•Special Apostle DICKSON AWODE’s Wife Pays Tribute To Him
No man knows a man more than the wife! I have marvelous stories about my 81 year-old husband you all call ‘grandpa’ who has gloriously passed on to the great beyond. Our journey together was practically divine and truly theatrical. At a tender age of 20, I was bubbling. He was 23 and was astute. Then, we met.
He was the son of late Pa David Adenowo Awode, the first Nigerian to bag the title, ‘Superintendent of Police.’ Kam Salem Building would have been named after his father, but he retired much earlier than Kam Salem. David Adenowo, his father, was from Ijebu-Omu, and his mother, Madam Regina Folorunso Awode, was from Ijebu-Ode. Adekunle Dickson Olufemi was one of their many sons and daughters. At an early age, and being supremely brilliant, he became an Engineer and would have been raised up a Policeman, but his father had other ideas and instead enlisted him in the Technical College ‘arm’ of the then ECN (Electricity Corporation
of Nigeria) which later became NEPA (National Electricity Power Authority). Nigeria was good in those days and being dazzling among his contemporaries; he was successful and was retained
as a staff of ECN to be in charge of Maintenance. He was then called “Young Engineer.” Then, he was based in Lagos.
At a very tender age, I had lost my father, but I had a caring stepfather in late Pa Akinwumi Abatialapa Michael Sholubi, a.k.a. ‘Papa Show’ in Tejuosho Street, Ojuelegba axis, Lagos. I was living with him as a charmingly cute, energetically simple, educated and employed young lady. I was skilled in Mathematics; Accounting and I had a flair for shorthand writing. So, I was the Secretary to the boss and also acted as the Accounts Clerk of the international company called Tikatore Press Limited. It was situate at Port Novo Market Street, off Broad Street, Lagos Island.
Part of my job then was to prepare salaries of hundreds of workers every month. I am an Egba lady from the Owu Community, same town with our former President and one-time Head of
State, Dr. Okikiola Matthew Aremu Olusegun Obasanjo. In Tikatore Press Limited, our staffs were diverse. I tend not to favour the Ijebus among them for some personal reasons then. I never knew God would favour me with a very smart Ijebu man who outwitted me!
THE DRAMA IN MARINA
I was in my stepfather’s house at Tejuosho Street, Surulere, Lagos enjoying myself. Then, some young men came to Papa Show. They wanted to be his tenants. Lo, and behold, the man
Adekunle was among these men. All of them were staffs of the then ECN. They were his collegiate in ECN Technical College. They were brilliant, cool-headed and were of diverse nationalities – Sierra Leoneans, Ghanaians, Togolese, Gambians, Gabonese, etc.
Somehow, Pa Sholubi, (Papa Show) wanted a Mathematics teacher for one of my younger brothers, Ibikunle. Adekunle opted to take up the job. I never knew Adekunle could teach. No
one knew the impromptu Mathematics Teacher had plans other than Mathematics. While on the job, Adekunle would send Ibikunle to me with ‘doxology letters’ and I will tear them. I was not interested in the Kunle-Teacher-Kunle-Pupil coup-de-tat. This way would not work. So, the Electrical Engineer turned Mathematician manufactured plan B. He was a soccer player and very skilled in it. ECN was to play PWD (Public Works Department) in those days and there was a local derby. So, he invited me. I was not on duty in my office and it was a weekend, so, I obliged. We got to talk, perhaps, with the help of some of his friends, for the first time.
After I returned, Papa Show queried me that I hardly ever go out on a weekend, ‘What happened?’ I told him I went to the stadium for a local ‘ECN-PWD’ derby. He was even more surprised. He said: “Ejo lowo ninu!” (Snakes crawl with hidden hands!) I told him someone invited me, his boy’s teacher.
He called and questioned him. He did not deny and he went ahead to signify his wish to have me as his wife. Papa Show was both amused and surprised. After due consultations to know his parents, who they were; Papa Show, my stepfather, agreed to our relationship. Then, to know
him more, I went to another soccer event with him. Then, God put a seal on our courtship- relationship with a dramatic event.
It was in 1960, we walked a while and we were tired. So, we decided to talk and our choice was
the front of Christ Cathedral Church in Marina, Lagos. Marina was the hub of courtship talk-talk at the time. So, we sat on the walkway which was like a staircase. Not long afterwards, a very loud noise occurred and every intending couple there took to their heels; no one knew whether it was gunshot or it was a bomb. The noise was so loud it scared many and a lot of the intending couples never returned. Several were too scared to sit down or walk that path again. Adekunle came back looking for me! I could not believe he did not abscond like some men did that day. But what surprised me more is even different. I still tag that event that day up till today.
THE DRAMA IN MARINA
The drama was that where Adekunle and I sat, the exact spot, after the loud ‘boom’ sound, was a fallen coconut tree. The site even caved in! After we all ran in different directions, as we came back looking for each other, we saw the spot where we sat was with a very big coconut.
Adekunle encouraged me to sit down at that same spot and he carried the coconut. He was wondering. I was wondering too. Neither of us understood how we were not crushed. Strange enough, the sound was more than just a coconut fall and the coconut caused the place to cave
in. So, he carried the coconut home to tell his parents what happened. He said his parents interpreted it as God putting a seal on our courtship.
They peeled the husk, removed the coconut, poured the water into two parts, told him to drink the coconut water and eat some and commanded him to go and give me my own water and my
own coconut. I told same story to Papa Show and he ordered me to drink the coconut water and eat it, and I did. That time would have been our wedding but he was transferred to Gusau (pronounced ‘Guzo’), now Zamfara State. He spent almost a year there and while on leave on Saturday, November 26, 1960, we tied the knot, which neither of us untied till he departed on
Tuesday, December 18, 2018, three weeks after his 81st birthday ceremony. We married in Lagos on a weekend and had our honeymoon in Zaria. The following week, he was back to work at Gusau.
