Join Me In Celebrating Boda Bamidele Popoola

By Idowu Awopeju, Esq

Without a doubt, there are individuals far more qualified than I to speak or write about him. His classmates , the 1992 set , from Loyola College, Ibadan, or his contemporaries at Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) Ife, not to mention his compatriots in the student political movements known as the Federation of Ibadan Students’ Union, both at the local and national levels, know him much better than I do.

While I did not personally witness his tenure as the president of the aforementioned union during his prime, I have heard remarkable and laudatory testimonies from reliable sources.

It was through him that I became acquainted with several talented and ambitious political heavyweights, such as the man nicknamed “Elder”, Boda Wale Oyelese, Boda Wale Lamidi, Boda Bamiji Makinde, and Boda Omotoso Bukola, with whom I naturally enjoyed a robust closeness, being a predecessor in a field I aspired to enter. Additionally, my very dear and sagacious friend, Kunle Abass, comes to mind.

Any of the individuals mentioned above could effortlessly write an epistle, if not author a book, about him.

Moreover, it was through him that I met Dr. Reuben Abati in print. He never missed an issue of the Friday Guardian newspaper, all due to his enormous admiration for Abati’s literary prowess. He cannot deny it—he almost worshipped the man and, at some point, recruited me into doing the same.

I still vividly recall how under his bed was stuffed with heaps of the said Friday Guardian newspapers.

Nonetheless, even though I acknowledge that others are better positioned to speak about him, this does not entirely rob me of the ability to share my insights about him.

Interestingly, I have been privileged, to be candid, to be treated like a younger brother by numerous non-blood-related individuals, and I will always be grateful to God for those precious gifts of substantial men.

Each of the people who have treated me as a younger brother, and continue to treat me as such, has their own unique strengths and weaknesses. I am meticulously conscious of this in my interactions with them, as boundaries, to me, are dearly sacred.

Unquestionably, they are all good men. However, the celebrant stands out as not just a good man, but an exceptionally good man, and he is, by far, simply the best.

To me—and I am neither being hypocritical nor overly dramatic here—he is more reliable than the famous 999 and more dependable than the 111 when it comes to distressed calls.

The period between 2000 and 2010 was like the dark ages for me, but he took up the onerous task of supporting me and others with similar fate, providing us with much-needed emotional, psychological, and financial support.

Unbeknownst to him, I learnt a great deal about kindness from him and how to practice it with godly compassion.

He unofficially adopted many of us as his own during times when we needed a guardian angel and accorded us all the rights and privileges that come with having an exemplary, visionary, and upright big brother in our lives.

I think the fact that he is a Rotarian, contributes to his excellent character.

I know they exist, but I am yet to come across a single member of that club that does not place a high premium on humanity.

Alongside his younger brother, Akin, to whom I owe my gratitude for knowing the celebrant . Both of us played prominent roles during his wedding in 2007 .

The pre-wedding activities, and the wedding proper taught me some important lessons on how to bridge the gap between the city and the town.

You can be a fulfilled corporate person in the city and still maintain your ajepako DNA when in town .

One memory that has refused to leave my head/mind was his frantic struggles, unsuccessfully, to secure admission for me at OAU .

He is one of the principal founding fathers of the Egbe Omo Oba Alade Ile Ibadan Aka The Royal Group . I had the privilege of serving as one of the ushers at the inaugural meeting of the said club, which held at the celebrant’s father’s sitting room sometimes in 2004.

He gained employment at Globalcom on the strength of his impressive academic performance. Second Class Upper in International Relations at OAU is not and can never be a walk in the park.
It is much easier for a camel to pass through the needles eye than for you to get a job at a multinational like Globalcom . So getting that job in 2004 ,in spite of his humble background opened our eyes to the truism that education is indeed a gateway to success.

Despite having direct access to the crème de la crème in Oyo State politics, I never once saw him genuflect or act shortsightedly before them.

It was through Kunle Abass that I met the immediate past Olubadan of Ibadan land, who transitioned a few months ago, Dr. Senator Lekan Balogun, at his residence in Alarere.

However, it was through the celebrant that I met Chief Lam Adesina after his tenure as the governor of Oyo State, Senator Rasheed Adewolu Ladoja , and Abiola Ajimobi while he was in the Senate. He was particularly close to Senator Rasheed Adewolu Ladoja.

Had our political landscape not been fraught with life-threatening challenges, he would have been in a position of political power a long time ago.

But as it stands, our political experience and experiment are altogether different.

With his stint as a part-time lecturer at Moshood Abiola Polytechnic in Ogun State around 2011, I knew deep down that he would not rest until he satisfied his thirst for academic pursuits.

With a solid background in International Relations from the radical-breeding OAU, it is no coincidence that his PhD is in Peace and Conflict Studies.

Coincidence, I believe, is God’s way of remaining anonymous.

Celebrating your 50th birthday with a PhD could not have been a mere coincidence but a divinely orchestrated double blessing to reward your exceptional stewardship of excellence.

Belated happy 50th birthday and congratulations on your PhD convocation, sir!

Idowu Awopeju writes from Ogba, Lagos.