MINDSCOPE

Tuesday, 17 February 2026

Omoboye

ODUNLAMI OMOBOYE (1963-2026)

A Diligent Professional, An Inimitable Family Man and a Devout Man of God

By, Seye Adetunmbi

The God almighty who created man in His own image has a way of blessing every family with outstanding children in the different walks of life. Every child is unique in their own way with the innate abilities to standout in one way or the other through their natural distinctive dispositions. Odunlami Thoney Omoboye was one person of the people in this category due to his integrated godly ways and accomplishments in his 62 years in the land of the living. He was born to the family of Elijah Dada Omoboye in Ejemu compound of Ilero Quarter, Ifaki. His octogenarian mother is Mrs Aina Agnes Omoboye, a native of Ifaki-Ekiti. Odunlami had his primary education at St Michael's Anglican Primary School, Ifaki-Ekiti in the late 1960s to early 1970s and attended Ifaki Grammar School where he belonged to the 1975 to 1980 set. He opted for the medical line to further his education and obtained Registered Nursing Certificate from the Seventh Day School of Nursing, Ile-Ife in Osun-State of Nigeria in 1985. He relocated to the United States of America in 1996 where he earned degree in the Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) from the Lehman College, Bronx, New York and went further to obtain Master of Science (M.Sc.) in Clinical Informatics from the New York University (NYU) in 2006. He "cut his teeth" in the nursing profession at the Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospital Complex, Ile-Ife where he began his clinical career. As a focused and diligent practitioner, not too long after his relocation, he passed the qualifying exams to become a Registered Nurse in the New York.

He secured employment with the New York City Department of Health where serving the public proficiently and dedicatedly. He worked at HHC Harlem Hospital, New York and HHC Lincoln Hospital in Bronx. His kindness by nature manifested significantly while providing bedside care at Bronx Care Hospital. He also made his mark in Clinical Informatics as a passionate medical practitioner.

He got married to his heart throb, Dr Mrs Cecilia Omoboye in 1996 and God bless the matrimony with well brought up children in the Christian way - Bunmi, Opeyemi, Foluke and Wole

He was a dotting husband and father

Odunlami and my father, Chief D. O. Adetunmbi were first cousins. His father, Pa Elijah Omoboye a.k.a. Baba Ilorin was the only sibling of my paternal grandmother, Adetunmbi Omoboye. His paternal grandmother, Iya-elepa Maria Omoboye was my father's maternal grandmother. His father and my father were practically brought up as older and younger brothers by my paternal great-grandmother.

Odun and I grew up as brothers. Three plots separated our parents' houses at Ilero quarter in Ifaki-Ekiti. My parents and older siblings lived in their house for a while before I was born. After my father's house was completed in the early 1960s, we called our house "ule titun". He was like my immediate younger brother in the family lineage of the maternal side of my father. A number of times I went to his father's farm in Agbara, close to Esure-Ekiti in company with Baba Ilorin, Odun, his brothers and sisters. We all took bath in the Agbara stream after the day's work on the farm.

We the children played toronto together in every available space in their compound and our neighbourhood generally. We also shared in the food of my father's uncle, Baba Ilorin each time I played late into the dinner time in their compound. Baba would give every child around him while eating one okele from the plates of food brought by his wives. I looked forward to such opportunity in my childhood days. As a matter of fact, I would deliberately hang around with my cousins who were mostly under the age of 10 then - Bode, Alake, Femi, Iyalola, Odun, Ade, Funke and Oke; roaming around Baba so that we can collect our own okele.

During my visit to New York City in 2013

We attended the same primary school (CMS) and secondary school (IGS) together. The first time I was in the New York I stayed with him. He was a worthy brother indeed. Out of generosity, he was there for family members and anyone who needed his help.
He was a brilliant practitioner in the health sector. Odun left his mark as a progressive intellectual who stood by what is just and the best for the society and Nigeria in particular. He was active as a member of Ekitipanupo Indigenous Intellectual Roundtable and in the debates of Atokeibeirosi forum. The flag was flown half mast on the Atokeibeirosi platform after I broke the sad news of his transition.
No doubt, family members and everyone who associated with him will miss him. It is only God who can console his aged mother.
God giveth, He taketh.
Life indeed is short and for a while.
His time came, and he went home.
It is a reminder to all of us still here that we are all just passing through the surface of the earth.
All we can ask from God is "ki ojo jinna si ra"
Fare thee well, Odunlami, abu mi luka.

