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OGUN 1st Lady, BAMIDELE ABIODUN
The very beautiful and delectable First Lady of Ogun State, Her Excellency, Bamidele Abiodun is presently in a solemn mood. She marked the 8th post humous birthday of her late son, Gbemiga Abiodun also known as DJ Olu. In an emotional post on Instagram on Thursday, 14th of August, she recalled a remark made by her daughter Lamissa in October 2017:
“Mummy, you know, no matter how happy a situation is for us following this, it will never be complete because Gbemiga will not be there. We have to learn to live with that.”
She added, “How right she was at such a sad reality.”
Expressing gratitude to God, the first lady wrote, “It is your birthday again, and I am grateful… Happy too, but my happiness is always interrupted by the jolt of the reality: you’re not here to celebrate with us, nor we with you.”
Despite her faith, she acknowledged the enduring pain, “Despite my faith in God, I am honest with myself enough to know this is an enduring pain… my heart breaks as I write this, and imagine what could have been, but God knows best…”
She closed the tribute with heartfelt words, “My Gbemiga, continue to rest in peace, as we continue to remember you fondly on your birthday, because I know this is what you would have wanted. Love you this birthday, and always.”
Gbemiga Abiodun, a very warm, likeable and promising young man affectionately known as DJ Olu, died in October 2017 at age 25, alongside his friend Chime, in Lagos.
DJ Olu was known as the official DJ to hitmaker Davido before his untimely death. In his memory, Governor Abiodun launched the Gbemiga Abiodun Memorial Education Support Programme.
The scholarship scheme, initially targeting 550 indigent learners in primary, secondary, vocational and tertiary schools across Remo Federal Constituency, has since expanded to support over 1,000 students, awarding N91 million in scholarships.
During a recent interview with City People, the very charming, humble and hugely loved first lady shared briefly how her son’s tragic death agonised her and the rest of the family and shook her faith in God.
You speak so eloquently about the scriptures and passionately about God. What’s your relationship with God like she was asked?
“It’s not as good as I would like it to be. The reason being that, like I told you, we had a loss in the family seven years ago when our son passed away. It threw me back. It shook me to my core. And I am still not where I was with God then. I am still not there yet. It was something nobody in the family saw coming. It was a very, very trying period for us as a family. But, somehow, we just had to find a way and the strength to move on. Because God is so good. And He is the one that knows the reason why things happen. It’s affected my work with Him….a lot. But I still know that God is my anchor, He’s my safety net, there’s nowhere else to go. It’s definitely not where I want to be, but I know I am gradually and steadily closing up that gap.”
But she still sounds very passionate about God. She still holds Him very dear to her heart.
“Oh, yes, I do, because I know what God stands for and I know life happens and we just have to stick with it.”
–Wale Lawal
