The Nation Newspaper

Tag: tribute

  • Tinubu pays tribute to Onukaba

    Tinubu pays tribute to Onukaba

    ALL Progressives Congress (APC) stalwart Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu has lamented that with the demise of former Managing Director of Daily Times, Adinoyi-Ojo Onukaba, the media has lost one of its best and brightest.

    He added that with Onukaba’s death, the community of creative writers has been robbed of one of its leading dramatists and the rank of progressives has been depleted.

    Tinubu, in a special tribute to the late Onukaba, said the late foremost journalist was full of life and “ever bristling with ideas”.

    The tribute was entitled: “Onukaba: Never in the Past Tense”. It was personally signed by Tinubu.

    The former Lagos State governor said: “Since I was apprised of the heart-rending news of the sudden and unexpected demise of my very good friend and associate, Dr. Adinoyi-Ojo Onukaba, I have been unable to bring myself to conceive of him in the past tense.

    “Onukaba was so full of life, ever bristling with ideas.

    “Following the recent Day of Tributes and Eighth Day Fidau Prayers held in his honour by his professional colleagues and friends in Lagos and Abuja respectively, I find myself unable to live in continued self-denial.

    “Indeed, Onukaba died, in very painfully sad circumstances, on Sunday March 5, 2017, four days before his 57th birthday.

    “I had known Onukaba over the years, since the early days of his most illustrious journalistic career. Our relationship, however, grew stronger with the advent of democratic rule in 1999.

    “As Lagos State Governor, operating from the Government House in Alausa, Onukaba, who served as Managing Director of the Daily Times of Nigeria Plc, was a shouting distance down the road in his Agidingbi office. Our paths crossed regularly as he sought to breathe a new lease of life into the nation’s foremost newspaper conglomerate.

    “He kept in touch even after our exits from government and we usually shared views on his political project in his bid to lead Kogi State.

    “The tragic demise of Adinoyi-Ojo Onukaba leaves a humongous lacuna not only in his biological family, but in the minds and psyche of all of us who knew him and interacted with him in his brief but eventful life.

    “The media has lost one of its best and brightest; the community of creative writers, where he was a luminous figure, has been robbed of one of its frontline dramatists; the rank of progressives has been depleted by the exit of this unyielding optimist.

    “With the outpouring of grief and pledges of support for his young family and legacy, I am reassured that Onukaba will not die in our minds and in our thoughts.

    “May God forgive him his sins and grant his soul peaceful repose, Amen.”

  • Tribute Nite for Adinoyi-Ojo, two others today

    Lagos State Council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) will today hold a Tribute Nite for three of its dead members.

    They are Onukaba Adinoyi-Ojo, formerly of The Guardian chapel and ex-Managing Director of Daily Times of Nigeria, DTN, who died in a motor accident along Akure-Owo road on Sunday, Kayode Atofolaki, former Assistant Secretary of Lagos NUJ, who died in his home town, Idofin in Kwara State on February 25 and Segun Agbolade, Secretary, Federated Maritime Media chapel of Lagos NUJ, who was knocked down by a petroleum tanker at Trinity Bus Stop on Oshodi-Apapa expressway on March 1.

    A statement by the Council’s National Secretary, Mr Alfred Odifa, said the Tribute Nite would hold at Lagos NUJ Secretariat, Ladi Lawal Press Centre, Alausa, Ikeja at 4pm. The dress code is either white or black.

  • Tribute to K1@ 60       

    One man that has remained a constant face of Fuji music for close to forty years is the widely acclaimed King of Fuji, K1, an Ijebu-Ode prince, born at Idumagbo area of Lagos Island as Wasiu Adewale Omogbolahan Olasunkanmi Ayinde  Anifowoshe  on the 3rd of March, 1957,  to the Fidipote  Ruling House of Ijebu-Ode.

    K1 could not complete his secondary education as a result of the untimely demise of his father.  Providence, however, took him to the musical group of the late Sikiru Ayinde Barrister where he became an instrument ‘packer’; but in fulfillment of destiny, an event that happened in 1974 permanently altered the course of his life, when, Barrister, the band leader, went on a trip to England and the entire band members had to wait for his return before they could start playing music again.

    This experience made the young Wasiu Ayinde resolve to become a professional Fuji musician, leading to the birth of his own musical group. Though he debuted with his first album titled Iba (Tribute) in 1980 on the label of Adetunji  Omo Aje records, owned by the incumbent Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba(Dr) Saliu Akanmu Adetunji,  K1 released his landmark hit album, TALAZO’84 in 1984 and has never looked back since, with a string of successful hit albums in quick succession likeTala’86, Dance For Me, American Tips, Fuji Collections, The Ultimate, Consolidation, History, Statement, among others.

