Komolafe: five years and a timeless memory, by Inhabitun Komolafe

Five years ago, a rare breed of man started from this world, leaving a void that no one was able to fill. On August 11, 2020, my beloved father and confidant, Sunday Alaba Komolafe, offered this mortal coil one last farewell. He was 92 years old!

Reflecting on my father’s disappearance, my lasting legacy comes to mind, which speaks to the power of true leadership and altruism. His life has illuminated the vast abyss between those who really serve others and those who simply need themselves. Baba Kayode, as he was called with affection, loved not only his children, but also countless others who found themselves under his protection. Dad did not only pay the labial service to compassion, he lived it!

Five years later, the memories of this beautiful soul still refuse to vanish. His presence is so deeply felt that the emotions are still high every time my younger brothers – Olukayode, Olalekan, Olufun Milayo and Olufemi – and I speak of it. Often we have to end our conversations suddenly before breaking down everyone in tears.

But the pain is even deeper. Five years later, I still have to set foot in his bedroom – not for fear of “dusty” relics, but because the sense of loss is still too raw. In the same way, I was unable to collect the courage to visit his tomb, a ritual that my family observes every year.

His favorite chair remains intact, a constant reminder of his absence. The deep sense of loss is so strong that even the passage of Heavenly Gate, the packaging structure in Osogbo, where its remains were preserved before its burial in ijebu-jesa on 11 September 2020, reports a deluge of emotions.

Pa Komolafe was a devoted Christian whose empathy was evident in his unshakable commitment to his family, his community and the education of his children. He never accumulated millions of Naira. However, his actions have barely put a humility that defined his approach to life. Not only did he help us build lives of meaning and stability, but an open and intentional door remained for everyone in his time here. Even when life was inventing and breaking, dad gave us an education and the possibility of becoming someone important.

Five years later, I still miss my father. His absence is a solemn truth: the cemetery is not only full of indispensable men, but also offers a strong reflection of the transitional of life and fragility of human destiny.

Baba Kayode was once the family head of the family, our conferred, friend and defender of the faithful. What he left behind are decent examples of how a Christian gentleman should live. We, his children, now we have a convincing duty to support and transmit these values to subsequent generations. This is the best tribute that we can pay for an exemplary life. Something less would be a betrayal of his trust!

May the Israel stone grant eternal rest to the soul of Pa Sunday Alaba Komolafe and continue to comfort those who left behind.

May the lamb of God, who removes the sin of the world, grants peace in Nigeria!

*Komolafe wrote from Ijebu-Jesa, state of Osun, Nigeria ([email protected]; 08033614419 – SMS only)

Related