competitions and talent hunt to encourage children with musical flair to exploit their talents.

When he died on September 25, 2013, beyond leaving his parents, wife, Oluwayemisi and two children, Yimika and Morolaoulwa behind, he left such a huge vacuum in the hearts of friends and so many people whose lives he had touched.  To fill the gap, his family decided to start the Bunmi Adedayo Foundation (BAF) to immortalise him last year.

The foundation addresses issues that militate against low income children ages three to 11 getting quality education, something his mother said he was passionate about.

“He had a soft spot for children, particularly children from indigent backgrounds.  He sought to give such children opportunities that they otherwise would not have had; opportunities that they probably thought were the exclusive prerogative of the rich and privileged.

“We want to give the children in poor neighbourhoods the opportunity to compete with their age mates from more privileged backgrounds; we want to increase their chances of being success stories and worthy contributors to their societies.  We want to bring them hope and this we plan to do one child at a time, one school at a time.  No child deserves to be denied of a good education,” said Mrs Adedayo, who chairs the Board of Trustees (BOT) of the foundation.

To achieve this, Mr Babatunde Akinleye, Chairman, Board of Directors of the foundation, said BAF has outlined some programmes, which will cover the rehabilitation of schools, pastoral care, provision of education supplies and equipment, scholarship award, advocacy to government to fulfil its responsibility in education, professional development for teachers, talent hunt, leadership training and planning in schools, provision of first aid equipment and training, and career guidance talks, among others.

He appealed to the many dignitaries that graced the occasion to donate towards the worthy causes.  However, they did not need too much convincing.  Mrs Obiageli Ezekwesil, in her keynote address had laid a foundation to persuade people to begin to care more about what happens in and to the society.  Speaking on the topic: “A caring Society grows faster and better”, Mrs Ezekwesili underscored the need for citizens (and leaders) to exercise their duties and take action about things that are wrong with the society.

By investing in education through the foundation, Ezekwesili said the Adedayos were demonstrating care for the most important tool for change.

She said: “That is why I pay great tribute to the Adedayos because the single most important tool of social economic mobility is the development of a world class human capital. Through education you change the circumstances of the individual.  Through health care that keeps citizens productive, you change the productivity level of your citizens. This combination of health and education and the impact that it has had on these other societies I have told you about today is not rocket science.  In your little way, you have decided that Bunmi may be gone but the spirit that drove Bunmi to start Santa goes to school, Santa goes to the classroom, will compel the people seated here today to stop behaving like their leaders and to start saying, ‘I care’.”

Generous donations came from Senator Daisy Danjuma (N5 million); Justice George Oguntade, retired justice of the Supreme Court (N2 million); Mr Foluso Philips, Chief Executive Officer, Philips Consulting (N2 million); Association of Fast Food Confectioners of Nigeria (N1 million); Alhaji Aliko Dangote (N5 million and rehabilitation of schools); and many others that were not announced.

Mrs Abike Dabiri-Erewa said the foundation has started its pioneer projects, the rehabilitation of Yaba Model Nursery and Primary School, and Nathan Nursery and Primary School, both in Yaba, after careful research to search out schools in need.  She said BAF would partner with the Lagos State government in implementing all its projects.

“The Foundation did a lot of research and came up with two of the worst schools it visited.  Whatever the Foundation is building will be in line with what the Lagos State government has planned,” she said.

Olubunmi’s widow, Oluwayemisi, said the Foundation strengthens her to continue what her husband started.

“I am really happy; I feel the energy to continue to support to give my best attention to the Foundation knowing well that we are promoting what Bunmi stood for; and beyond that knowing well that we are affecting lives; we are changing generations,” he said.

Founder of Zapphaire Events, Mrs Funke Bucknor-Obruthe, a childhood friend of Bunmi, said he would have been happy about the event.

“If Bunmi were here, he will be so happy; this will bring him joy. The thing that I know about Bunmi is the happiness of people gives him great joy,” she said.

Mrs Adedayo (Bunmi’s mother), looks forward to a bright future for BAF – one that would change the fortunes of many less privileged children.

