My nephew, Ayodeji Tinubu, died while
playing a sport he so loved from childhood. He had a zest for the game just as
he also had a special zest for the game of life itself. He was a passionate
player and teammate because he was a passionate and compassionate person.
When
he played football, he gave it his all. More importantly, what he did on the
field was surpassed by how he carried himself away from it. He gave his all to
his family, friends and his work.
Everything he did was a labor of love and
devotion to him. As such, he was a rare and special person. I cannot even begin
to describe how deeply I shall miss him.
Deji so very close to me. I knew him and
the type of person he was. He was considerate and kind, outgoing but thoughtful
and humble. He loved people and thought more of others than he did himself.
Kind. Thus, I could not help but love him as if he was my son. He
made me proud that he carried the name Tinubu with respect.
I well knew his passion for football. In
my first term as governor from 1999 to 2003, I appointed him Chairman of the
Lagos State Sports Commission. I knew he would translate his personal affinity
for the game into something beneficial for the state.
As Chairman Sports Commission, he did
not let me down. As chairman, he performed with the same dedication, energy and
winning attitude as he did on the field of play. Deji did his best and his best
was to do well indeed. He recorded giant strides. No wonder my successor,
Babatunde Raji Fashola, appointed him to the same position in later years.
When Governor Akinwunmi Ambode recently
made him Special Adviser on Commerce and Industry, it opened another vista for
him in recognition of the excellent job he did for Lagos in sports development.
He was an accomplished sports
entrepreneur with passion and bias for sports-related youth development, youth
management, administration and marketing. As a seasoned sports journalist, he
had established his own company, along with his long time school friend, Deji
Omotoyinbo.
In the field of sports, the two friends were to become household
names. They were role models for youths in Lagos and beyond. Through sports,
they taught many youths valuable and important lessons of life, and for this
fine contribution Deji shall always be remembered by the many people whose
lives he touched. This stands as a living testament to the innate goodness and
humanity of Deji. He was a rarity among us.
For me, Deji has left us much too soon.
In this day and time, we need people of such passion and principle and goodness
to help the next generation. Yet, I cannot question God at all. Perhaps, he
wanted Deji to come home to be a bit closer to Him. All I can say is I thank
God for allowing someone like Deji to have been my nephew, my son, and to have
enriched my life as he did the lives of all who knew him.
Ayodeji lived well. There was no doubt
that he was an achiever. He was just 54 but he had accomplished a lot and his
legacies will carry on, from what he accomplished in Lagos to how he
distinguished himself as an Executive Committee member of the Nigeria Football
Federation.
I am proud of Ayodeji's achievements.
Yet, I am even prouder of him as a person. As scion of our patriarch, Kafaru
Tinubu's family, Deji embodied all that his father stood for. He was humble,
humane, selfless, hard-working, intelligent and principled.
Lagos has lost a good son. I shall mourn
enough for us all. My tears have shed. I mourn with Governor Ambode and those
in the cabinet and government who were Deji's colleagues.
As good as Deji was in his chosen
vocation and as a fan of the game, I was most proud of him for he excelled at
being a husband and father and just an exceptional human being in every way.
To his beloved and dear Yemisi as well
as his children, Oluwatamilore and Moyosoreoluwa I say please always remember
how this special and good man loved you and gave unto you his very best.
Remember how he cared for you, laughed with you and made you happy. May God
place his loving hand upon you and console you at this moment when no earthly
or human consolation can ever be sufficient.
To Alhaja Bintu Tinubu, the matriarch of
the family, may Almighty Allah comfort you. Your son lived an excellent life
and though we cry now, we must reach the place where we comfort ourselves by
remembering all the fine things that Deji was.
Let us dedicate ourselves anew to the
excellent traits that Deji personified. Let us live as the helpful and
compassionate teammates and family Deji would want us to be. Let us pray to God
and pray for ourselves during this moment of loss that there is a heavenly
recompense unto all of us who now feel the pain of Deji’s passing.
May God be with all of you and comfort
you.
So long Deji, we shall always love and
miss you.*Contributed by Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu
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