“ADEKUNLE MI”, I LIKE YOUR RINGING TONE!
I am yet to know a family man and a workaholic and a servant of God or civil servant like Adekunle! ‘Adekunle Temi Nikan’ was a complete family man. He has one idea about his family which follows the Yoruba proverb: ‘Bi igbin fa, ikarahun re a tele!’ (The Snail goes everywhere with his house!) ‘Adekunle Temi Nikan’ has worked in every part of Nigeria and has never left us behind for one day.
Once he is transferred, we all move with him. Being a senior staff of ECN and of NEPA and now PHCN (Power Holding Corporation of Nigeria), he was always given a befitting accommodation.
His work was enormous and he was devoted to it. Adekunle mi was my choice from heaven. You know why? He listens to my counsel. We talked.
We discussed. We chatted. He did not follow all my counsel but he did not always disregard many I foresee for him. For that reason, I saw him as my father, my lover, my friend, my husband and my better half. Funny enough, in Gusau, he took me to church but I drew him to Cherubim & Seraphim (C&S) Church Movement. He loved God. And so, as soon as we landed in Gusau, he took me to his church, the Sudan Interior Mission (called SIM) Church. When he was transferred from there to Kaduna, he sought God again in United African Church (UNAC). Again, he was moved back to Gusau. Each of these times, we moved together. On our return, I located God and went for prayers in C&S and being desperate, continued a prolonged fasting & prayers for the fruit of the womb.
God answered and gave us our firstborn in Oluwasegun Oluwasina Aderemi in Gusau.
My husband was moved back to Kaduna. God gave us Michael Adetunji there.
We moved again to Kaduna and we all moved together. From Kaduna, he covered every portion
of the Central North Zone as ‘The Maintenance Manager of The Roving Crew.’ His work took him on a day-to-day journey to Zaria, Katsina, Kano, etc. He would go on Land Rover Truck of ECN or with his ‘Me Butu Butu’ (Hausa word for Triumph Motorbike) to get to his work-site to fix whatever was damaged. Amidst the enormity of work and family care, we then had Esther again in Kaduna before he was moved again to Maiduguri where we had Samson Oladipupo.
Before we could settle down for long in Maiduguri, ECN heard about Adekunle’s superlative
performance up North and needed his services again down south, so he was moved again. This
time to Benin-City to oversee the whole of the then Mid-West & Eastern suburbs – Agbor, Auchi, Ughelli, Port Harcourt, Uyo, Calabar, Onitsha, Enugu, etc. He was always on the road. But there in Benin-City, God gave us our last daughter, Edowaye Aduragbemi Comfort. One thing about Adekunle is that he never refused transfers; he had this high sense of duty that will infuriate any woman, but he had a style of passing it across to me that I hardly ever object to our family movement. So, we travelled as a family all over Nigeria because he was a very devoted civil servant and family man.
LEST I FORGET: GRANDPA, MY OWN 81 YR-OLD PLAYMATE, WAS GOD’S BOSOM FRIEND!
Adekunle had one wonderful fault. No Sunday ever meets him at home; he was always in Church on a Sunday. His fault is compounded by one more thing: everyone of us must be in church with him! So, I always get ready for Sundays as if I married him because of Sunday activities in Church! He gets to church before everyone and we were the last to leave the church. Why? He would use his personal car to drop off every elderly church member while we wait for him as the family members. Whenever he came back, he compounds our comfort with another style of his service to God; he welcomes anyone in church who lacked food to come over and eat in our house. So, my work since Gusau to Zaria to Maiduguri or Makurdi and Benin-City to Ibadan or Lagos was to prepare food for church members every Sunday. Our house was an extension of Church Services every Sunday. As a wife to Adekunle, I have become Matron to midwife people and activities other than just family issues. Adekunle gave me Sunday-Sunday assignments regularly, but God never disappointed him for his large heart to accommodate and satisfy people of all races he meets in church!
While in Kaduna, we lived in Ogbomosho West where was in Katsina Road, the Headquarters of C&S Church Movement. Adekunle’s relentless work in Church endeared him to be noticed by the then Baba Aladura Worldwide, late Baba Coker who promoted and anointed him. The next in line, late Papa Kalejaiye, also favoured and promoted him further. However, he was moved to Ibadan and later seconded to Lagos where he retired from ECN or NEPA after almost four decades of service round the nation. And all along, he served God parri-passu as he served secularly.
“ADEKUNLE MI,” IS THAT HOW YOU WILL SAY ‘GOODBYE?’
Adekunle mi, together, we swore in 1960 to an oath “Till Death Do Us Part,” and you allowed its fulfillment, leaving me alone. But you never left me lonely for one day before, my dear. I was
always with you. You were always with me. Why should you just leave me behind so suddenly?
Adekunle mi, is that how you will say goodbye?
Olufemi mi, together, we walked this earth in love, in kindness, in peace for many decades. If it is possible to marry hereafter, I will still like to be your wife. But your departure was to me too
soon! Your last words to me in our room were very soothing words indeed. I would not ever forget your last words last night when you looked into my eyes like you did reassuringly to me on our wedding day – with that smile.
You lovingly said to me: ‘Iya Aderemi, No Cause for Alarm.’ I agree.
But Olufemi mi, you should not have left me alone. I feel you now like never before …
Olufemi mi ….
Adekunle Temi Nikan …. Dickson, my love … Hmmm … Sun re o …
Your one and only sweetheart
– MRS. DELPHINE AYINKE MODUPE OLUBUNMI AWODE
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