Omo eku, omo elu,
Elu ilugbo odo
O gb'agba yun ori Ekiti ya lu

Omo Ewi, omo Akin,
Omo Bobo, omo Efinrin,
Omo Aaye inisin
Oteniwejo,
Ejo tin inyun un tin.

Omo Alagbara
Agbara ila wo rere
Agbara awe gb'okun gbe
Agbara kan we'ri we'ra,
Kan gb'odira okun gbe si
O sun kun iyan ikasin l'ori Ekiti

Omo Ejemu
Ori mi, o ki'arian l'ori
O l'eguru, O l'okuta
O p'ana jare
O ta ana re l'ofa l'orun.
Usu gbo, ale le

O su s'ugbo, o lakaka le
O k'omo usu wa gbo, o d'eyiyi wa be

Omo olona oja kan ti i t'ebo,
O mu 'yan ikasin s'abe eu je
I se l'oju ti data l'ugbi ki mo ti d'Esure.
Aba re li l'ale la t'agbara ko mu d'eti Isurin

Kare o Odun
Mo sayiyun re o
Ka to r'erin o d'igbo;
K'a to r'efon, o d'odan....
O d'oju ala, oni mi ayiye

It is tough to say goodbye, yet we surrender all to God!
Sleep well, my beloved brother, Odunlami.

Tuesday, 23 September 2025

Celebrating Oluwafemi Orebe at 80

THE OCTOGENARIAN CITIZEN JOURNALIST: FEMI OREBE
By, , 24/9/2025

It is a thing of joy to live long in good health and happiness with a peace of mind. To be consistently intellectually savvy in old age, is a rare gift and the icing of the cake. This is why I am particularly excited for Dr (honoris causa) Femi Orebe for "breasting" the tape of the race to the 80th natal anniversary, in his lifetime journey, on 24/9/25 to the glory of God and for the benefit of the journalistic world. To specifically celebrate him for gracefully making it to the 8th floor, let me share the preface of his book scheduled for public presentation in October 2025.
I quote verbatim:

It is considered a privilege to be associated with the publishing of this unique book written by one of the reputable, erudite, and very prolific writers in the history of . is an outstanding, talented, and consistent newspaper columnist with a large followership of devoted readers. Expectedly, his complete published weekly article between 2006 and 2024 is quite huge. It was a real editorial challenge going through over 1,282,200 words to come up with a consolidated 2,285-page in A4 size and extract this maiden edition of 300,000+ words book of 7x10 inches size. This is about a pool of materials that are worthy of being published in a book for posterity. His complete work would fit into three separate books of 800 pages each in A4 sizes.

His articles over the years of course covered a wide range of subjects. Consequently, the contents of this book were structured into sections and subsections to bring topics that bear relevance to the title of each section under the same category, and in order of the dates they were published in the newspaper. Some of the sections have more than enough materials for them to be published as a book independently which may still manifest in future as the author continues to share his perspectives on contemporary issues as a going concern. Being a corpus of his weekly published articles in his column in the newspaper, they have to be clinically and strategically packaged in a sequence towards making it more interesting to read for everyone who gets a copy to explore. There were times that he addressed two or more different headings in an article. We took out some and placed them in the section or subsection they belong to while the majority of the essays were published in this book, verbatim. In all, there are five sections in this book.

The first section is about his reminiscences on how his journey started as a as well as early working life after graduating from the university and related stories. Section two covers some of his articles classified to be political, which was divided into six categories as subsections. Section three underscores his versatility as an inexhaustible writer; it is a compilation of integrated cogitative articles on contemporary issues of communal and national concern. Majority of his published articles fell in this category and they were arranged in subsections in order of dates too. At various times he paid tributes to individuals and institutions which constitute the fourth section of this book. He also had cause to review some books in his column. These reviews constitute the fifth section.

