Where were you on that day, he passed
And how did you receive it ?????????
THE. MAY 9 QUIZ
Feyisola Olusegun MichaelĀ …I was in front of the polytechnic, ibadan that evening and I lost a golden long necklace with golden Festac 77 logo given to me by my mother. Sleep well Baba AwoĀ āļøš
Pst Funke AwolowoĀ Was in UK, on the day I had missed a call from my Brother. On the same day a Friend called from.Coventry, and told me Papa Awo had gone. My whole world crumbled. The year before he had sternly warned me not to go Anywhere during Kemis wedding without seeing him. Iwas in Ikenne for the usual but decided to escape being grounded and went off back to the UK. I had gone off to England bcos of unending issues here and there. Was finally in School and was not ready to stay back. Alas five months after Papa had gone . Guilt, a bit of regrets but resolved to go home and render my last respect was the urgency. Yes what I met was too much, as i went on that day with the family to the national Stadium. This was almost , or a larger than life personality, my Grandad and even grander in death. For many days I was inundated with activities. Then it was time to go back and seat my exams after many interviews on various mediums. I never remained the same.
Femi Ade-EmmanuelĀ Good I heard it on NTA eleven O’clock news. I crashed on the floor and wept. I attended the lie-in-state at National Stadium. There I also wept.
Adekunle OduolaĀ I went to a Night Party with a cousin of mine who is late now. We came in the following morning and met my cousin Grandma doing ablution as she was preparing for morning Islamic prayer. She was a core Ibadan Indigene and NPN loyalist. She said to us after greeting her, “Baba yi Awolowo ti ku o”‘to which we replied her, “se eyin l’epa” eyin iya NPN yi. That was the rappor we had with her. She then called us back and said to us” ta ni k’oniku” We looked at each other and was to enter the house when she said again, “Raji Rasaki lo kede o” Military Governor Raji Rasaki made the announcement in order to douse tension and prevent public outcry.
May the soul of Pa Jeremiah Oyeniyi Obafemi Awolowo Rest In Peace.
Adebayo Adeneye-AdejuwonĀ I was at Ijebu Ode on that day having arrived from Lagos two days prior. On arrival at Ijebu Ode from Lagos, my cousins and I engaged our grandma on Nigerian politics of the 50s and 60s and, expectedly Pa AWO was the focus of our conversation. A few hours after this conversation, it was time for the newscast before we would all finally retire to bed. As it was with me, I had the TV remote and lo and behold, I was faced with the news: AWO is DEAD. The silence that enveloped our living room was so loud! I switched from one station to another seeking contray news item. There was none. A few minutes later, a call from our uncle, Alhaji M.A. Anifowoshe, from Ogbo Road came through and the message was clear:
Weeeesso, se wen gbo news? And I responded that we did and he went further to ask: ken gbo ninu news? I answered him with a question and I said: Se e si sir although I had an idea of what he wanted to hear and what he was going to say and he screamed : Baba ni Ikenne ti lo o. Erin ti wo. After this, he went into a brief political history of AWOs exploits.
Needless to say that we barely slept until the early hours of the following day and as early as 7:00 a.m. I was at Bobasuwa( now Lagos Garage) from where I bought a copy each of all available newspapers looking for just one thing: a news story that will tell me that the news of AWOs death was a regrettable error.
Thirty three years after, that was not to be.
After reading all stories from all the Newspapers I bought on that day, the word grandma spoke on Awo’s death never left me.
My granda said: Ogboni yen bori ogu ajaijatan, o bori ota iyebiye. O digba. O digbose. O digbere. O doju ala. O di arinako.
May the gentle soul of Pa Awo continue to rest in perfect in the bosom of his creator.
Lawrence OjiĀ In India. I remember him as a wise man who saw into the future. On his last birthday in 1986, he said that what he was celebrating on that day was not his birthday, but an imminent transition to the world beyond, and that since he was happy celebratingĀ it, it meant that where he was going must be a good place. He was prepared. The late Ojukwu described him as the best president Nigeria never had. He bettered Yoruba as their Premier, and I have no doubt that he would have done better for Nigerians too if he had the opportunity. The fact that he knew what to do in other to end the civil war, means he was a wise man. Blessings
Kola AdebesinĀ I was on the road to Ijebu Ife and it was around 5am believe it or not…one of the most scary days for me ever…came home on holidays then…You don’t receive such news in the middle of nowhere at dead in the night and not get scared for your life…didn’t just know what could happen next.
Dr Kweku Adedayo TandohĀ I was in Ile-Ife with my wife when I received that early morning call from Segun. We immediately left Ile-Ife and headed for Ikenne.
Pst Funke AwolowoĀ Awesome Response, Thanks everyone for taking your good time to recollect. Nigeria shall be great again, above limitations and contrary expectations . This is based on the fact that the Scripture says Blessed is that land or that nation whose builder is the Lord. Definitely lets keep believing and holding on as we journey , navigating towards greatness in the Mighty Name of Jesus .
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