Dele Babatunde died. Yes he died.
It was one afternoon in December 2014, a few days before Christmas in Iyin, at the party organized by Victor Adewusi as part of activities for his father’s funeral ceremony. I was seated among a few Panupo guys who I met at the church service earlier. Goke Omidiran who I met for the first time was there. My intention to leave for Ibadan was announced to them before the party started. The Panupo guys were informed that I was in Iyin since the previous day. They asked me not go and pleaded that it was important to meet Dele Babatunde who was coming from Ado. I obeyed.
Dele Babatunde with another guy joined us. I met a man who was beautiful inside out with love permeating the totality of his being. One could “see” and feel a unique energy that enveloped all around him. I said to Adebimipe, gosh, Ekiti is truly blessed.
Yes, Dele Babatunde died. Dele Babatunde left a mark on every one, every group and everything he touched. Those who knew and interacted with him pronounced their judgement that he, Dele Babatunde was good and a person to be desired. That day, i felt and still feel blessed meeting that special person.
Dele Babatunde died. Immediately, the process of mourning began. The first stage was shock, followed by disbelief/denial and then acceptance. Having accepted that Dele Babatunde died, our grieving minds begin to search for reasons. Our minds grope, grasp and grapple to find answers to the what, why and how questions. One of the characteristics of this stage is anger with frustration. As Dallman and Jones (2013) tell us, tragedy would not send us a card with its condolences neither will it offer us any explanatory note as to why it is us that has been chosen to be visited.
As we have just experienced, this “tragedy came and overshadowed our lives,” took Dele Babatunde from us, and “turned our reality upside down.” Which confirms Dallman and Jones when they state that tragedy “strikes quickly, leaving us numbed and trembling.”
Philosophers of old has a lot to say about the phenomena called death. Let us share a bit from an ancient book titled “Unto Thee I Grant: The Economy of Life. I believe it may help us go through this difficult period as well as help us to appropriately situate death. A paragraph on death says among other things that an individual who considers he will die is content while he lives. He who strives to forget death has no pleasure in anything. His joy appears to him a jewel which he expects he will lose any time.
It continues-if you will learn to die nobly, you should allow your vices to die before you. Happy is he who ends the business of his life before his death. When the hour of his death comes, he has nothing to do but to die. He does not wish for any delay because he has no longer use of time.
Yes, Dele Babatunde died. It is irrelevant how we rationalize his death. One indisputable fact is that Dele Babatunde was not one of those people who would go to the market and return home in the evening.
Dele Babtunde died. In our state of grieving and mourning, what are we supposed to do both on the short and long term? As a group and as individuals, what can we learn from Dele Babatunde’s life? Read the tributes, his virtues are numerous, pick your choice.
Dele Babatunde, you must be told that by your exit from our world, we are impoverished. Your family is impoverished, your friends and admirers are impoverished. Ekitipanupo is impoverished. Ekiti with Nigeria that you loved and were so passionate about is impoverished.
Good Lord, come to our assistance and heal our wounds. Empower us to go through the mourning process successfully and come out better and stronger.
My beloved Dele. Good night.
Love and Peace Profound.
Adebimipe Okunade.
Iya Egbe Ekitipanupo.
Oye Ekiti, New Orleans Campus.
Credits: Dr. (Mrs) Adebimipe Okunade, Ekitipanupo Forum