A book to cherish, available on Amazon ahead of the public presentation

Albeit, the book tells the story of the author, revealing him aggregately as an administrator, technocrat, business manager, politician, business owner, public relations guru, prolific writer, and in fact as a consummate public intellectual. This was done with some vintage pictures to plan the pages, also to further give the compendium a distinct character and complement some of the contents in the book which all together should make the exemplar-literature refreshing to read. It was indeed a remarkable task working with the author by making sure that every department of his complete published work as a columnist featured in this maiden book of the distinguished citizen journalist. The humility of Dr Femi Orebe is exemplary.

The 74% (6As and 1B+) he scored in his final result at the (now ), more than qualify him for a First-Class degree, which would have been the first ever to be awarded in the history of his department at the great university. His brilliance shined in all his writings and published essays over the years. Yet, he will tell you that he is not a trained journalist. This among other reasons informed his choice of the title for this splendid literary work; “Simply a Citizen Journalist”.

On behalf of , Dr. Orebe is appreciated for giving Mindscope Africa the opportunity to associate with this terrific legendary work. It is a must-have book in the library of all ranks of schools, colleges, universities, and individuals who want an irresistible reference-trusted-material on integrated contemporary issues (politics, economy, government, history, dramatis personae in the scheme of things etc) in and around the world in the 20th and 21st century.

Unquote

The inimitable Odidimade, Chief is the Lead Presenter of the book to the public when the it is formally unveiled on October 25, 2025 in . Meanwhile, the book is available on Amazon through this link Simply a Citizen Journalist

What else can I say to oga Orebe as he becomes an today, September 24, 2025 than to pray for ajinde ara and that may God grant him the grace to see things of joy in his household for the rest of his life in Jesus Christ's name, amen.

Happy 80th birthday to you, sir 🎂 🥳 🎉 🎈 🎁 🎊

CELEBRATES ACE COLUMNIST FEMI OREBE AT 80

congratulates and celebrated columnist, Dr Femi Orebe, on his 80th birthday on September 24.

Over the last three decades, Dr Orebe has written extensively on Nigerian and international politics and issues.

acknowledges Orebe's incisive articles and regular interventions in public affairs, which have impacted many and helped to shape public policies.

Describing him as an ally and brother, the President also highlights Orebe's contributions to the knowledge world through his book "," which is due for public presentation soon.

"I have followed Dr Orebe's columns and informed commentaries over the years, first in the defunct and later in .

"Dr Orebe lives his appellation as a Citizen Journalist. His pen is transformative. He writes to correct the ills of society and proffers ideas to engender the necessary changes. His struggles and advocacy for democracy and good governance in the land are also noteworthy," the President remarks.

As Dr Orebe joins the Octogenarian Club, President Tinubu wishes him more strength and continued grace of God.

Bayo Onanuga

Special Adviser to the President

(Information & Strategy)

September 24, 2025

wrote:

TRIBUTE TO DR FEMI OREBE AT 80

Femi and l have been good friends for over six decades dating back to our time at the famous fondly referred to as THE SCHOOL. We belonged to the . Femi actually joined our Set in year 2 in 1960. l guess he must have done brilliantly in his Primary School to be so recommended. He soon became a popular member of our set and that holds true till today.He was a lovable rascal and got away with a lot of his antics largely because some of our seniors especially those in liked him and that included my senior brother Tunji Adu. His name if l can recall correctly never appeared in the imposition book and the dreaded Detention Book, unlike some of us. 😁

Femi's sense of humour is legendary. He used to bend us over with laughter doing the impression of some of our teachers.😁His best party piece was the impression of one Yoruba teacher from who used to mix mainstream Yoruba language with . To say it was hilarious would be an understatement!Femi usually left us in stitches with his impressions😁.

At the end of year 3, it was the norm at the School for those science oriented to be separated from those humanities subjects inclined. Femi was in the humanities section. He soon shone brightly and was one of the 3 who cropped 5As in that section at . Soon after WAEC, he secured a job at a commercial bank in Lagos for a year or two. As a dashing bank employee, always immaculately turned out, he became constant in the social life of Lagos. l leave the rest to your imagination.😁He gained admission to the then now to major in History under the tutelage of the world renowned historian, , the current Yoruba leader. He graduated with a 2/1 missing the first class by a whisker. Even though he missed out on a first class, he won the faculty award for the best performing Student that year.

After graduation, he embarked on his chosen career of university administration starting of from University of lbadan, then University of lfe and finally as Deputy Registrar at the . His stellar career in iniversity administration was propelled by formidable professors such as , , VC Unife and , VC Unilorin to mention just a few.

