My binoculars : How sudden death stole my friend at the twilight of his service to humanity

By: Sam Kayode

Of a truth, i have peeped and recorded a lot through my curious binoculars for over a decade now. But very few of the images I see have been as solemn as when I am reminiscing about buddies I met along life’s path of destiny fulfilment. This one of David Ibukun is unique because we grew up partially together as teenagers in the 80’s and he knew my parents in the secondary school house where my late father held sway as the Vice Principal. I observed, he had a special reverence for my father and was one of those students who the old man was well pleased with because of his stable nature.

David’s sudden death last year reminded us his classmates of the Muslim Progressive High School (MPHS) Oke Odan of the enormous power of God Almighty over all of us. This is because death according to the Bible is a transitional phenomenon all mortals must taste to enjoy or regret eternity based on our deeds after His final judgement.
It is always painful when someone you knew or sat in the same class with leaves you without saying goodbye. And why it hurts so much was that we rediscovered each other in 2023 after about 40 years of not crossing paths since leaving secondary school in the 80’s.

And that did happen in jos when he was driving to somewhere and I had parked to buy somethings to assist my trip back to Maiduguri. Incidentally, he worked in jos for about six years for Total Nigeria PLC without us crossing paths because I was on and off from the cold city. On this particular day, he was driving off to round up some of his transfer details and he spotted me on the long dual carriage way that runs from mararaba jama to terminus area in jos. He was the first to see me and stopped along the road at ‘building materials’ where I was buying fresh veggies. From behind I had Sammy. Only for me to turn to see David. I was so happy to see him after a long time. We exchanged pleasantries and spent sometimes catching up with each other. He hinted that he had been transferred to Lagos island and I told him I will check on him anytime I find myself down that path.

The David I knew at the Muslim Progressive High School Oke Odan

Dave was a confidant with whom we had a good chemistry. I will never forget his consistent smiles even when classmates annoyed him. He was a calm lanky fellow like myself who could never be provoked into extreme tendencies common with the teenage generation of that era. A very dependable, unassuming and approachable fellow who was very considerate since I joined the class in form 4 from a foreign school. In our secondary school days, he was a good student of economics and was studious in all his ways in spite of the air of affluence he enjoyed with a big brother who made sure he never lacked anything. His senior brother, a custom official who took care of him like his son was a good friend of my father who was the Vice Principal of the school then. He would always branch when passing on official duties since the school was along the trunk A road coming from Sango Ota. Whenever he was passing by he would branch to see David and we often shared in the goodies he used to bring for his kid brother after seeing “Baba” as they used to call my father.
We kept faith with each other even after form five as he described his brother’s home for me around iyana ipaja area where I used to branch while visiting my uncles in Lagos. We actually lost touch after I completed my training as a journalist and got my first job with the daily times news paper with posting to Taraba state in November 1992. He too got a career with total Nigeria PLC after his professional training. Life went on in our separate worlds as expected only for us to meet on that fateful day in jos where we both had worked without knowing he was there. Dave carried the same smiles I used to know him for only to sign off suddenly into eternity last year 2024.

Fellow progressives, its been about 40 years we left secondary school and quite painful to loose “Baskay” at the twilight of our respective callings. He was still the Baskay I knew and I was the “omo Baba” with whom we had a special bond with. Being class mates at the MPHS in a community called Oke odan in Ogun State was a unique opportunity to meet as young gentlemen and I will never forget those days. Oke odan then in the 80’s was a tiny linear settlement on the way to the border town of idi iroko which was a major gateway to Nigeria. And MPHS founded by the community and taken over by government was a breeding ground for future leaders and great sportsmen in the then Egbado division of Ogun state. It became a strategic point for young minds to be reprocessed into productive humanists to contribute to our country. Sadly, like his senior brother, Dave died suddenly last year on Tuesday 12th of November after a protracted illness in a Lagos hospital.He was a humanist to the core and a peaceful and practicing disciple of Christ who showed love to all till the end.

Final rites of David

His service of Songs was held at – KT&T Hall, Plot 61, Scheme 1, Warewa Bus Stop, Lagos/Ibadan Expressway on the 16th January 2025. And this was followed by the funeral service the next day at the RCCG Gate of Heaven Parish, Redemption City of God. He was
Interred at the Memorial Gardens, within Redemption Camp.

Do have a nice rest Ogbeni David Ibukun and extend our regards to Tajudeen Shittu (Tilly) who was also one of us. But had since gone before you after a tragic car crash along the Abeokuta Sango Ota road of Ogun State.

My binoculars : How sudden death stole my friend at the twilight of his service to humanity