    Some common features of K1’s professional life over the years are the core values of hard work, consistency, focus, loyalty to people, and above all, his constant self- improvement.  As a musical brand, he has repackaged himself over the years, starting with Wasiu Ayinde Barrister, later changed to Marshal The Ultmate, KWAM 1, and later K1.

    K1 was about the first indigenous musician of Yoruba extraction to employ a trained Management expert to oversee the affairs of his organisation when he hired a UK-trained, London-based Management consultant, Dayo Adekunle Olomu of D.O & Associates as his Manager. This paid off with his increased “acceptability across different strata of the Nigerian social establishment.”

    Also, it is to K1’s credit that Fuji music was rescued from the effect of Juju music with the sterling performances of the likes of King Sunny Ade, Ebenezer Obey and Shina Peters who introduced Afro Juju through his hit record  ‘ACE’ in 1989 which made modernisation and re-launching of Fuji music an imperative if it was not to go into extinction.

    K1 responded to fill that gap by releasing the first real fast-track Fuji album titled ‘American Tips’ in 1990 which marked a significant turning point for Fuji music as Fuji from then on expanded its frontiers to become the toast of many more educated Nigerians both at home and in the Diaspora who practically abandoned Disco to identify more with K1’s new brand of modern Fuji.

    Many younger artistes were inspired to take Fuji music as way of earning a livelihood and fame, and this is one of the greatest achievements of K1, the architect of modern Fuji.  It will be a disservice to talent and vision to attempt to rob K1 of the credit for revolutionising Fuji into a classical brand with millions of followers and fans.

    One important lesson Nigerian youths can pick from the life of this iconic Nigerian entertainer and Fuji King is the power of vision and the tenacity to pursue it.

    At the time he began his Fuji career, that brand of music was perceived (rightly or wrongly) as an exclusive preserve of uneducated  and low-class Nigerians, compared with other genres of music in the land; but the story changed with the persistent  and consistent rebranding which K1  spearheaded, thus pushing Fuji to the top chart of the Nigerian entertainment industry.

    The pioneering effort of K1 endeared him to the corporate world, earning him a consistent place at corporate events like the famous Benson & Hedges Golden Tones and the prestigious  Havannah Carnival gigs, organised by the Sigma Club of the University of Ibadan where he remains one of its longest performing artistes after the likes of the late Fela Anikulapo Kuti and the King of World Beats, Sunny Ade.

    Considering the long chain of individuals and organisations making their living from Fuji as singers, producers, promoters, record distributors, marketers, artiste managers and other value- added service providers, this is no mean achievement for Alhaji Wasiu Adewale Anifowoshe and I believe strongly that he deserves a National Merit Award for working hard to create direct and indirect jobs for many others with his God-given talent.

    In addition, K1 is an opinion-molder who has employed his music to ventilate his political ideas and political thoughts in a way he believes he can contribute to the enthronement of  good governance in Nigeria by associating with the All Progressives Congress(APC) and its previous incarnations, right from the  Bola Tinubu years as Governor of Lagos State up till the build up to the 2015 General Elections  when he played a major role,  singing to the delight and admiration of people at all the campaign rallies of the APC, including that of then presidential candidate Muhammadu Buhari.

    One thing K1, however, does well is to refrain from politics with bitterness as he never allows his  leanings towards the APC to have negative impact on his long-standing relationships with some of his friends and acquaintances in other political parties, just like he has been able to sustain for nearly 40 years now, his business and father -to-son relationship with the present Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba  Saliu Adetunji, who was said to have nurtured him as a young artiste, tutoring him on the business aspect of Fuji, following him all the way to stardom; and the relationship is still intact till today as evident in K1’s visible  involvement in the coronation activities of the Olubadan  a year ago.

    This is vintage K1, who cherishes friendships and relationships with people in every part of the country, his friends of over 40 years ago are still his friends today. In addition to having a glowing and enviable music career, he also recorded a huge success as a father raising lawyers, accountants, economists and other professionals as children who graduated from top universities across the globe.

    I commend the life of this great Nigerian to our youths for inspiration to see hope in despair, to see possibility in impossibility and to always see far beyond their discouraging circumstances.

    K1 was able to define a future for himself, traveling through that rough and thorny road to fame, stardom and wealth. On this occasion of his 60th birthday, I join his numerous fans, well- wishers and other Nigerians from all walks of life to felicitate with this rare gem and distinguished Nigerian.