While he pursued his university administration career, he wrote copoiusly for some Nigeria print media such as the defunct Comet, and the Nation. His full excursion and deep dive to full-time journalism took him to the Nation Newspaper where he has been a steady and compelling Sunday columnist for over 10 years. Femi's articles bear the hallmarks of who he is, a man of unshakable integrity, honesty, single mindedness with an unrestrained philosophical principles and ideology, a progressive to the core with a compassionate social conscience and moral compass.

Dr Abiodun Adu

His book, Simply a Citizen Journalist that would be formally launched in October 2025 to mark the 80th birthday knees-up encapsulates the essence of him. He does not suffer fools gladly and does not mind whose ox is gored with his incisive articles. What you see is what you get with Femi, no airs and graces. I am proud to say my friend today sits at the top table of Nigeria’s formidable columnists.

He remains a trustworthy and dependable friend. Double and warm congratulations on joining the octogenarian select Club and launching your much awaited book.

We give all the praise to God for all he has blessed you with. With God as your strength, we will celebrate you at 90, 100 and beyond. I wish you God's richest blessings now and in the future in robust health. My warm regards to Olori Tinu, your beautiful daughters, Kemi and Yetunde and dashing Femi Jr, and the grandchildren. Knowing you, you don't need any encouragement to enjoy yourself to the fullest tonight. Okun o 🩷

Sunday, 24 August 2025

Ladipo Ladapo Eso

DISTINGUISHED NONAGENARIAN: The Venerable Archdeacon Ladipo Ladapo Eso

Celebrating at 90

, 25/8/2025

It is a thing of joy that Baba Eso marked 90th birthday gracefully and in good health on August 25, 2025 to the glory of God. Exactly 10 years ago, we gathered at , , for a thanksgiving service marking 80th birthday anniversary of the venerable Archdeacon. Thereafter, his biography which I wrote was formally presented to the public at the reception for guests. To celebrate the nonagenarian on the anniversary of his 90th birthday, I have pulled out my write-up 10 years ago, marking his 80th birthday which was published in and embellish it with many remarkable pictures that further tell the story of a distinguished man of God and a statesman. This pictorial tribute is the least I can do to celebrate my beloved father in the Lord, a mentor, and an exemplar who had inspired me a great deal on so many fronts.

Quote

Considering the background, adventurous lifestyle in his youth, professional disposition as a chartered Estate Surveyor, and his career as an ordained priest of the Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion) as well as his tireless ongoing inclination to honourable ways in retirement; it would be most complementary to have such a remarkable lifetime journey documented in a book for posterity. Thus, when Venerable L. L. Eso first called my attention to his desire for me to put his biography together it was a welcome call to duty for me, with all humility.

I have worked on the biography of my very venerable father of blessed memory and a number of other historical books, yet writing the biography of a living mentor figure came with its challenges. Writing about him went beyond chronicling his early days in Ilesha up to his career as a chartered Estate Surveyor of repute and as a remarkable priest. The biography put into proper perspective his selflessness as a public servant in the early days of , an appointment which took him to all the then states in Nigeria. He discharged his duties in the development of all established housing estates extending to all areas of land opened up by industrial property developers. His philosophy was that every qualified Nigerian must be able to own a dwelling place through the offer from the mortgage institutions. Throughout this period, he never acquired any property for himself until just before his retirement which by sheer providence he secured the place where he lives today. In fact his contemporaries couldn’t believe it that he never had a plot to himself before the time he built his plot in .

The distinct gift of the ability of Venerable Eso to recall events contributed to the depth of the book, his biography which I titled, "". His rich photograph collections made it possible for his biography to be distinctly pictorial with some vintage pictures that tell the story of Baba Eso as a multi-dimensional Nigerian with a remarkable lifestyle. The essence and authority of the book rest with when the narrative is placed in the wider cultural, economic and social context couple with analyzing other contemporary issues. Albeit, a good biography should relate good history and this is what I have tried to do with the book on Venerable L.L. Eso. Writing about Venerable Eso could not be complete without putting the rich historical background of his Ijesa root into proper perspective. Naturally the value of character that influenced and nurtured him in uprightness as well as fruitful independent-mind that runs in the is characteristic of Ijesa culture to a great extent.

