Exit of a Field Marshall (2nd Aare ona Kakanfo of Owu Kingdom)
This is my Tribute to my older brother, Adegboyega, Bolusanmi, Tanimola Akin-Olugbade, the second Aare ona Kakanfo of Owu Kingdom, after our illustrious Dad, Hon. Chief Ohu Babatunde Akin-Olugbade, Balogun and Aare Ona Kakanfo of Owu, Jagunmolu of Itoku, Lisa of Iwo and Ekerin of Egbaland, the Great Statesman.
Bolusanmi (as his name denotes) was a covenant child of impeccable pedigree and aristocratic lineage. He was brilliant (academically and professionally), resourceful (a successful businessman), outspoken and stubborn, debonair, flamboyant, yet humble and compassionate. He was one of the very few people that I know who was extremely comfortable and content with who he was and was unapologetic about his lifestyle: a rare species of our human race.
Brother Bolu and I had the same mother and father, but to many we were as different as “chalk and cheese”. An elderly gentleman and former President of The Metropolitan Club once described us as follows: “One is an American trained lawyer who behaves like an English Gentleman with a stiff upper lip, and the other is an English trained lawyer, who is more boisterous and energetic like an American”. This elder statesman was referring to our comportment based on our doctorate degrees from Harvard Law School and Cambridge University, respectively.
Brother Bolu was highly competitive and to some this was perceived to be sibling rivalry. Those closest to both of us (as attested by the over one thousand condolence messages and phone calls I have received since he passed) knew however that despite the outward “competitiveness”, we deeply loved each other and had each other’s back. The greatest mistake anyone could make was to criticize my brother to me, especially his flamboyant lifestyle; although to needle him, I would do so to his face occasionally and he also never let me forget my place by always introducing me or telling everyone that I was his Junior Brother, with emphasis on “Junior”.
Our wives are kindred spirits, and I would often sit back and enjoy Brother Bolu bantering with and teasing my wife, Marie-Laure at our family gatherings. To him, I was a “money vault”, his euphemism for his perception that I was frugal. On my part, I could not always keep up with his joie de vivre (love of life)! It is one of my consolations that Marie-Laure and I hosted him for Christmas lunch on December 25, 2020 and he spent more than 7 hours with us, bantering and chatting in his inimitable style.
Brother Bolu was extremely kind and generous, in terms of his love and affection for my wife and our children, but also to my wife’s family. We had to gently dissuade my father-in-law (who is 82 years old) and my mother-in-law (77 years old) from coming from Yaounde, Cameroon to Nigeria for his funeral, owing to the risks to them of travelling, especially during this period. My In-Laws have, however, insisted that I mention that they, as a family, were devastated by his sudden and unexpected passing and would sorely miss him.
Brother Bolu, like all the Akin-Olugbades, was a family man and could do anything for his immediate family. He was also highly involved and participated actively (physically, financially and emotionally) in extended family events and gatherings. We grew up as a large family at 2 Aggrey Avenue, Yaba, with siblings, relatives, wards and house helps. However, you could not tell the difference when you came to visit us as a child. Brother Bolu maintained contact and had a special relationship with many of those who grew up with us at Aggrey, although he did not suffer fools gladly.
Many of you know and are familiar with his public persona and involvement in community matters, especially among the Owus. One of his most cherished accomplishments, apart from his lovely family, his doctorate (PhD) in law from Cambridge University and his fleet of Rolls Royce limousines, was the traditional title of Aare Ona Kakanfo (Field Marshall) of Owu Kingdom, or as he preferred to call himself “The Aare ona Kakanfo of the Universe”! It is only fitting that he exited this world fighting gallantly against the greatest plague of our lifetime, the COVID-19 global pandemic!
I would like to conclude this Tribute to my brother by sharing an anecdote. Our late father was known to be a strict disciplinarian and we had a regimental style upbringing. Even as late teenagers, we were subjected to curfews, and strict instructions were given to the night guards, led by an amiable Northern elderly man, Baba Hauwa, to lock anyone out if they arrived after midnight. Brother Bolu was a frequent culprit and Baba Hauwa would allow him to sneak in. Although Dad knew and overlooked the infraction, one evening, Dad decided that Brother Bolu would be taught a lesson. He ordered Baba Hauwa not to open the gate and instructed that Brother Bolu should be left to sleep outside the gate. Dad stood in the dark on the balcony of his bedroom watching, with the glow from his favourite Benson & Hedges cigarette, serving as a warning to any of the guards that might be tempted to have compassion for Brother Bolu. At about 2am, after 2 hours of painful suffering and discomfort from mosquito bites, Brother Bolu started to scream from the gate: “This is my father’s house, you go to your father’s house”. Amused by the sheer audacity and ingenuity of his “cri du couer” (passionate cry), Dad ordered the night guards to open the gate and allow Brother Bolu in! They are now both residing together in our Heavenly Father’s House.
Brother Bolu, Your Junior Brother misses you terribly. I know you have gone home to be with the Lord and to rejoin Mummy, Papami, Tomi, our other siblings, our Uncles, Aunties and relatives on the other side and you are all having another fellowship in Heaven.
We thank Almighty God for your relatively short but impactful life.
Rest in Peace, my dear senior brother. Till we meet again.
Adesegun (and on behalf of Marie-Laure, Loriade, Olamide & Oyinkansola).
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