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How the news broke...
In 1991, during the season of the harmattan wind in Maiduguri, a city in north-eastern part of Nigeria. The leaves were falling from the Neem trees along Bama Road. This road was home to the University of Maiduguri, University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital, and Federal Government College, Maiduguri (FGCM), all federal institutions situated on the same road. FGCM, located in the middle of the other institutions, was where I had grown into adulthood. During this time of year, the dry leaves and cold harmattan wind would often bring bouts of cold and catarrh. Unfortunately, I caught malaria along with a high fever that forced me to be hospitalized. To add to the stress, I was in the midst of writing my WAEC examinations, as a final year student.
One day, my guardian, the late Engr. Ayodeji Okonrende, came to visit with his wife and informed me that we would be traveling to Kaduna together after my examinations. This was a departure from my usual mode of travel during my six years at the college, where I typically either flew or snuck on a train. Traveling by road was unfamiliar territory for me. I felt a mixture of emotions at the news. Engr. Okonrende was my father's colleague at NNPC, and I deeply respected him. Sadly, he passed away in 1995 due to an asthma attack.
Despite the challenges, I mustered the strength to complete my examinations, putting my trust in God that things would turn out fine. However, my high temperature persisted. Amidst the joy of finishing my secondary education and the anticipation of reuniting with my family, Mr. Ayo delivered partial news that later revealed my father, Engr. Adeniyi Awoyemi, had been involved in an accident and was currently recovering in a hospital in Kaduna. Although saddened by the news, I thanked God that my father was alive and making progress in his recovery. I immediately rushed to purchase get-well cards and other items for my first mentor, my number one teacher - my father. It was him who instilled in me a love for mathematics, and I hoped to share with him all that I had experienced during my time in school.
I had noticed a certain fondness from some of my tutors towards me. They had been kind and insisted that I send them a message when I arrived home safely. My friend, Oluwayinka Awoyemi, who shared my surname, requested to travel with me along with my guardian. We took a smooth ride on Engr. Okonrende's Santana, a German-made Volkswagen from Maiduguri to Kaduna. We arrived at Kaduna in the evening and I dozed off during the trip, only to be jolted awake by a voice that told me that my beloved father had passed away.
As I brushed off the strange message from my half-asleep state, I prayed to Allah, hoping that my father was still alive because he was such a huge influence in my life. I asked Engr. Okonrende to take us straight to the hospital, but he said he didn't know where it was. I felt confused and frustrated with his response, wondering why he hadn't asked for the details earlier. Instead, he took us to Barnawa Complex where Engr. Agboola's wife owned a tailoring shop. I had many questions, but my guardian seemed to evade them and ignored my suggestions.
As we drove through NNPC Housing Estate, which was our home, I noticed that there were a lot of people present, both familiar and unfamiliar faces. My siblings didn't greet me with their usual enthusiasm, which made me feel uneasy. I searched every room for my father but was soon interrupted by relatives who begged me to sit in the living room. It was then that my uncle, Mr. Solomon Ojoawo, broke the devastating news that my father had been killed in a fatal car accident along Minna-Makera road on September 13th, 1991, along with his uncle and cousin.
I was in disbelief, shocked, and heartbroken. I cried uncontrollably and prayed for God to bring him back even though I had received this news on October 10th, 1991, about a month after his death. The answers to my many questions were now clear to me. The news had been kept from me, and I had been left in the dark for too long.
The loss of my father, mentor, and number one left me in distress, and I still feel the pain to this day. I pray that Allah grants him peace in Aljanah. Farewell to my late father, Engr. Adeniyi Awoyemi.
© All Rights Reserved
One day, my guardian, the late Engr. Ayodeji Okonrende, came to visit with his wife and informed me that we would be traveling to Kaduna together after my examinations. This was a departure from my usual mode of travel during my six years at the college, where I typically either flew or snuck on a train. Traveling by road was unfamiliar territory for me. I felt a mixture of emotions at the news. Engr. Okonrende was my father's colleague at NNPC, and I deeply respected him. Sadly, he passed away in 1995 due to an asthma attack.
Despite the challenges, I mustered the strength to complete my examinations, putting my trust in God that things would turn out fine. However, my high temperature persisted. Amidst the joy of finishing my secondary education and the anticipation of reuniting with my family, Mr. Ayo delivered partial news that later revealed my father, Engr. Adeniyi Awoyemi, had been involved in an accident and was currently recovering in a hospital in Kaduna. Although saddened by the news, I thanked God that my father was alive and making progress in his recovery. I immediately rushed to purchase get-well cards and other items for my first mentor, my number one teacher - my father. It was him who instilled in me a love for mathematics, and I hoped to share with him all that I had experienced during my time in school.
I had noticed a certain fondness from some of my tutors towards me. They had been kind and insisted that I send them a message when I arrived home safely. My friend, Oluwayinka Awoyemi, who shared my surname, requested to travel with me along with my guardian. We took a smooth ride on Engr. Okonrende's Santana, a German-made Volkswagen from Maiduguri to Kaduna. We arrived at Kaduna in the evening and I dozed off during the trip, only to be jolted awake by a voice that told me that my beloved father had passed away.
As I brushed off the strange message from my half-asleep state, I prayed to Allah, hoping that my father was still alive because he was such a huge influence in my life. I asked Engr. Okonrende to take us straight to the hospital, but he said he didn't know where it was. I felt confused and frustrated with his response, wondering why he hadn't asked for the details earlier. Instead, he took us to Barnawa Complex where Engr. Agboola's wife owned a tailoring shop. I had many questions, but my guardian seemed to evade them and ignored my suggestions.
As we drove through NNPC Housing Estate, which was our home, I noticed that there were a lot of people present, both familiar and unfamiliar faces. My siblings didn't greet me with their usual enthusiasm, which made me feel uneasy. I searched every room for my father but was soon interrupted by relatives who begged me to sit in the living room. It was then that my uncle, Mr. Solomon Ojoawo, broke the devastating news that my father had been killed in a fatal car accident along Minna-Makera road on September 13th, 1991, along with his uncle and cousin.
I was in disbelief, shocked, and heartbroken. I cried uncontrollably and prayed for God to bring him back even though I had received this news on October 10th, 1991, about a month after his death. The answers to my many questions were now clear to me. The news had been kept from me, and I had been left in the dark for too long.
The loss of my father, mentor, and number one left me in distress, and I still feel the pain to this day. I pray that Allah grants him peace in Aljanah. Farewell to my late father, Engr. Adeniyi Awoyemi.
© All Rights Reserved
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