By Tunji Eniola
There was a popular nursery rhyme:
Old Roger is dead and gone to his grave,
Hun Ha gone to his grave….
Dateline Wednesday, 26th April 2023 at about 0530 hours, a big star fell from the skies of Bodija in the town with rusty roofs called Ibadan and within two hours of the incident, I got my signals in the Centre of the Nation, Abuja in Nigeria.
A Professor Emeritus of History, academic guru and charismatic community fellow, Obaro Ikime joined his ancestors. Born 30th December 1936 one year after my late mother, Marian Ayodele Kassim was born. I grew up within the University of Ibadan community to call the Prof, Daddy. Thus, the Professor died at 86 for he would have been 87 on December 30 the day my mother was laid to rest in Ibadan in 1971.
Obaro, in Isoko language of Nigeria, mean ‘Progress or Forward’ and it is common with males. The spirit behind his name prompted the man to beget his PhD Degree at 29 and at 37 had become a Professor but was forced to retire at 54 in 1990.
Daddy Obaro was head boy at his secondary school, Federal College, Ugheli. He was Hall Warden of Kuti Hall, hailed so much by Kutites (Students of many years resident in that hall). Incidentally when I got married in June 1991 we moved into Kuti Flats as my wife was a Medical Doctor at Jaja Clinic as Dr. Kassim before we changed names.
Daddy Obaro was irrepressible as an academic worm and a Sports chap. He played football, Cricket and was the Badminton Champion of UI from his undergraduate days at the Premier University.
Obaro Odeghe retires from Fidelity Bank
I connected him through his brother in law, junior to his wife, late Charles Esinjimi Arubi who we dusted the landscape of UI community as boys in the 70s. So I scratched my brain and records as a Journalist. He was so involved in Unionism and Community development that he was a star of the Delta Students. It was there that his charming boyish grins caught my aunt, Hannah Oritsegbubemi Arubi-Etchie, a Princess of Warri. He married Aunty at 20 when he was 26.
Chai, Aunty Hannah! She called Charles Hapi explaining to me that Charles was a ruby boy she took up while being a child. She is beautiful, tall, and tough and in latest terms an unrepentant disciplinarian. Though we didn’t know Christ while the Obaro Ikime family dwelt at Imo Street in UI we used to pray that she would not come to meet us in their home. It was like God always neglected our prayers then because the rascal, rough and hard playing bunch who we are (there were girls in our group o) always fall into the hands of Aunty Hannah. We would stand like motherless children before her as she gives us her tongue. Daddy Obaro will hide his winks to us and when Aunty goes into the kitchen, he would give us high five. To him, boys should not be dull all he wanted was for us to accept Jesus Christ as Lord. That was information overload (a communication terminology meaning rendition of information to a receiver that could not be downloaded and understood for various reasons). With all the yabis Aunty will still give us food o.
What I just revealed was never out of Aunty’s heart. In January 2008, she was connected to my wife then a Consultant with the National Hospital for medical attention by Charles who later died in June. Typical Aunty was so impressed that her little ruddy boy Yomi (that is me o) was now an ordained Priest and General Overseer. Honestly, if commendations were Visas to Heaven I would perhaps have soundly secured a duplex on the streets made of Gold. But that Warri woman immediately shredded me like condemned sheets of paper before my wife. “Yomi, (refusing to acknowledge change to Eniola, if I were closer to INEC I would have gone to court), you didn’t do well at all. You didn’t care for the soul of Hapi (Charles), you didn’t care for his spiritual development? Who ordained you?”
I was quick to say with my heads bowed, Bishop Francis Olubowale Oke, Papa. “Ha you see your life, and you are married to a woman of God, yet you didn’t bother about your partner in crime of your youthful days.
You didn’t do well’ the Evangelist said looking straight into my eyes. Charles looked like a stranded passenger at a Train Station. Aunty never gave me room to explain that Charles was doing well in the Lord at the Living Faith Church in Durumi.
Something unique happened that they didn’t know was responsible for Charles’ death.
I had shared my 100 days fast with him because I couldn’t have a child for seven years and many things changed my Life when I attended the School of Deliverance and Healing of now late Rev Dr. Gomba Oyor at Ibadan.
Charles who was living at Suleija wanted forty days fast which he told me about but on the 40th day being very weak broke his fast with Pounded Yam instead of something light that I taught him.