Of course with the privilege of my serving as a member of the by virtue of my being a for many years and as an altar server in the Anglican Church of the Ascension, Opebi Lagos under his watch as the Vicar, I was able to put in perspective his sagacity as a church administrator and as a dedicated spirit filled man of God. As the spirit directed him while praying in English, he would buttress it with deep Yoruba prayerful words. I longed for his early morning call on my birthday anniversary as he did for all parishioners; to “su ire fun mi” (pray for me). This he kept doing after he has retired as my church priest and did it for my children and wife as well as many other co-parishioners that he has the records of their birthday anniversaries.

His amiable character notwithstanding, when it comes to spiritual and parish matters his discipline and firmness were not negotiable. Saying things the way they are, runs in the gene of an Eso and this is one of the things that stands Baba L. L. Eso out. The formal nature of delivering sermons in the Anglican Communion would not stop Baba Eso to call you to order before the congregation if you are caught dosing during service. As an altar sever, you have to be alert with him when on duty as the celebrant. His standing instruction for you as priests or altar servers and church workers is to be alert and never to lose sight of the flow of worship. The altar as a temple of God is held in high esteem by Venerable Eso, the no-nonsense quintessential priest.

Those who knew him when he worked for the attested to the fact that his position ordinarily was strategic to attract all kinds of unsolicited money from Nigerians who came for mortgage finance. After he politely turned down the bribe of a highly placed Nigerian, those with such tendency got the message and let him be to sustain his enduring self discipline and innate lasting virtues. To the glory of God he finished well as an upright public servant in a tempting and corrupt public service setting. This singular path of dignity points to one fact that individuals can always make the difference in most circumstances they find themselves. These virtues were strictly maintained when he was invited by the then (later ) to establish a bank property company to cater for development of bank buildings all over the country. The venerable man of God is ever ready to serve and always accessible to all God’s children who need him for one thing or the other. The summation of his disposition as a professional in the secular world; in active service as a priest and in retirement culminates into a lifetime in the service to mankind. This essentially informed my choice of the title for his biography, “Bi eni ti nse iranse” (Like He That Serveth).

Venerable Eso was born to the famous in , on August 25, 1935. The younger brother of the the legal luminary of blessed memory, attended and one of the early students of Nigeria College of Arts & Science, Enugu, which subsequently transformed to , where he studied . He later attended and qualified as a Chartered Estate Surveyor from the , . He co-founded the Nigerian Chapter Royal Institution of Estate Surveyors and Nigerian Institution of Estate of Estate Surveyors and Valuers in which he served as the 8th Chairman of the professional body. The highpoint of his working career was when he became an ordained priest in the Church of Nigeria Anglican Communion in 1995. Prior to this, he served as a Licensed Lay Reader and rose through the ranks to retire as an Archdeacon in 2005.

His ability to recall Ijesa and family histories is legendary and commendable. The facts gathering and manuscript review sessions with Baba Eso in his Ikeja GRA residence remain indelible in my mind. Baba Eso is remarkably thorough; he ensured that I got the facts in the book right. The healthy living of the Venerable L. L. Eso is remarkable coupled with a robust diet that he adhered to over the years. I must also state that Venerable Eso told the story of his life and events around him, all I did was to structure and package the biography such that we can put in proper outlook the lifetime pursuit of excellence to the best of the towering abilities of the exemplary priest. The historical book expectedly has inspirational and spiritual touch. Therefore it should make a delightful reading to those who are inspired by reading biographies and people who are inclined to learning from the experiences of others who have done well for themselves and mankind in their lifetime activities. The Right Reverend (Prof) wrote the foreword of the biography. The book was reviewed by Prof ; Chief unveiled the book at the launching ceremony, while Chief led the formal presentation of the book to the public....

Unquote

What else can I say than to appreciate God for granting Baba Eso a long healthy life and ask God to continue to uphold him in his old age. Ajinde ora a je l'ase Edumare. Family members, friends and all ranks of other associates surrounded him on 25/8/25 to give thanks to God on the anniversary of his 90th birthday. It was a glorious thanksgiving service at the Anglican Church of the Ascension, followed by a grand reception. It was a well deserved memorable occassion to celebrate an exemplar. I wish the distinguished family man and quintessential priest, a happy 90th natal day.