     

    • Adegoke is an Ibadan-based legal practitioner.
  • Memories of a federalist: Tribute to Sir Olaniwun Ajayi

    Memories of a federalist: Tribute to Sir Olaniwun Ajayi

    With the passing of Sir Olaniwun Ajayi on November 4, 2016, a significant loss has been suffered by a wide array of people. First, I commiserate with the family he left behind – particularly my good friends Professor Konyin and his elder brother Dr Ola, and their wives and siblings-who are feeling the pain of losing their Patriarch and Guiding Light. The Methodist Church will sorely miss a revered Leader and Elder, a former Lay President, and a holder of its highest honour – Knight of John Wesley. The respected firm of Olaniwun Ajayi has lost its founder and his beloved Isara, Ogun State community is saying goodbye to one of its foremost sons. The Yoruba people will sorely miss this great nationalist, patriot and champion of federalism whose deep desire was to see a strong Nigeria play a leading, historic and exemplary role in the black world.
    On a personal level, my family and I, as well as fellow-members of a commited South-West group to which I belong, will miss a man who a visit to, whether in Lagos, Isara or London was invariably rewarded with an enthralling time, listening to his patient explanations and advice, historical anecdotes and trips down memory lane; all invariably geared to illustrating the richness of the Yoruba way of life and living. Any day, any time and almost anywhere- oftentimes with me it was in the car park of the Royal Exchange building on Marina where we both once had our offices – Sir Olaniwun was always ready to encourage the younger generation to look beyond their professional lives and become involved in the discourse on governance and national development. Together with the likes of Pa Abraham Adesanya, of blessed memory, he urged and cajoled us to join the political parties at the Ward or grassroots level, and to be bold and courageous in seeking to positively affect the course of events in our country. However, it wasn’t all business and seriousness with him. One was just as likely to come away from time spent with him, still laughing and smiling from enjoying the man’s wry sense of humour, his great wit and his wonderful capacity for story telling.
    The last time I had the opportunity to sit down to engage Sir Olaniwun, it was typically and fittingly in connection with his deep desire to see the leadership of south west Nigeria come together as one for the well-being of its people and the economic development of the region, in particular, and by extension, Nigeria as a whole. It was on March 30, 2016. A week before I had gone over to greet him at a function and the way he said to me: ‘Mo fe ri e’, (meaning come and see me). I knew that I was not going to dishonour his summons, neither was I going alone. Thus, in the company of a few friends, and fellow members of the aforementioned south-west oriented political forum that I chair, we duly turned up to meet Sir Olaniwun at his son Konyin’s Victoria Island home at the appointed hour. What followed was a session lasting nearly 3 hours during which Sir Olaniwun really poured his heart out about his concern for what he perceived as the lack of unity, lack of respect for time-honoured values and ways, and above all the lack of thinking and planning that he saw in the south west. No one was spared. He named names, from the executive and political leadership, even down to the likes of mere mortals such as ourselves who were sitting before him: Kini egbe yin se? (what is your group doing)? he admonished us. In his usual unhurried, even somewhat imperious, manner he shared with us his recent encounters and experiences with Governors and party leaders, including his visits to several of them. He had gone beyond mere talk, and submitted his proposals (containing his ideas and including the thinking of fellow Yoruba leaders such as Chief Reuben Fasonranti et al. Pointedly, he was still looking for a reaction or response from those in a position to implement.
    Overall, Sir Olaniwun left us with a deep sense of his passion for regional development, his keenness to see the Development Agenda for Western Nigeria (DAWN) implemented and above all his desire for unity and cooperation among the region’s states and its leaders. In culmination of his efforts and those of others, there was a pivotal gathering of Yoruba leaders in Lagos, recently, that was essentially aimed at re-affirmation of commitment to precisely the unity the Sir Olaniwun had long advocated and worked tirelessly for.
    My last interaction with Sir Olaniwun Ajayi was indeed a wake – up call, that we would do well to heed for the sake of our dear nation, as well as in honour of him and his legacy.
    May he rest in peace. Amen.
    Adieu!

