- Bittersweet Memories Of A Beloved Brother
Exactly one year after his sad demise, Olugbemiga Abiodun’s family and friends unite to remember and appreciate the kernel and towering humaneness of a prince whose life story resonates like a fairy tale, long after his exit from the mortal world, writes LANRE ALFRED
No simple or ornamental tribute could capture the essence of DJ Olu’s extraordinary appeal. Olugbemiga, the dark-hued son of Dr. Dapo Abiodun, stoked intense feelings of gratitude and contentment in most people privileged enough to have made his acquaintance during 24-year spell on earth.
One year since his sad departure from the mortal world, memories of Gbemiga assail his loved ones like a bittersweet gust of cold breeze after a discomforting heatstroke. For the umpteenth time, family and friends of late Gbemiga smarted from the pain of recollection as they were forced to relive the humanity and magnificence that characterized his short spell on earth with them.
Until his departure, Olu lived to see the dawn and sunset glow richly amid life’s pressing concerns. But Dr. Dapo Abiodun, his father and founder of Heyden Oil, draws solace from the fact that he (Olu) was older than the days he lived and the breaths he drew.
The deceased effortlessly combined the wisdom of old age with exuberance of youth thus manifesting as an inspiring bridge between, young and old, past and present. While alive, the past throbbed through him in a mighty rhythm and the future pounded the drums of eternity to which he swayed as the tides and seasons swayed.
Pity he had to depart the world so soon. But DJ Olu made his mark on the world; the brilliant, adventurous entertainer and entrepreneur left pieces of his soul and rousing nature behind.
Alive, Gbemiga was a great dude; from childhood, he radiated such infectious mirth and loveliness that members of his nuclear and extended family, friends and other loved ones, fell over one another to pamper and please the little boy that grew up to ignite their unsullied affection even as they bore him in a carriage of care towards an enchanted future.
As a child, Olugbemiga was an avid dreamer. Like all dreamers, he sought comfort in ceaseless spells of enthusiasm and mock realities. In dreamland, little Gbemiga was the rarest of humankind. He flaunted such a rare mortality transiting from one daydream to another within the shortest breadth of time. That was unusual for a boy of his age.
He found his Neverland at the juncture where childhood fantasies mesh with reality; he was an unusual breed of fantasist but unlike the mythical Peter Pan, who helplessly got swarmed and overwhelmed in the riotous swirl of events in dreamscape, Gbemiga managed to rule nirvana like lord of his own manor. It didn’t matter that he was just a child, he adroitly meandered through folds of realities, taunting will and challenging his imaginations, the gifted child that he was.
As a child, Gbemiga lived a charmed life of sort; he had no shiftless or loquacious alcoholic father constantly beating up on him, his siblings and his mother; his mother cut no pitiful portrait of the disillusioned romantic and defeated mother moaning by the fire; in a nutshell, he grew amid the comfort of towering affection and love of his parents’ extraordinary love.
Unlike most babies, Gbemiga was born with unusually shiny and curly hair, plastered to the sides of his head and as soft as the down feathers of a magpie. He babbled and cried, threw tantrums and groped for things with his pinky, little fingers, and, within three months, he had grown into a stunning portrait of the cherub he was at birth.
The next 10 months saw him evolve through his first smiles, the discovery of his feet and better grip; the lovable peals of laughter that leapt from his lips like fairy dust endeared him to his parents. Gbemiga’s infant mannerisms manifested on his parents strongly and quite astonishingly, it warmed his mother, Bamidele’s heart and taught her the ropes of maternal love in ways unexplored.
On his father, Gbemiga grew and blossomed like that nameless but powerful feeling reserved for a first crush, a first child and first love.
In one sense, though, Gbemiga is not gone. He is continually and fondly remembered as a son, brother and friend who radiated great bliss, laughter and splendor wherever he graced with his unforgettable presence.
Indeed, the true measure of a person is not how long he or she lives, but what was achieved while on earth. He was endowed with the noblest persona epitomizing kindness, selflessness, genuine humaneness and an extraordinary ability to put a smile on people’s faces, even at the most improbable time.
Gbemiga persistently sought new ventures in business and every field of endeavour that caught his fancy.
He invested as much time he invested in his family into fostering and sustaining an enviable and intimidating circuit of friendship; notable among his close friends include the popular artiste, Davido.
How many times shall he be remembered? In how many different ways? With just a glance, a smile or a gesture that spoke so much more than words, he revealed to his loved ones, the depth of his compassion and his humanity. He was the people’s prince, and that is how he will stay, their hearts and in their memories.
He was a man of grace, and his cuteness no doubt radiated from within, to form a glorious halo about his persona throughout his short but impressive stay on earth.
In tribute to the departed soul, there would be a remembrance service today at Emmanuel Chapel, Banana Island, Ikoyi, Lagos.