Wednesday, 20 August 2025

Intellectual Roundtable

The Deep Calls Unto the Deep

Prologue to the

Mind is a powerful part of the human being, the creature of God. As defined in the dictionary, mind is "the element of a person that enables them to be aware of the world and their experiences, to think, and to feel.” It is indeed the faculty of consciousness and thought. Mind is so powerful that its capacity to explore could be limitless. Essentially, every rational mortal has a mind with a productive wandering scope beyond imagination. What is of essence is how individual and collective minds have been applied in the situations around them for the good of their constituencies, communities and the larger society. The resourcefulness of a productively engaged fruitful-mind can manifest in various forms that could be imagined. All other things being equal, a tamed itinerant resourceful mind is bound to be a blessing to mankind if applied to laudable purpose-driven initiatives.

Over the years and up till now, my humble fruitful mind continues to explore the world around me and interrogate arising various issues. Modestly, my God given perspicacious mind had been processing various thoughts as they came and at some points, when the urge could not be resisted, I put my inferences, feelings and views down in writing. Amazingly, the writings got voluminous which informed my decision to write my first book. Initially, I thought it was going to be a one-off book and decided to put all my essays on a wide range of subjects in one edition then, and structured the contents into sections with similar subject matter in each section and gave the book the title of . Yes, because the book is a product of a positively wandering productive-mind. Along the line, it crossed my mind again that there may be a need to write more books in future and people who see my work may want me to help out in publishing the products of their peripatetic minds too. There and then, I decided to register a business name to develop commerce around my passion of publishing activities.

As the thoughts ran through my mind, I came to the conclusion to give the name , for the company. This was in order to underscore the power of the scope of mind that inspired my writings, in the birthing of the business initiative. I added Africa to the business name because it is my root and the mind exploration is about unearthing lasting values in Africa for the benefit of the contemporary global world for the benefit of mankind. On July 20, in 2012, was registered by the . On the 21st of July in 2012, Mindset was formally published by Mindscope Africa and the book was presented to the public to mark my 50th birthday anniversary. It has been one book or the order since then. 13 years after, this is my 14th published book and it is dedicated to one of my prominent passions, intellectual roundtable initiatives.

I am a respecter of intellectuals, and I enjoy the company of cerebral people. I am very conscious of the fact that we have a huge knowledgeable community out there that can be explored for the good of the larger society if properly harnessed. Consequently, I often lookout for opportunities to bring together as many intellectuals as possible to a roundtable, be it within my indigenous communities, among professional colleagues or at socio-political interactive levels. Primarily, it is to provide a platform for the all ranks of intellectuals to air their views dispassionately without any fear of gagging and share their tested knowledge in a well-defined public forum for the people in government to tap from informed thoughts for the benefit of the majority at all tiers of government.

Internet which has turned the whole world to a global community has helped a great deal in realising my dreams on the various intellectual forums that I have been able to initiate in the past 20 years. This made it possible to productively yoke the resourceful thoughts of the various intellectuals, online and real-time across the globe with ease. This solves to a great extent, the challenge of facilitating actual physical meetings of the various participants scattered all over the world in a physical roundtable conference.

On the 6th of March in 2005, the inspiration to convene my first intellectual roundtable manifested with the debut of for the benefit of my Jerusalem, . The socio-political group marked 20th anniversary on 6/3/2025 with a virtual conference. Three years after unveiling Ekitipanupo forum, the intellectual roundtable for my professional community was initiated. With all humility, on August 15th 2008, I convened . On the 27th of June in 2016, I convened . Subsequent to the developments in Ekiti-State politics which prompted my involvement beyond a passing interest, I initiated and deliberations started on the 1st of March in 2021. Atokeibeiro Forum has since been pitched around national and global issues.

All the three seminal platforms have attracted a wide range of accomplished brilliant intellectuals who interrogate various contemporary issues on mankind online and real-time. Some of the robust debates in the various intellectual roundtables were so rich that it became imperative for the highlights to be documented for posterity and wider access to the reading public. There is a legacy book already on Ekitipanupo Forum which I published in 2015 to mark the 10th anniversary of the indigenous intellectual roundtable. Also, a section in my book, captured some of the best moments in the capital market roundtable. Likewise, I published a booklet on Atokeibeirosi as a school of thought in 2021. All the books are available on Amazon. Intellectual engagements in all the roundtables are ongoing which has caused me to dedicate this book strictly for an update on the already published books.

