Eesa Olaniyi Jide Adebayo (1955-2021): An open book is closed!

You can easily judge the character of a man by how he treats those who can do nothing for him – Johann W. van Goethe. The German literary figure’s piece aptly defines and describes the person and life of Eesa Olaniyi Jide Adebayo; a distinguished journalist who was a former acting Managing Director (MD) of […]

You can easily judge the character of a man by how he treats those who can do nothing for him – Johann W. van Goethe.

The German literary figure’s piece aptly defines and describes the person and life of Eesa Olaniyi Jide Adebayo; a distinguished journalist who was a former acting Managing Director (MD) of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).

Eesa Adebayo who died on Thursday, November 4, 2021, at a Lagos hospital, aged 66, was a role model in his career, a cynosure in his community and a proud stickler for traditions. Above all, he was a man of peace, a doting father and a loving husband. He was well respected by peers for his top-notch intelligence and oracular wisdom. Eesa Adebayo had no airs when it came to relating with people of all backgrounds as he was always at home with the high and the low.

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In short, late Eesa Adebayo was a good man. According to Dennis Prager, the syndicated American radio host, “Goodness is about character – integrity, honesty, kindness, generosity, moral courage and the like,” emphasising, however, that in more than anything else, it is about how we treat other people. 

Without doubt, Eesa Adebayo epitomised all these qualities. But what stood him out from the pack was his uncanny habit of paying attention to the needs of others. This, he did, oftentimes, at his own expense.

Eesa Adebayo’s good character, amiable personality and friendly disposition have been attested to by many of his colleagues in NAN with who he worked, mixed and mingled for 35 years. 

Read excerpts of their comments on him:

According to Mrs Kate Popoola, who worked with Eesa Adebayo for more than 20 years and ended up as his deputy, Eesa Adebayo’s most evident virtue was humility, as “He was more like an elder sibling than a boss, accessible to cleaners and messengers as he was to colleagues and others. 

Mr Francis Nwosu, the Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Press Council (NPC), who gave Eesa Adebayo the sobriquet, “DCrown Prince in NAN”, bemoaned his death as the “loss of a brother and a confidant.” 

Eesa Adebayo’s senior colleague, Dr Bisi Olawunmi, described him as “a quintessential, dignified gentleman who was always respectful.”

To the trio of Mr Buki Ponle, MD of NAN; Mr Paul Ejime, veteran war correspondent and public affairs analyst; and Mr Segun Adeyemi, a Special Assistant to the President in the Office of the Minister of Information and Culture; Eesa Adebayo was an open book, down-to-earth with no airs, no anger, no over expectation from anybody, just a constant show of unalloyed love to all.

In his community of Omu-Aran in Kwara State, it would not be an exaggeration to state that the late Eesa Adebayo was a critical beat of the soul of the community. He gave his time, talent and treasure to the progress and development of his hometown. He was a bridge between the traditional and the modern, a man who cherished the vestiges of the cultural past and carried them with gusto and swagger. The late Eesa was a Sought out in Omu-Aran and its environs. No wonder, the community beckoned him to lead them as the sixth Eesa; the second in command to the traditional ruler of the community during a difficult time. He was installed Eesa on May 11, 2018, following the transition of the then reigning Olomu, Oba Oladele Ibitoye, on November 30, 2017. Eesa Adebayo effectively and creditably acted as both de jure and de facto ruler of the sprawling town until the successful enthronement of the current Olomu, Oba Abdulraheem Adeoti, on September 22, 2018.

Eesa Adebayo was also a great man of tradition who gleefully regaled you with ancient rites, rituals and anecdotes of his Igbomina Yoruba sub-nationality. He had an uncommon gift of reliving historical episodes and cultural events with the precise retentive memory of a griot. He was also a modernist and an enlightenment apostle who dexterously navigated the crevices of the binary of ancient beliefs and contemporary religious creeds without breaches, abominations or heresy.

In acknowledging his immense contribution to community service and culture, near and far, he was rewarded with several chieftaincy titles: Otun Gbobaniyi of Omu-Aran; Otun Gbadero of Ollaland; and Maiyegun of Ogidi Ijumu in Kogi State, and to crown it all, the Eesa Omu-Aran. 

Despite all the recognition and accolades, Eesa Adebayo was at home as patron of many grassroots organisations, using such position to empower their members. For example, he was patron of the Nigeria Welders Association (NWA), Omu-Aran branch; Second ECWA Church choir, Omu-Aran; Elite Ladies Club; and Omu-Aran Hairdressers Association, as well as a member of Omu-Aran Social Club, serving once as its president. Indeed, if Omu aran were to be an engine room the late Adebayo would have been its dynamo.

Not unexpectedly, news of his death was met by a tidal wave of mourning and wailing as his remains were brought home on Saturday, November 6, for a special church service and interment. Community leaders who paid tribute and poured encomiums on him, apart from traditional chiefs, included the President of Omu-Aran Development Association, Gen Yemi Abidoye (Rtd), a close friend of the deceased, who described him as a “fine journalist and community leader per excellence”; Mr Funsho Salawu, a classmate and long-time friend of the late Eese Adebayo, said at the service that the community had lost somebody who was difficult to replace, noting that the volume of condolences since his death was extraordinary and unprecedented.

As the people of Omu-Aran bade farewell to their revered son on November 6, 2021, in a blaze of glory, it is worth stating that the late Eesa Adebayo was also a colossus in his chosen journalism career. For a mention, he was the first Executive Director, Marketing at NAN, a sports editor of repute who covered international sporting events in France, Saudi Arabia and so on. He was a recipient of the prestigious Fellowship of the Nigeria Guild of Editors (NGE); a recognition of his outstanding contribution to journalism by his peers. Lest I forget, he was the Kwara State Commissioner for Information, Culture, Youth and Sports in 1999.

May the soul of my classmate, friend, brother and my family’s BIG Daddy, the quadruple chief, find eternal rest as we commiserate with his family, friends and the Olomu-in-Council, as well as the Omu-Aran community, over the loss of their illustrious son, Eesa Adebayo. CIAO! As you always said to friends!!

By Dr Segun Olanipekun who had been a friend of the Eesa Adebayo for more than 51 years. He wrote this tribute from the USA