In January 1943, the late Segun Awolowo and I were registered to start Primary Education at Agbeni Methodist School, Ibadan. I was one and a half years older than Segun and because he could not touch his left ear with his right hand held across his head, he was considered too junior and was therefore made to repeat primary one. That was how I became senior to Segun in both Agbeni Methodist School and the Secondary School to which we gained admission later, Igbobi College Yaba, Lagos. I finished standard six at Agbeni in 1950 and entered igbobi in 1951, Segun in 1951 and 1952 respectively. That however did not diminish our almost brotherly relationship. By the time he met his untimely death at mile 15, Abanla village, near Ibadan on the old Ibadan-Lagos road on July 10, 1963, his was the longest most cordial friendship I had in life. The next one was that of Late Dele Fakorede an Offa boy who attended Methodist Boys’ High School, Lagos. Dele had died in the Lalupon train disaster of 1957 on his way to the Nigerian College of Arts, Science and Technology, Zaria branch.
In the evening of July 9, 1963, Segun and I, with some other friends had gathered to socialize at Osunmarina Restaurant, an annex of Cooperative Hall, next door to my office, Radio Nigeria Ibadan at Gbagi, now Oba Adebimpe Road, Ibadan. Segun left me early to go home because he had to attend court at Ikeja the following morning. So we bade each other good night, to meet on his return from Ikeja in the afternoon of the following day. Little did we know it was our final goodbye and that we would never see each other again.
Early the next day, July 10, 1963, several telephone calls were put through to me in the office in quick succession by those who had heard the terrible news of Segun’s accident and death and wanted to get confirmation from me whether it was true or not as they were sure I would know. I quickly put a call through to the telephone number of the Awolowos at Oke-bola, Ibadan but to my great anxiety, the telephone rang several times with nobody to pick my calls.
Then another call came through to me in the office by someone who knew Segun and I together only to confirm the sad occurrence. He said he had seen Segun’s body at Adeoyo General Hospital where it looked fresh like he was sleeping but lifeless. It had a deep cut in the head. I hurried out of the office to Adeoyo and true indeed there was my best friend with his eyes permanently closed in death. I was completely shattered and I just went back to the office to take permission to close for the day.
Papa Obafemi Awolowo was then held in Calabar prison on the trumped up charge and conviction for treasonable felony since 1962. Like the man with his kind of uncanny courage and abiding faith in God, he merely commented that God gave and God had taken away, blessed be His glorious name. He displayed unusual Christian fortitude and directed that Segun should be given a befitting decent burial.
The funeral service took place at Our Saviour’s Anglican Church, Ikenne even though Papa and Mama Dideolu Awolowo attended Agbeni Methodist Church, Ibadan where he and my late father Asiwaju Julius Adeniran Abidakun Olasope of the Public Work Department (PWD) fame, were class leaders and intimate friends with the likes of Pas. Kumolu Johnson J.O. Craig of Oke-bola, F. Ade John of Oke-Padre, Okulaja who lived near the church and others. Segun was buried at the Ikenne public cemetery on the right hand side at the entrance to the town from Sagamu. Our friend whom we had met at Igbobi, Tunji Fadairo was not at the funeral service and burial but met us on our way back to Ibadan after the burial. I had to stop to share the grief with him. We both wept bitterly with other people joining us when he retorted; “Kunle how can you bury Segun alone without me”?
Tunji like Segun, is a lawyer, he became a two–term president of the Nigeria Bar Association, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria and until about two years ago, Chairman of Ogun State Independent Electoral Commission. Tunji’s father was the Western Region Minister of Information under the premiership of Papa Awolowo. Tunji was my classmate at Igbobi College. He is now the Alapinni of Ilaro in succession to his late father.
It is now 52 years that Segun left us but his memory lingers on unforgettably. He was a pleasant, friendly, sociable, easy going person. He was such a jolly good fellow, with a ready smile. Segun was a ladies’ man and wasted no time with the girls that we fondly nicknamed him “Quicky, Lucky, Lucky”. With others like Ernest Adegunle Sonekan, Rashidi Shita-bey, Tunji Fadairo, the Late Dokun Oni (another old Igbobian) my brother Folabi Olasope, Late Yinka Rhodes Yinka Akerele, Bola and Sola Silva, Yomi Akintola, Late Aderoju Aderemi, Late Fatai Costa (to mention just a few), we had such wonderful times together in London in 1962 when most of them had just passed their final law examinations and I was on attachment at the African Service of the BBC from Radio Nigeria. I had taken to London recordings of the top bands of the time in Nigeria like I.K. Dairo, Eddy Okonta, Victor Olaiya, Roy Chicago, with which we held parties and made merry.
Segun and I returned to Nigeria in January 1963 and we carried on so closely and happily in Ibadan and Ikenne. We both were not married but had happy times with our girl-friends.
As I was writing this, my mind went to Yeye Odua, our Mama HID Awolowo who would in a few months’ time turn 100. How great would it have been if Segun, Wole and Ayo were still with us to share in the joy and celebration of the centenary? Nevertheless, I send filial greetings to Mama and fraternal felicitations to Tola and Tokunbo. I also extend paternal salutation to Segun’s two children, Barrister Omotunde Segun Awolowo Jnr, his elder sister and their own children. E ku iranti, Ojo ti gbogbo yin a dale, lagbara Olorun. To my bosom friend in heaven, Segun Awolowo, who I still remember 52years after and can never forget, sweet is the memory of the righteous. Ipade di ojo ajinde, lese Jesu. O digba.
•Dr Olasope is a veteran broadcast journalist.
This piece was published by Nigerian Tribune on August 12, 2015. Many things have happened between then and now including the demise of mama Chief HID Awolowo.