This book therefore brings to fore some of the best moments in the three intellectual roundtables, that are yet to be accessible to the public. More importantly, it is in my nature to collate all my intellectual comments and writings published online, and make them available in a book for the benefit of those who may wish to have a copy. Interestingly, the first port of call for my articles and essays are the intellectual roundtables. As matter of fact, some of my articles were inspired by the deliberations in the referred intellectual roundtables. This book therefore, contains my recent articles that are yet to be published in a book.

The book has 26 chapters broken into 6 sections. Section One defines intellectual roundtable and the characteristic features with an overview on the four intellectual roundtables that I have convened till date. Section 2 contains interrogative articles on the political leadership in Nigeria while sections 3, 4 and 5 showcased best moments in Ekitipanupo Forum, Capital Market Roundtable and Atokeibeirosi Initiative. A robust debate on and highlights of the timeless accomplishments of were well captured in two chapters of the book. Likewise, there is a chapter on the intellectual input of the capital market roundtable to the national economic council. The last section contains my latest series of random paeans on worthy people including .

Let me use this opportunity to formally appreciate once more, everyone who responded to my request to join the various intellectual forums that I humbly convened over the years. “Deep calleth unto deep” . You heeded the call to come on board for us to think and reason together. Thank you all for believing. Without you, this book would not be published. In all, this is yet another unique ideological book of an ideologue, laced with some vintage pictures which would make reading of the book quite refreshing. It is a must have distinct corpus, for those who collect good books in their library.

You can get your copy through

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0FMDWD927

https://a.co/d/dTGJm04

Monday, 26 August 2024

Right Reverend Jacob Olabode Kehinde Olowokure

Church of Nigeria, the Clergy colleagues of Rt. Rev. J. O. K. Olowokure, family friend

s and other associates joined the family members during the glorious final rites for Baba Bishop.

Commendation Service at

https://youtu.be/IEnJT9rkxO0?si=VkTXDxWB69WVh14k

Funeral Service at

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ba08Ii3DkfE

THE RIGHT REVEREND JACOB OLABODE KEHINDE OLOWOKURE (1929-2024)

Inimitable family man, Conscientious Teacher, Proficient School Administrator, Visionary Priest, Diocesan of Repute and an unforgettable Godfather

Seye Adetunmbi

Most of the first generation of the Nigerian consecrated Lord Bishops in the of Church of Nigeria, , rose through the ranks as full time clergy men. A number of them started with basic academic qualification as a catechist and made it to the top while enhancing their education qualifications along the line. By the time was created in 1966 and the became the first bishop, more well educated priests with university degrees evolved at entry level. There were a number of them who were full time teachers at the same time an ordained priests after passing through the seminary college. At some point, some of these university graduate priests left full-time teaching career to face the church ministry squarely as full time clergymen. One of them in this category who made it to the peak of his career in the Christian ministry to become a bishop was the Right Reverend Jacob Olabode Olowokure. He could be classified among the second generation of lord bishops produced in the Church of Nigeria who were university graduates and he made his mark as a distinguished diocesan
Background
The Right Reverend J.O.K. Olowokure, like most of the successful men of his generation, had a humble beginning. Whatever he achieved in life was through dint of hard work and the grace of God which was adequate for him. He was born as an identical twin on September 10, 1929 in Ijebu-Jesa in Osun-State of Nigeria into a Christianfamily. His twin brother, also got to the peak of his career as an academician, Professor Theophilus Olatunji Taiwo Olowokure. He had his primary education in Osun-State and obtained basic qualification which enabled him to work as a teacher in elementary schools. He worked as a pupil teacher at St. John's Primary School, in the early 1950s and a number of other schools within Ekiti District. He gained admission to the University of Ibadan in the early 1960s where he graduated with Bachelor of Arts with honours in 1965 and Master of Arts in 1970. He also held Diploma in Theology from the .

Inimitable Family Man

Right Reverend J. O. K. Olowokure met his beloved wife, in Iye-Ekiti. Through the grace of God, the ordained encounter with a lady-twin from Ekiti led to marriage at in 1954. To the glory of God the almighty, the marriage had been blessed with three successful children: Pastor Mrs Mary Moji McCauley, Pastor Mrs Modupe Adetunji and Mrs Yetunde Ogunrinde.

