Jacob BABALOLA (Staff Writer)

Impactful life is never measured by how many years someone spent in this world but by the number of lives touched while living. While many spent close to or above hundred years without having any meaningful impacts on the lives of those around them, some spent just a few decades and testimonies abound from those such individuals have helped in one way or the other.

While many died and are forgotten quickly because they never contributed any meaningful things to the lives of those they came in contact with; many are remembered for eternity because of how they had spent their lives recognizing and rendering possible assistance to their neighbor while still alive.

Mind you, relationships are built in different ways and in different places where an individual journeys in life; meaning it doesn’t matter whether one is blood related or what have you. Hence, it matters a lot how we build human relationship amongst one another and not just living our life like two parallel lines that would never meet at any point in time.

The Scripture also enjoins all to be our brothers’ keeper, hence, Christ told His disciples “whoever you can render an assistance to, such a person is your neighbor.”

And so, in 1992/93, there came into my life a young man born on 18th August, 1972 to the family of Mr & Mrs Adejumo. His name, Francis Oluwabunmi Akano Adejumo. Our ambition to go to higher institution brought us together at the then Adeseun Ogundoyin Campus of The Polytechnic, Ibadan in Eruwa, Ibarapa LGA of Oyo State.

The fact that both of us are of Catholic faith made us even closer that though we stayed off-campus miles apart, many of our colleagues found it difficult to believe that we never stayed together in a location because of how we were often seeing together. Our friendship went beyond school’s boundary into family friendship and this we kept throughout our OND days in Eruwa and still continued at the Main Campus in Ibadan for our HND programme.

Mr Governor, as he was often called, being the set’s Head of the Class (HOC) was so close and friendly with every member of the class as he served as middleman between the entire class members and the lecturers.

One thing led to another. Our friendship brought us together in a popular Print Media organization where we both worked and got transferred into different states of the country as Company’s representatives. At the company too, we were known for our close relationship.

One touching thing about him was his willingness and readiness to lift-up those around him as he himself climbed up the ladder. In other words, whenever he thought of doing something, he would sell the idea to me also and that was how we were both coming up gradually until tragedy struck on 18th of May, 2006 and I was informed of his death in Abuja in a motor accident at the age of thirty four.

As the first child of the family of six, his death was a great loss to both family members and friends. To his immediate family, wife and children and the In-Laws, who have never for once abandoned my family by continuing to render assistance always, I cannot thank them enough. May God continue to uphold you and fill your hearts with joy. We took consolation in the fact that he lived a very good life and had gone to rest in the bosom of his creator.

A memorial Mass was held in his honour on Tuesday, 19th May 2026 at St. Michael Catholic Church, Elegbata, Lagos. The Mass was officiated by Rev. Frs. Joseph Adejumo and Christopher Ojo, with the immediate and extended family members in attendance.

As he is remembered, being the 20th anniversary of his death, it is my prayer that his soul continue to rest in peace and that God continues to uphold the family members, (immediate and extended), especially the aged parents, brothers, sisters, wife, children and friends left behind until we meet to depart no more in the world to come.

Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord; and let the perpetual light continue to shine upon him, Amen.

 

May your soul, Francis Oluwabunmi Adejumo, continue to rest in peace, Amen.