How can you be gone Sonola Oluwatomisin?
Why leave today when you still have a thousand years of conquest before you?
Why leave now when your son and daughters are just getting to know you?
Why leave now that the daughter of your youth is just getting to learn to love you?
Oluwadamilare why leave now when the sun is just rising?
I don’t want to believe this news…
I hope this is the 1st of April and I’ll gladly be a fool
You couldn’t have left when the sun is rising
Why didn’t you just wait till you are a hundred and grey
When your son is king and daughters the queens of the north and south
Not now that your mama is frail and your wife is babe
Why didn’t you just wait till sunset
With stars out shining to lead you to the feet of our saviour with loud ovation
My knee is weak
My mouth is sore
I don’t think I can bear the weight of you being gone forever
I’ve lost too many brothers already
I’ve lost too many sisters between
I hope it’s a dream
I hope you’ll wake me up from this dream
Hold my hands Oluwatomisin don’t let it go
It’s been 12 years of me being the father and you the son. I remember in 2011. I was in Kano when you had your first daughter with Ruchina and you called me to tell me the goodnews. I was shocked and all you did was ask me for a name for her since I was out of town and I told you “You are the father and I’m your father and I love you. This is your love child, make sure you give her a name with love in it” and you did, you named her “Oluwanifemi”.
Your thirst for leadership was founded on your love for God and country. I remember designing your campaign poster in 2014 for the post of the Sport Director of Yaba College of Technology’s Student Union… we won that battle and the battles that followed. I remember you and I hitting the streets to share your campaign poster for councillorship of your ward in Yaba Local Government… We walked the length and width of your ward, canvassing for votes in 2007, hoping for a brighter day and a better life for the people living in our community together. You had nothing but you to offer and you were never afraid to give yourself. Your resolve was simple and devoid any form of fear in its true sense. You damned my warning every time and I loved you for it, you knew that my signs of caution were not to stop you from taking those mighty steps, but rather a sign to guide you to tread with caution. Even after you won and you were denied by the mighty, you accepted faith and tried again and again… Now your community has been denied the true virtue of leadership that is inherent in you, your wife denied the warmth of her very silly but loving husband and your children the knowledge and love of who their father was.
My heart burns right now, burns with rage because I didn’t even know what happened to you… All I’ve heard is the news of your demise this morning 18|01|2016 and I hope it’s a lie.
I thank God for your life son… Heaven got a Gee.
I love you Dre and I’m glad you know I do.
Lay your head brother
Lay it down
Rest on the because the strife is over
Rest in the bosom of your Lord and saviour.