  • A tribute to Olujimi Jolaoso OFR (1925-2016)

    A tribute to Olujimi Jolaoso OFR (1925-2016)

    Last Friday, November 11, Ambassador Olujimi Jolaoso, one of our most distinguished and accomplished career diplomats, was laid to rest in his hometown, Orile Ilugun, in Ogun State. News of his death in Lagos on September 25 was received with shock and sadness by all his friends and former colleagues in the Nigerian diplomatic service. He was 91, but we had always thought of him as being ‘immortal.’ Some of us were at his residence on August 19, barely a month before his death, to felicitate with him on his 91st birthday anniversary. Even though he was ailing, he seemed to have recovered and was in good spirits. We had all hoped that he would be here with us for a few more years. Such was his immense stature and the personal esteem in which we held him. Among his former diplomatic colleagues his huge physical presence was always reassuring. He inspired a generation of younger and capable Nigerian career diplomats. His departure is a terrible blow to our country, his family, his former colleagues and friends.

    Personally, my long and memorable professional association with Ambassador Olujimi Jolaoso goes back to 1964, soon after I entered the Foreign Service, on graduating from the University College, Ibadan. I had known of him by reputation as a former highly respected school teacher, a great sportsman, and a former distinguished Chief of Protocol in the Foreign Ministry, at Nigeria’s independence in 1960. But I had never met him until I had cause to call on him officially on a small official matter one Saturday afternoon in October, 1964, at his official residence at Cooper Road, Ikoyi, Lagos. He had just returned home on posting from the Congo (Leo). I had looked forward eagerly to our first meeting but I was a little nervous as, in those days, senior colleagues were held in awe. Rank mattered a lot among diplomats, including Nigerian diplomats. The first thing that struck me was how clean his Ikoyi premises were. And when he came down with his wife to receive me, he put me completely at ease at once and talked to me, over drinks, about the Foreign Service. Unlike many of his colleagues that I had met in the Foreign Office, he was not stiff, stuffy or overbearing. He immediately left me with a favourable impression as an immensely agreeable and friendly person; a gentleman of pleasant and graceful manners. Mrs. Jolaoso, who received me equally graciously, complemented him in their friendly disposition to me. They were always gracious hosts to their numerous friends and former colleagues. Over the years Ambassador and Mrs. Olujimi Jolaoso treated my wife and I with the same unfailing courtesy and warmth whenever we visited them at home, even after we had both retired from the Foreign Service. He was a man you could trust completely, one in whom you could repose and share confidences. Though he was not exactly an extrovert, he was charming and sociable. He had friends from diverse backgrounds and professions. His great tact in dealing with people made this possible. He hated to cause offence to anyone unnecessarily. He was never self righteous and said very little about himself despite his impressive personal accomplishments.

    I was to spend over 20 years with him as a junior colleague in the Foreign Service. Over the years I grew to respect and admire him even more for his diligence, professional integrity, patriotism, fierce loyalty to his friends and colleagues, and a profound sense of decency and fairness, attributes that, regrettably, are in short supply in our country today. He seemed to rise above the petty bureaucratic squabbles in the Foreign Ministry. Twice, he got some absurd and irritating postings, intended to dampen his spirits, but shrugged them off. He did not even mention this in his memoires. Unlike some of his colleagues in the Foreign Service he never fought to advance his own personal or professional interests through intrigues, but would not hesitate to fight for a worthy cause in the professional interest of the diplomatic service, of which until the end, he remained very proud. He was disdainful of tribalism, and when this bugbear began to rear its ugly head in the Foreign Service it saddened him terribly. He would have no truck with it. He was married for nearly 60 years to a graceful lady from Ibusa, in Delta State, and spoke the Igbo language very fluently.

    In whatever capacity he served in the diplomatic service, at home and abroad, he always wanted the best for our country, Nigeria. But that vision of a truly professional and competent Foreign Service, one based solely on merit, was not one that many of his colleagues shared. Some of them ruthlessly pursued their personal career advancement and cared very little about the future of the Foreign Service. Wherever he found himself in the diplomatic service Amb. Jolaoso insisted on the highest possible professional standards. He disliked humbug and sloppiness of any kind. He was taciturn and reticent. He hardly ever betrayed his emotions. I never once heard him speak ill of his colleagues. Whatever their personal differences were, he never ran them down or sought in any way to denigrate them. As for his junior colleagues, some of whom he had taught at school, he was always solicitous of our welfare, gracious to us, and, if he could help it, would not allow any one of us to be treated unfairly. An urbane, cultured and immensely confident man, he recognised and encouraged merit among his junior colleagues. This was because his own illustrious career in the Foreign Service was based entirely on his personal merit.