Conscientious Teacher and Proficient School Administrator

He worked in various schools before rising to become the Vice-Principal of and the Principal of where he retired from teaching service in 1976. To underscore the fact that he made the difference as a school principal is evident in this extract from the comment of one of his old students, Wole Olujobi in Ekitipanupo Forum on September 4, 2011 and I quote: "....the great Ado Grammar School, where I learned how to build something out of nothing through role models in those days. Bishop Olowokure our principal built my future in just five minutes, instilling in me the spirit that even though the start of any venture could be daunting and full of difficulties, the end would be praises to the Almighty and story of successes to tell. But let me confess here that I was just a symbol of several others in the school who have the same story to tell. I am happy to be among other students who witnessed the transformation of the school under Bishop Olowokure and Chief Gabriel Adejuwon when the school changed her status from trouble brewer to a citadel of academic excellence and sports development."

Servant of the Lord - Well Done

Bishop Olowokure was formally ordained as a deacon in 1961 and became a substantive priest in 1962. His first posting as a priest was to in 1962 and he was the first ordained priest of the parish, which had been under the watch of catechists and deacons since 1905. In 1973, he was elevated to the rank of a reverend canon and he served diligently as the Chaplain of St. John/Mary's College, Owo for many years. In September 1976, he was appointed the vicar of and the Archdeacon of Ondo Archdeaconry where he served meritoriously for ten years. His tenure recorded some feats which include launching of an endowment fund, reroofing of the main church with steel structures, building of a modern vicarage, administrative block, church hall, conference room/library, construction of a belfry etc. Two schools were founded during his tenure, All Saint's Grammar School, Oka, Ondo in 1979 and St. Luke's Primary School, Oka, Ondo in 1984. The Right Reverend J.O.K. Olowokure was consecrated as a Lord Bishop in the Church of Nigeria, Anglican Communion in 1986 and became the Diocesan of Akoko Diocese.

He was acknowledged for his good works during his tenue in office some of which include the building of the Bishop's Court and the secretariat for the diocese. In 1988 and 1998, he attended the famous which was convened by the and held in England. He retired as the Lord Bishop of on September 8, 1990. He remained active in the service of God thereafter by supporting church work in the where had been built in his honour. He single handedly coordinated fund raising for the building of the vicarage for the church. He mentored a number of priests some of whom are bishops today to the glory of God. He was a true servant of God and worshipped God with a deep conviction. Every Wednesday was his seclusion day when he stayed in his room on a spiritual note for most part of the day.

Laying of the foundation of the vicarage of
Bishop Olowokure Anglican Church

Unforgettable Godfather

Baba and Mama Olowokure were my godparents. I was born in July 1962 when Baba Bishop became the vicar of my parents' parish, St. Michael's Anglican Church, Ifaki-Ekiti and I thank my parents for naming them my godparents. Interestingly, their last born, Yetunde ("my twin") came in August, two weeks after that I was born and the two families became good family friends since then. As my fond memories of Mama Olowokure remain indelible in my mind, Baba Bishop would always be my unforgettable godfather. He was there for me when my biological parents were alive and after their departure to the world beyond. His was there for every member of my family in his lifetime. At every opportunity whenever I travelled through Ijebu-Jesa, I stopped over to see him. He too was always looking out for me. Baba was very generous and loving. From his pension, he would still give me money when I visited him. Giving was in his DNA. I looked forward to spending the night in the house because family worship in his chapel before we went to bed and early in the morning meant a lot to me. When my family came from Lagos to spend a weekend with him and Mama in Ijebu-Jesa, it was one of our best stays outside our base.

Transition

The time of Baba Bishop came on May 7, 2024. He has gone home to rest. Laalaa alagbase pari. May God uphold his family that he left behind - His children, his twin brother, Baba Prof who has lost his best friend and uterine twin brother that they have been together for over nine decades. The family, all ranks of the clergy, members of the episcopal clan, family friends and other associates are going to bid Baba Bishop farewell on Friday, October 18, 2024. May God keep the date and grant all travellers journey mercies in the mighty name of Jesus.