By Chief Bisi Akande
I knew and used to call him “Egbon Adebayo Onisiga” over 50 years ago . I was then the Divisional Accountant at the Ibadan Office of British Petroleum. We usually met at some ‘buka’ food joints as acquaintances. He was warm, friendly and sociable.
We became passionately close when I came back to Ibadan as Secretary to Oyo State Government in 1979. Our Unity Party of Nigeria (UPN) government needed sites to build additional six hundred and twenty-one (621) secondary schools all over the then Oyo State, with about eighty (80) sites to be acquired in Ibadan city alone. In the process of acquiring lands for those new schools, we had to step on many toes and Alhaji Adebayo Adetunji’s toes were among of those to be painfully stepped upon. Even while he was feeling the pains and protesting against our bombardments on his pieces of lands, he frequently visited me to express admiration for my approaches and attitudes about the processes our administration had adopted. That was how I saw in him a deep passion and absolute sincerity for the development of his society, a sterling quality in him which has made us to become closer as friendly Egbon and Aburo ever since.
As he grew into old age, he turned part of his residence to and became the patron of Bashorun Club – a debating platform for the cerebral youths and the professionals that cared to relax with mental exercises in Ibadan. The Club once honoured me with a reception for my mere humble services as governor of Osun State about which its leadership felt impressed. I am proud to have had the privilege of presiding over Alhaji Adetunji’s birthdays at 70 and at 85 both at which his patriotism was proclaimed and acknowledged. In his passing, I have lost a big brother, a friend and an admired compatriot. Also, the Ibadan and indeed Nigeria has lost a business giant, a youth mobiliser, a philanthropist, a patriot, and devout Muslim.
May His Soul Rest In Peace.
Bisi Akande;
Former Deputy Governor of Oyo State;
Former Governor of Osun State.