    Ambassador Jolaoso was a man of great character, an icon in the diplomatic service, widely admired by those who were privileged to have known him and worked with him. He was an outstanding public servant in our country, Nigeria, first as an Education Officer, and later as a foremost diplomat, who, in the course of a long and distinguished career, served as Chief of State Protocol in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Deputy High Commissioner in London, Charge d’Affaires in the Congo (Leo), Consul General in New York, Ambassador in the Federal Republic of Germany, Ambassador in Liberia, and finally as Ambassador in Washington, the USA, the last of his plum diplomatic postings.

    His illuminating dispatches from all his diplomatic posts were of the highest quality and always a delight to read. As he showed in his memoires, In the Shadows, a diplomatic and literary classic, he was a master of ‘diplomatese’ and of the English prose. As an undergraduate, he had won the Faculty prize in English at the then University College, Ibadan. His style of writing was simple, witty, precise and elegant, perhaps the best in the Foreign Service. One Foreign Minister, Dr. Okoi Arikpo, enjoyed reading his dispatches so much that he recommended his style to all Nigerian diplomats. He ended his successful and glorious diplomatic career as a Director-General in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. His contribution to the growth and development of the Foreign Service was immense, as was his kindness and encouragement to younger colleagues who will always remember him as their friend and mentor. After his retirement, he was a foundation member and later served as President of the Association of Retired Career Ambassadors of Nigeria. (ARCAN), to which he made an outstanding contribution.

    Ambassador Olujimi Jolaoso was educated at the Igbobi College, Yaba, (1939-44), the Yaba Higher College, (1946-48), the University College, Ibadan, (1948-52), the Institute of Education of the University of London, (1953) and the Queen’s College, Oxford. (1959) for his mandatory Foreign Service course.

    He was blessed with a loving and adoring wife, our dear ‘Auntie Marcie’, whom he married in 1957, two adorable sons, Abayomi, and Bankole, and several grandchildren. My wife, Bose, and I extend to the Jolaoso family our deeply felt condolences on the passing on of Ambassador Olujimi Jolaoso, OFR. We pray God to console them and grant them the grace and strength to bear this sad and irreparable loss.

  • Tribute to Ambassador Jolaoso (August 19, 1925 – September 25, 2016)

    The only word that can adequately capture this personage is the word ‘elegance’. Olu Jolaoso is the epitome of elegance. Elegant in looks, in style, in taste, in manners, in conduct, and in character.

    I first met him at Igbobi College long after he was a student there. He had come, as was then the practice, as a pupil teacher, on vacation job. He was my teacher. As a boy, we treasured the image of this extremely good looking teacher in front of the black board, chalk in hand. He had such an arresting look and I, in particular, admired him and wished I would one day be like him.

    He was a teacher, in the mould of C.O.D Ekwensi. Both of them were part-time teachers at Igbobi College. To them, teaching was a passion; a vocation. Paradoxically, it was also a past time; a hobby to be savoured and enjoyed. Moulding the minds of young boys and passing on knowledge meant a good deal to them.

    When in his final year, I went up to the University College Ibadan, Olu Jolaoso was there. I now see him in my mind’s eye on the athletic field: An elegant and majestic figure, turning the curve of the 220yards track with such effortless grace, like a powerful thoroughbred, breasting the tape to win. So he equally did in the 100yards sprint. He and his colleagues, including Godfrey Eneli, quartet in the 440yards relay race, were the great athletes in our university days. They made us feel extremely proud in the West African inter-Universities Games that were then in vogue. Olu Jolaoso on the sports field was an elegant sight to behold.

    Fate brought us together once again, in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Commonwealth Relations in 1958. Providence brought teacher and student together as colleagues. The elegance in character shun through. In all the years we spent together in the Ministry of External Affairs, Olu had absolutely no difficulty accepting me as a colleague.  Never at any time, never once did he give the impression that he was older in age, experience and in maturity. We got along very well in our private and official lives. Never any sign or flicker of condescending attitude towards me.

    In a fulfilling and glorious career, otherwise sadly punctuated by memories of intrigues by colleagues, Olu remained the decent man of honour he was. Through the vicissitudes of life in the ministry, Ambassador Olu Jolaoso could be counted upon as a team player; loyal to his colleagues, loyal to the core in fighting injustice.

    I could recall when six of us were about to be summarily dismissed from the service for dare having the courage and temerity to challenge constituted authority on a cause we deeply believed in. Olu stood firmly with us, his colleagues.  Fortunately, destiny intervened. Despite our betrayal, we survived. Most of us reached the apex of our career in God’s own appointed time.