“I thank God for using my family as a vessel to touch these innocent children.  Our mission is to nurture all the children to be great in life; to be able to face the challenging world.  I also want to see a BAF child growing and nurturing them to be role models in the society. I want to see a BAF Child that will make Bunmi proud,” she said.

How time flies? It seems like yesterday. But, little did many know that, it is actually one year ago when late Dr Ameyo Stella Adadevoh paid the supreme price to stop the spread of Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) in Nigeria. She died so that her compatriots may live. She was an Amazon.

The late Adadevoh kept Liberian-American, Patrick Sawyer in the hospital at the expense of being infected with Ebola Virus Disease (EVD).

To preserve her legacy, family and friends gathered in Lagos on Tuesday evening at the Civic Centre to inaugurate a foundation in her honour. It is called Dr Ameyo Stella Adadevoh (DRASA).

Her only son, Bankole Cardoso recounted this trying moment with sadness, saying there could not have been a better way to honour his mother than ensuring that Nigerians  enjoy qualitative healthcare.

This, he said, was what his mother stood for.

“EVD was a trying time for Nigerians and I especially lived through it through my mother,” he said.

“Besides, my family wants to make sure that Nigeria is better prepared for such outbreak by training some experts to handle outbreaks of disease, such as EVD and putting in place the needed infrastructure. We need a preparedness plan or system to tackle serious problems, such as this,” Cardoso added

A member of the Board of Advisers, Dr Joan Benson, said the devastation caused by EVD was monumental, especially in SierraLeone and Liberia.

She said her hope was that there would be a vaccine to curb the disease.

Dr Benson said experts must first be trained because vaccine would be useless if there are dearth of  competent hands to administer it.

“So, DRASA vision is to have a first class facility to handle outbreaks of diseases,” she said.

She said DRASA will support the Federal Government’s universal health coverage (UHC), adding: “Success can be achieved through public-private-partnership (PPP).

A member of DRASA Executive Team, Ms Niniola Soleye, said with DRASA, Nigeria can handle future threats.

She said preparedness was important to put outbreaks under control, adding that at present there is limited expertise.

Soleye said: “DRASA is working with West African Infectious Diseases Institute (WAIDI) to roll out EVD and other infectious disease preparedness and response training in 12 states. It will also ensure complete infectious research capacity assessments at 12 universities. DRASA will mobilise private sector and government stakeholders as well as integrate simulation training on infectious diseases and ethics into university curriculums”.

She said the foundation will be promoting ‘Start with me’ Campaign on hand washing.

A member of the Board of Trustees, Mr Olayemi Cardoso eulogized the late Adadevoh as a woman whose work transcends time.

He said worked with people from all walks of life, adding: “She thought deeply about doctor-patient relationship. She thought highly of people and reciprocates same. That is why people came to honour her”.

Vice President, Prof Yemi Osinbajo said government places a very high value on what late Dr Adadevoh did for the country.

“Last week, we took a stock of the ravaging EVD and we were shocked as 28,490 people were affected by the disease in the West African region and 11,312 died. This includes, Dr Adadevoh,” he said.

Osinbajo, represented by the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Health, Linus Awute, said Nigeria could not celebrate despite curbing EVD because Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea were still grappling with it.

“Our resolve was to take EVD fight to endemic countries,” he said.

He said the answer to the problem is regional integration due to the loose borders that countries maintained.

“Also, part of the solution is to have a resilient healthcare and Nigeria has established Nigerian Centre for Disease Control (NCDC),” he noted.

Moreover, health agency of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has recognised Nigeria as the headquarters of disease control in the region.

Lagos State Governor Mr Akinwunmi Ambode said the late Adadevoh helped to avert what could have resulted in catastrophe.

“She put her life on the line to ensure EVD does not occur in Lagos. She used herself as a shield. Without her heroics only God knows what the virus could have caused,” he said.

Ambode, represented by his Special Adviser on Primary Health Care, Dr  Olufemi Onanuga, said she would continue to live in the mind of the people because she paid the supreme price.

He promised to support the initiative as a way of appreciating her heroics and to improve health care.