He was excited that he could go more than seven days fast. He was grateful but didn’t take my warning on food consumption. He fell after the meal and bled into his brain. He gave up and I made a mistake of taking my first son, Toluwanimi to the mortuary of National Hospital to see him. They were very close. The boy was not satisfied with the condition of Uncle Charles and insisted he would pass the night with his friend. Thank God for the efforts of the Mortuary attendants who knew my wife. It was a difficult moment for me. Mehn, I had to pray seriously for my son breaking the soul tie. I refuse to let him follow me to Warri for the burial.
The most difficult moment in my Ministry was conducting the burial of my bosom friend. We were three Ministers. Prof Ikime his in-law, me and another priest. Prof who stood so close to me, would say under his breathe that a minster must not weep. “Be strong Yomi”. My Aunty was scattered for her boy she usually called her first born was gone. That was 2008 some 15 years ago.
Daddy Obaro was so much involved in the activities of the famous Chapel of Resurrection, UI. He attended the Immanuel College of Theology 1992-1995. He was ordained a Priest of the Anglican Communion in Ibadan in the year I can’t recollect but retired at 70 years as a Priest. He officiated at Charles burial in Warri in 2008 dressed as a Priest.
There was an incident that disconnected his destiny as a lecturer in 1990 and again I knew about it. I was then Oyo State Editor of The Republic Newspapers. Prof was Chairman of the Chapel Committee who read the communiqué on an impending religious war in the famous Cross versus Crescent crises at UI. The Sculpture of the Risen Christ at the Chapel was burnt. I was involved as a reporter. Prof was in IBB’s military detention for 96 days. The IBB junta was not ready for anything anti-Islamic. Prof was not allowed a change of dress for 96 days.
On the day of his release we Correspondents’ had gathered at Concord Office and Daily Times Office at Oke Padre when now Rev. Lanre Ogundipe informed us he has been released and we need to go fish him out fast. My colleagues knew that I knew UI like the back of my palm so I was put in the lead car of our convoy. Instead of the Journalist thing in us hitting him with barrel questions in the Interview format, we were sympathetic after he gave me a hug, “Oh Yomi my boy, I survived”. So touching! Journalists took sides. Terrible words were released for IBB. We made sure not one of the SSS now DSS agents in UI joined us. We knew them and pursued them like dogs. I remember Bolaji Kareem of Vanguard; Yomi Obadimeji an Abadina boy like me led the Concord crew of Aliyu Mohammed and Gboyega Kolawole; Ogundipe was of the Champion; Tajudeen Kareem was Guardian; Baba Asiri abo was Observer, Seinde Dagunduro our Chapel Chairman was of a Northern Newspaper.: Baba Cantonment was of Satellite Newspapers; The Reporter Newspaper of Yar Adua was represented; now Venerable Taiwo was of the Sketch; Bearded Segun was of the Tribune. Punch was there. There were others I can’t remember who quickly joined us because Prof was a credible source of News. Next day, Ibadan took Front Pages of Newspapers.
The Cross versus Crescent trouble was much. It didn’t affect the boys because even the generation after us played football at where we call THE WOODS in front of the Chapel which is now a car park. I played football there from 1963 a skinny goalkeeper. There was no difference in whether you are a Christian or Muslim among the players even when the crises was on but it was war among the real academic community.
So the IBB government felt Prof Ikime was a danger to the unity of the community and ordered the highest body of the University to retire him at 54 not at 65 that was for Professors then.
The academic guru and father of the Historic Society of Nigeria did not leave the job or research work. At 83, I knew he was working on a deep research of the Isoko People where he hails from. His ailment that disturbed proper walking for 10 years due to age demand; did not disturb his ministrations as a Priest.
And so Daddy Obaro may be going home but his many students across the world have fond memories of him. He is one that I feel heaven should have spared like Enoch. Am I man enough to tell his heartthrob, Aunty Hannah Oritsegbubemi nee Arubi-Etchie to take heart? We used to make jest of her behind her and sing the song of old, “love wantintin, love wantintin, opeke ma ko mi sile, Love wantintin” (It simply goes like this Love birds for love wantintin, opeke means sisi, ma ko mi sile means don’t leave). Every time it was hugs and kisses faa.
Goodnight great Historian, academic guru and Priest of the Most High God. Goodnight Prof. Obaro Ikime 1936 – 2023.
Pix 1: Prof. Ikime
Pix 2: Rev. Olatunji.
Rev. Eniola Olatunji (Formerly Yomi Kassim)
Snr. Pastor Divine Vessels Assembly,
CEO, Patmos Media Line.
29th April 2023.