    What an irony it is in this nation that our earliest days happened to be the best, the most glorious. Olu belonged to that generation of Nigerian diplomats, career and non-career, now with hind-sight, adjudged to be the best – difficult to surpass. This was the generation of Chief Olumide Omololu,  Alhaji Abdulmaliki, Ade Martins, M.T. Mbu, Francis Nwokedi, L.O.V Anionwu, D. C. Igwe, John Mamman Garba, Simeon A. Adebo, Adedokun Haastrup, Gabriel Onyegbula, Isa Wali, Sule Kolo, Chukwuemeka Ifeagwu, Chike Chuwkwurah, Leslie Harriman, Philip Asiodu, John Ukegbu, J.T.F Iyalla,  Aminu Sanusi, Edwin Ogbu, Alhaji Muhammadu Ngeleruma, Tayo Ogunsulire, Edward Enahoro,  Olu Sanu, Soji Williams,  Ime Ebong, Victor Adegoroye, George Dove-Edwin, B.A Clark and many others, sadly gone ahead. These were, in essence, the pioneers of the Nigerian Diplomatic Service of which Olu Jolaoso was a proud and distinguished member.

    Olu served in various capacities as a young officer at home and abroad including being Chief of Protocol of the Federation. He was our Ambassador to the then Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ambassador to Western Germany, to Tubman’s Liberia, and finally to the United States of America.  In all these countries, he served with elegant dignity.

    Olu spoke my dialect fluently; the dialect of Aniocha Ibo ethnic group. I sometimes wonder whether he was more fluent in it, than in his own native Yoruba. I share the same distinctive dialect with Marcie, his most devoted, most beloved wife and companion, whose lineage is from my clan and home town, Ibusa, in Delta State.

    What type of grave could swallow up such outstanding elegance? Men such as Olu can never be swallowed up; can never die. Their spirits live forever.

    May his soul rest in peace. May his family be comforted.

     

    • Ambassador Olisemeka CON is former Minister of Foreign Affairs

  • Tribute: A father like no other

    With my years of being a journalist, I have always believed that writing about anything can’t be difficult for me. So I thought until recently when I had to write the final tribute to my late father, Chief Adebisi Japheth Otufodunrin, who was buried on October 14 in our village, Imagbon, Ogun State.

    It was my task to collate the tributes by my siblings, family members and other well wishers. I got virtually everyone to write theirs, but each time I tried to write mine, I could not easily come up with the right words to capture what our father meant to me and my siblings.

    I was not worried about overstating his accomplishments, but I was concerned about understating his legacies, virtues and all he did in his own little way to leave an imprint on the sand of times.

    Perhaps the writer’s block I was experiencing in writing the tribute was due to the fact that my father meant so much to me that I was finding it difficult to accept that he is indeed no more.

    With the deadline for submitting the content for the burial programme staring me in the face, I finally managed to write what I considered just a passage tribute.

    “Our consolation has been the sacrificial life you lived not only for us, your family, relatives and friends, but virtually everyone you had the opportunity of being with,” I stated.

    Talk of a man of the people who was accommodating to all he could provide for in any way he could. Not only did he take adequate care of his nuclear and extended family, beneficiaries of his benevolence are too numerous to recount.

    Like one of my uncles recounted at the wake keep, my father’s generosity was not due to any wealth that could be ascribed to him, but his willingness to help as many people as possible.

    “He doesn’t have more than one house, but he has helped many who have built mansions. That is the kind of person my brother is,” Pastor Yomi Odubote said.

    I also noted in my tribute that my siblings and I are what we are today by the grace of God and the crucial role my father played at every stage of our development. “We are grateful and proud of you being a father like no other. Your commitment particularly to our education remains a legacy we will always cherish,” I added.

    Though my father did not make it to a higher institution, he insisted that all his children must have university education, and eleven out of twelve of us did.

    But for him, I and some of my siblings would have opted for lesser education, but he would have none of that.

    He said he wanted a Dr Otufodunrin and he got one of us to become a medical doctor. As he would always say, the greatest legacy a father can leave for his children is get them educated to the highest level they can. We are all taking after our father, producing another generation of well-educated, creative and innovative Otufodunrin linage.

    I concluded my tribute with the following two paragraphs:

    “The peace, unity and love that prevail in our immediate and extended families are a tribute to the exemplary leadership, support and fatherly care you provided in your lifetime.

    “We will miss you in too many ways we can express. We will miss your calls, advice, suggestions, encouragement and many more. I will miss being asked why I didn’t write my weekly column whenever I failed to do so.

    “We love you but God loves you more. Sleep well our dear father, sleep well Iba Lekan.”

