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Eulogies as Are goes home in a blaze of glory

Dr Lekan Are1

Dr Lalekan Ayokunnu Are

Femi Makinde

The longest-serving director of Punch Nigeria Limited, Dr Lalekan Ayokunnu Are, died on January 18 at the University College Hospital, Ibadan, Oyo State and his burial on February 21 was filled with fanfare.

The glorious exit of the late Are, a great scholar who attained greatness through hard work, dedication, honesty and service to mankind, was expected because he impacted on many lives, some of whom attested to this at the funeral. The deceased was a professor of Agronomy at the Njala University College, University of Sierra Leone and an astute businessman, a sportsman and a generous and compassionate person who gave without seeking anything in return.

Encomiums poured in from far and near after he breathed his last and the funeral at the Cathedral Church of St. David, Kudeti, Ibadan, on Friday, was classy. Dignitaries from all walks of life, including former governors, gathered at the church to bid altruistic Are farewell.

Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, was among the eminent Nigerians who witnessed the event.

The Government College Ibadan Old Boys Association, which he served as president with his time and resources, also played a prominent role during the ceremony. The journey to his final resting place started from the school as the hearse; a black Cadillac Escalade, conveying the chocolate brown casket bearing his remains, left in a motorcade.

Are’s remains were driven in the Escalade to Oke Are and then Kudeti where hunters fired Dane guns to salute the departed warrior, who was a descendant of the famous Are Latosa as the motorcade moved through areas where he spent his childhood.

At the church, the Bishop of Ibadan South Diocese, Rt. Rev.  Akintunde Popoola, who delivered the sermon described Are as a silent giver who did so much for God’s work and development of mankind.

The bishop said he knew Are not too long ago, adding that notwithstanding, he showed him love and willingly gave to the work of God without making a noise about it. The cleric stated that despite his wealth and influence, he had one wife, Olabisi, saying that indicated that the deceased was a disciplined man who lived at peace in his home.

The bishop said, “I would have met him but I learnt he was someone one might not see unless one had an appointment with him. I saw a man who was at peace with his maker, wife and family. If a man with such means had one wife, then he was happy and lived in peace. I am sure that the lines fell unto the late Dr Lekan Are in pleasant places and he had a goodly heritage.

“We are here not for mourning but to celebrate his life. I didn’t have the opportunity of relating closely with him before his passage. The only interaction I had with him was when he sent me a letter saying he could not see me immediately. He was a man that affected many people; he touched many lives.” He added that he eventually met Are where he laid motionless in the casket at the entrance of the church.

Ex-governor of Oyo State, Abiola Ajimobi, who said Are was his uncle, added that he lived well and should be celebrated because he died at a ripe age of 86.

Ajimobi, who said the late distinguished agronomist always said things how they were not minding whose ox was gored, noted that he met his superior in the late Are.

Narrating how he met Are for the first time, Ajimobi said his father took him to Are and introduced him to the deceased. He said he later observed that they were truly related because Are was never afraid of talking bluntly to anybody no matter their status.

He said one day he went to report his predecessor, Rashidi Ladoja, to Are. Ajimobi said he got there 30 minutes late and Are asked him to wait somewhere as a punishment for arriving late.

Ajimobi said, “After about 15 minutes, he asked me to come in and I did. I said to myself, ‘This man does not know that I am the governor of a state.’  Dr Are said no matter what Senator Ladoja did, I was the one at fault for coming late for the appointment. After explaining to him that Senator Ladoja abused me and that I would reply him, Dr Are said I should not do that. He said, ‘You people from Oja Oba have caustic tongues and are good at abusing others.’ He (Are) said he would visit the Governor’s Office to ‘knock’ my head if I should abuse Senator Ladoja in return. That was why I didn’t abuse him.’’

Looking in the direction of Ladoja who was also in the church, Ajimobi said, “Senator Ladoja, if I didn’t abuse you, it was Dr Are who prevailed on me not to do so and he is dead now.”

Ajimobi noted that Are supported him so much and gave him money from time to time when he was seeking reelection. He stated that despite doing that, Are never came to him to solicit anything for himself but for the GCI, education development and how to serve the people better.

Governor Makinde also used the opportunity to reply Ajimobi who earlier said there was a political fight between them. Ajimobi said the fight would be resolved but Makinde, who said there was no fight, stated that he was seeking peace and development for Ibadan and the entire state.

The governor said he was not close to Are but noted that the deceased commended the educational policy of his administration and asked him to see him at the Kakanfo Inn and Conference Centre where he had his office. He said he was unable to honour the invitation because of many things.

He also said he was not close to Ibadan elders because they did not support him when he was contesting governorship. He, however, said though the elders did not support his ambition, their wives did and prayed for him to succeed.

Makinde said, “I said the reason why I did not come to see him was because the Ibadan elders didn’t support me during the campaign. At that time, I went to Ambassador Sanu but he said someone had brought a proposal before him. While leaving his house, his wife brought me some sandwiches and said, ‘Don’t mind those babas.’ She said she would support me.”

At the evening of tributes held at the GCI on Thursday, one of Are’s contemporaries who attended the Michigan State University, Prof Johnson Ekpere, said the late PUNCH director was an academic giant at the school. He said Are scored A grades in all the courses he took during his MSc and PhD programmes at the university.

A former Oyo State governor, Omololu Olunloyo, said during a documentary at the event that the late Are was honest.

He said, “Lekan Are would do anything to defend me. He was a great footballer and sports lover. As a footballer, he scored 20 goals in 17 matches.”

On his part, Ladoja said Are never came to him while he was governor to solicit anything for himself. He stated that Are, whom he said hated corrupt persons, brought a man to his office but when he told him that the man was corrupt, Are refused to be driven home in the man’s car.

Ladoja said, “Dr Are said, ‘Rashidi, give me somebody to take me home. I cannot return home in a thief’s car.’”

A former military governor of the Western Region, Brig. Gen. Oluwole Rotimi, also said Are was an honest and hard-working person. He said he did not know why he did not bring him on to serve in his cabinet.

Are’s widow, Olabisi, said he could give up anything for him, describing him as a loving husband and a great family man who would be sorely missed.

Olabisi said, “He was a great husband to me. He never deprived me of money. He would tell me ‘money is here, money is there’.

At the service of songs at the church, it was a reunion for octogenarians who came to bid Are farewell. Many of them came with the aid of walking sticks while some were assisted by their relations.

Are’s daughter, Mrs Lola Are-Igun, said though her father was a strict man, he never flogged her, adding that her father knew his time was up before he died.

She said, “People asked me during interviews if his death came as a shock to me. But I said it was not. I knew it was time but I did not know the exact date. I just want to let you know that he planned his exit like he planned many things. He said goodbye to many of you.”

Earlier in his sermon, Popoola said Are knew where he was going before he died, adding that he told his wife to start packing because they were going to Japan.

He stated, “Mama said she told her husband to allow them go to hospital for drugs before travelling to Japan which turned out to be his journey to heaven. He died at the hospital and I searched the Internet to know more about Japan. I discovered that it is a beautiful and neat country. Baba saw where he was going but he called it Japan, the beautiful place.”

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