As activities to lay Special Apostle Dickson Adekunle Awode to rest wraps up on February 10, his followers continue to rue the values he passed on.
The late Awode, who worked for 35 years as an engineer with the defunct National Electrical Power Authority (NEPA), died at 81 on December 18, 2018.
He would be remembered for his life of service to the work of God, desire to empower young people and exemplary conduct.
The late Awode started the Cherubim and Seraphim (C&S) Victory District, Ikorodu in the 90s after an accident that threatened to leave him paralysed.
Confident he would survive, he told his first son, Mr Emmanuel Awode, the Group Managing Director, Chemstar Ltd, makers of Fine Coat Paint that the money that would have been used for his treatment abroad should be kept to build a church.
Following his miraculous recovery weeks later, the church was built and had over 20 branches under its fold before Pa Awode’s demise.
Special Apostle Sola Opadere, the Chairman of the Burial Committee for the Late Awode said he loved Awode for his uprightness as a Christian leader, especially in the areas of financial, marital and social discipline.
“I usually scrutinise my church leader with three standards – a person who is financially transparent, who does not drink alcohol, and who is not a womaniser and Baba met all three. He did not drink alcohol, he would not touch church money, and he did not carry women. He stuck to just one wife for 58 years.
“He was a father to many apart from his five children. He usually has so many people he gave monthly allowance. If Baba does not make heaven, I don’t think any other person can make heaven,” said Opadere, who was Pa Awode’s Personal Assistant for many years.
Growing up, Chemstar boss remembered his dad as a family man through and through.
“He worked in Nepa for about 35 years where he retired as chief engineer and in the course of that he was transferred to so many states in the country. Benue, Kaduna, Kano, Sokoto, Benin, Makurdi and he was a family man, anywhere he was transferred to, he was always going with his wife and his children.If I Remember we would pack all our luggages in nepa truck and the kids would stay in his car, 404 car. And he would personally drive himself from Lagos to Maiduguri, from Maiduguri to Benin. He will drive himself. We were always going with him. He won’t leave his wife or kids anywhere. We were always moving. He and my mother were together for 58 years and then for those 58 years, I’m sure he knew no other woman except his beautiful wife. They’ve become almost like twins now.
Regarding his service to the nation as an engineer, Mr Awode said his late father was the only Maintenance office that agreed to serve in the north during the civil war and had to move from place to place servicing power station at that time. He also got the contract to fix the street lights on the third mainland bridge.
“Despite the fact that baba was a southerner, he remained as the only maintenance engineer in the whole northern Nigeria that time and he was not stationed at a particular place. He was actually moving from the states then maintaining their power station and he was never afraid of being attacked. I need to tell you that even after his retirement, when the construction of third mainland bridge was done, he was a consultant to the fixing of streets lights from Iyanaworo to Obalende,” Mr Awode said.
Pa Awode’s concern for progress and welfare of others, particularly the youths was evident to all, especially his children. Mr Awode said his father turned down elaborate celebration of his 80th birthday until his family assured him that it would be a platform to empower people. To that end, the Chemstar boss said a total of N10million was given to 50 people as seed capital last November.
Mr Awode said this would now be done annually to mark his father’s posthumous birthday.
General Manager, Sales and Marketing, Chemstar Group, Mr Olufola Laguda would treasure Awode’s devotion to God, which he demonstrated with the way he led his household.
“One thing I have taken out of this is a call for every father to try and fit into the roles as an umbrella for their children just as Pa Awode did. It is a big challenge in this our time which I think is a call for concern for those of us that are busy. But he was busier while he was alive and he still dedicated that time. This is a man that will knock the door of every room in his house for call to prayers as early as 6am. How many of us are doing that or can do that or are planning to do that? I mean he lived a life that was so unique and that whatever it is we read in the bible we can see in this man,” he said.
Pa Awode was buried last Friday at Ikoyi Vaults, Ikoyi. An outing service followed on Sunday, February 2, at the Divine Blessing Cathedral Cherubim and Seraphim, Kola, Alagbado, while the final Thanksgiving service is scheduled for Sunday, February 10, at the C&S Church, Victory District Headquarters in Ikorodu.