    My sincere appreciation for all the best wishes, prayers and support for our father’s burial. We will all live to survive our aged ones.

    This piece is being repeated because of technical hitch in the same piece last week

  • AFRIMA 2016: AFRICAN STARS TO PAY TRIBUTE TO MANU DIBANGO, KSA, PAPA WEMBA

    AFRICAN music stars will perform to honour three of Africa’s renowned music legends, Manu Dibango, King Sunny Ade and Papa Wemba, at this year’s All Africa Music Awards, AFRIMA, on Sunday, November 6 at Eko Hotels & Suites, Lagos.

    In partnership with the African Union Commission, AUC, and the support of the Official Host City, Lagos State, AFRIMA 2016 grand awards ceremony is preceded by The AFRIMA Music Village on Friday November 4, 2016, a non-stop music concert with over 40 African artistes performing live at the Waterfront, Bar Beach, Victoria Island, Lagos.

    “Contemporary African stars will be pledging their loyalty to these grassroot legends of African music to show the beauty of their music through outstanding performances on stage during the AFRIMA awards,” said President and Executive Producer, AFRIMA, Mr. Mike Dada, describing the three music icons as the ‘voices of African music and the epitome of Africanness.’

    “It is also a means of showing the younger generation that they can connect to music made by older generations of artistes and use this to unite the world through music.”

    Some of the top African artistes billed to honour the legacy of the three African legends include: Kiss Daniel (Nigeria); Diamond Platnumz (Tanzania); Brymo (Nigeria); Wax Dey (Cameroon); Seyi Shay (Nigeria); FallyIpupa (DRC), YemiAlade (Nigeria); Victoria Kimani (Kenya); Tiwa Savage (Nigeria); Aramide (Nigeria); Niniola (Nigeria); YCee (Nigeria); TJAN (Nigeria) and Flavour (Nigeria) among others.

    Eighty two year-old Cameroonian saxophonist and vibraphone player Manu Dibango, nicknamed ‘The Lion of Cameroon’, is recognised for developing a music style fusing jazz, funk and traditional Cameroonian music. His song “Soul Makossa” has influenced several music hits, including Michael Jackson’s “Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin”, as well as his recording of that song with Akon, the Fugees’ “Cowboys”, and Rihanna’s “Don’t Stop the Music” and Comedian Eddie Murphy in his 1982 parody song “Boogie in your butt”.

    Artiste-in-Residence at the Obafemi Awolowo University, Nigeria, is a Nigerian singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist and two-time Grammy award nominee, known for his pioneering of modern world music.

    And Papa Wemba, the late iconic musician from the Democratic Republic of Congo, who died at age 67 on April 24, 2016 during a stage performance in Cote d’Ívoire, also pioneered a blend of African, Cuban and Western sounds which became one of Africa’s most popular music styles. Dubbed the ‘King of Rhumba Rock’, Papa Wemba was also a fashion icon who popularised the La Sape look and style through his musical group Viva la Musica, with whom he performed on stages throughout the world.

    Meanwhile, public voting continues on AFRIMA website.

  • Tribute to a worthy servant

    Tribute to a worthy servant

    A book, Eze Madumere: A True Manifestation of a Loyal Prince – Tributes to a Worthy Servant, written in honour of Imo Deputy Governor Prince Eze Madumere, was presented at the Sam Mbakwe Hall of Concorde Hotel, Owerri in Imo State, writes NNEKA NWANERI.

    What was meant to be a book launch almost turned out to be a political gathering of sort. Many came from far and wide to Imo State to honour one of their own and number two citizen of the state, Prince Eze Madumere.

    It was the presentation of Madumere’s biography written by Peter Claver Obi entitled: Eze Madumere: A True Manifestation of a Loyal Prince – Tributes to a Worthy Servant.

    The book is a pictorial compilation of some of the activities of the man with a brief touch on his contributions towards the success story of the state. It began with his friendship with Governor Rochas Okorocha and subsequently their mutual political interest. They then began their political sojourn that led to the ‘Rescue Mission’ of the state, being their slogan.

    The book was first reviewed by Vice Chancellor of Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Prof Joseph Ahaneku  and then Prof. U.D. Anyanwu of the Department of History and International Studies, Imo State University.

     

  • Tribute to Bankole Olayiwola Bolodeoku (1940-2016)

    The news of the sudden death last month of Venerable Bankole Olayiwola Bolodeoku was devastating to his family and all his friends. He would have been 76 this month. News of his demise came to me as a rude shock as well as I was totally unaware that he was even ailing. He always looked hale and hearty. The last time we met socially in Lagos a few months before his death he never looked healthier. My wife Bose and I were in total disbelief that ‘Layi (as his close friends called him) had indeed gone.

