A great man, we've lost

A tribute

The realisation dawned on me like a lightning bolt, shock, utter shock and sadness engulfed me as I scrambled to ascertain, to confirm and to understand.

I have been incommunicado due to issues unfortunately beyond my control but social media today plays a role in the communication spectrum of our lives that we cannot ignore. Much as we hope to keep things traditional, this is where I have learnt of things of joy and things of sorrow too.

A brilliant star, a shining beacon, a light in the firmament, excellent, generous, wonderful, affable, reliable and a man much more than a mentor has gone into the irrefutable annals of time.

He blazed the trail of uncles whose academic brilliance could not be ignored, those who could ensure the doors he needed were opened did so; he gained access to the full potential he went on to fulfil in many numerous ways.

As an inspiration and as an example, he counselled, he admonished, he advised, he helped and never once did he withhold praise and encouragement, I never once heard a word of criticism from him, just words of positive reinforcement, time and time again.

When I was left without the means to access one of the biggest opportunities in my life, I paid him a visit, and it was sorted out, he was just that kind of man, he brought fun, jollity and experience to situations that lifted your sights beyond your circumstances.

Homely, lovely and true, I treasure and cherish those memories that will never be forgotten. Saddened at his demise at such a young age, he leaves a legacy of goodwill, of example, of accomplishment, of success, of integrity, of honour and of principle that many much older can only aspire to.

To a great man, a man of achievement, a man with vision, who fulfilled his mission – cometh the time, cometh the man and history is made of the stories of the footsteps of men like him who did well and touched the lives of others after them, lifting them up to do well too. For Uncle Jimoh Ogunnaike.

Adieu! Requiescat in pace eternal.