    Our thoughts immediately went to his beloved family in their grief, particularly to his siblings and his loving wife, Abimbola (nee Egerton Shyngle) to whom he was married for nearly 50 years. It was a blissful and happy marriage, blessed with five lovely children, all of whom are doing well in their various careers. To those who knew the couple well, the Layi Bolodeokus were a model and truly Christian family, whose beautiful and friendly Christian home in Idi Ishin, Ibadan, was always filled with laughter, much happiness, generosity, peace and love. It was always open to their family and numerous friends. Their warm hospitality was legendary and admirable, and their generosity to their friends and family was unstinted and quite remarkable.

    Layi had a distinguished Ondo ancestry of which he was immensely proud, with wide family connections to many prominent Ondo families, including the Akinkugbes.  But he lived in Ibadan virtually all his life. Ibadan was good to him. He had a successful career there and brought up his own large family there. After their own marriage Layi’s parents had settled down in Ibadan where they were hugely successful in business and in bringing up their large family. They were both devout Christians and I remember them worshipping regularly at St. James’ Pro-Cathedral Church in those days.

    My friendship with Layi dates back to 1953 when we first met as pupils of St. James’ Primary School, Oke Bola, Ibadan, where I was a year ahead of him in standard six. I had been sent to the school from All Saints’, Oshogbo, when my father, a civil servant, was transferred to Ibadan.  Layi’s elder brother, Ade, was my friend and classmate there. He is now a successful and retired chartered accountant. Layi was one of the few students to whom I was easily drawn in the school. He was very friendly and immensely likeable, a trait of character that stood him in good stead later in his long, outstanding and varied public career. Although we both attended different secondary schools later, we remained friends and met often socially in Ibadan during the schools’ holidays. Later, we met again at the then University College, Ibadan, where I preceded him by a year and renewed our old friendship. It was at the university that he and Bimbola, my favourite maternal cousin, met and soon entered into a romantic relationship. I knew they were both very much in love and encouraged them. There was another suitor, but Bimbola and I contrived to get rid of him. Soon after they both left the university they got married. This made the bond between Layi and me even stronger.

    I was sure Bimbo had made the right decision in marrying Layi. I knew he would make her a good husband and friend. He had a profound sense of duty and responsibility to his friends and family. From the early years of our friendship, Layi impressed me as someone who had a focus in life. He was diligent, hardworking, determined to be successful, very charismatic and charming. As he was not over bearing he made friends very easily with people. He was complemented in this regard by his wife, Bimbo, a woman of noble character. She is one of the most graceful, gracious, kind and charming ladies I have ever known, and with whom I have had a special relationship, not just as cousins, but as genuine friends.

    After graduating from Ibadan in 1965, Layi had a brilliant career, straddling the old civil service in the then Western Region, where he served as the Private Secretary of the military governor, General Adebayo, the Ibadan Polytechnic of which he was the Rector, and finally as the CEO of Evans Publishing Company in Ibadan for over 20 years. In all those places he rose to the top effortlessly and left an enduring legacy. If he had any tribulations in his varied career, he overcame them easily with the support and steadying hands of Bimbola, his wife, the granddaughter of the legendary Revd. Benjamin Ilowu Manuwa of Badagry fame. In her own right Bimbola also had a distinguished career as a university administrator, rising to the enviable post of a Registrar/Secretary in the College of Medicine at the UCH, Ibadan.

    After retiring from Evans, Layi decided with the full support of his wife to enter the priesthood, eventually becoming a senior vicar (Venerable) of the All Souls’ Church, Bodija, of the Anglican Communion in Ibadan. This did not come to me as a surprise at all. I had always thought of him as someone who was always searching and probing the source of personal fulfilment and happiness in life. He found both in the church where he and his wife, Bimbola, touched many lives positively. He was versatile and multi-talented. He was not one to shirk his responsibilities. He threw himself into this new task and challenge as a priest with characteristic energy and vigour, prompting his wife to complain sometimes privately to me that he was neglecting his health. But Layi remained undaunted until the very end.

    Layi was a good family man. His love for his family, particularly his wife, Bimbo, and their five children, was unstinted. His love for them was fully requited too. As they are now left to mourn his death, we his numerous friends pray that, in this their period of grief, God will comfort and continue to bless and protect them.