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TRIBUTES GALORE AT BURIAL OF HON. TEJUOSHO’S FATHER

CHIEF (Dr.) Emmanuel Ademola Smith, father of Hon. Adefunmilayo Tejuosho, who died on Wednesday, February 12, 2014, and was buried on Friday, February 28, 2014, couldn’t have had it better in death.

There were a lot of tributes paid to him particularly as it concerned his contribution to the health sector of the country.

His children too paid glowing eulogies to their father who they said shaped their lives to what it is today.

These are some of the tributes by four of the children…

 

‘He was my best friend’

– MRS. ALERO SMITH-ADELEYE, first child

DSC_0253.3JPGAccept our condolence on the death of your father.

Thank you very much.

How did you get to know about his death?

My brother-in-law, Mr. Kayode Tejuosho called me in the US and broke the news to me.

Did you have any premonition that he was going to die?

Yes, I did. I knew his time was coming but I didn’t think it was going to be so soon.  I am happy within me because he knew the Lord.  A week before he died, I dreamt that some people took him out in a maroon car.  He was in the back of the car waving to me, he was so happy. He was grinning from ear to ear.  That is why right now I know he is at peace and he is in the bosom of the Lord. I asked him how are you doing daddy?  He said I am in God’s Hand.  He is truly in God’s Hand.

How much of him will you say you will miss?

A lot.  He was my best friend.  I called him all the time and we spoke all the time.

When last did you see him before he died?

I saw him last when my oldest daughter got married.  We came to Nigeria.

What year was that?

In 2012.

 

‘He made me what I am today’

 – DR. DOTUN SMITH, Second son

DSC_02583Our condolence on the death of your father.

Thank you very much. I saw a lot of people here, we thank everybody.

How much of your dad would you miss?

I will miss just about everything. He made me what I am. Without him, I wouldn’t be a doctor. Being that he was a doctor, I thought of no other profession than medicine and I succeeded.  He laid a good foundation for me.  Like I always say, he was a very good man.  He made sure all his children were very well educated.

When was the last time you saw him?

About two days before he died.

Did you have any premonition about his death?

I knew he was sick but I didn’t think he was going to die so soon. He took me by surprise.

 

‘He did so much for the country’

– HON. FUNMI TEJUOSHO, last daughter

DSC_0255Our condolence on the death of your father.

Thank you very much.

Did you have any premonition he was going to die?

No, I did not. I didn’t expect him to die so soon.  I thought he would live to be 100.  Towards the end of his days, he was a little bit frail. He was looking older but I never thought he would die the day he died. It was a shock to me when I got the news.

How did you receive the news of his death?

My father’s wife called me and I rushed to his house.

When was the last time you saw him before that?

I saw him last on Saturday (February 8) and he died on Wednesday (February 12).

How much of him would you say you will miss?

I will miss everything about him.  This was a man that was very selfless.  He was a man that did so much for the country like you have heard from a lot of testimonies. He was in the forefront of eradication of small pox in the country.  He was a man that believed so much in education.  He sent all his children to school.  As much as you are willing to go, he was willing to pay for it.  We are all going to miss him.  He had a special relationship with all his children and grandchildren.  I don’t know who is going to fill that void.  We are glad that he lived a good life and that is why we are celebrating him.

I remember when I wanted to go into politics, it was advice galore from him.  Every single advice he gave me has been very useful.  Most of the things he told me would happen in politics I have experienced.  I appreciate his advice.  It made me a strong person.  It has helped me to succeed.  I thank God that I had a father like him.

‘He was a doting father’

–              MRS. ADEFUNMILOLA DEMI-AJAYI, second daughter

DSC_02503Our condolence on the death of your father.

Thank you very much.

How much of him would you say you will miss?

I will miss all of him.  He was a doting father. He was a great achiever.  He was one of the unsung heroes of Nigeria in the medical profession.

Why did you say so?

He did a lot for the country. He worked very hard in eradicating small pox in Nigeria. He also worked very hard to eradicate lassa fever which I am not sure has actually been achieved.  He was a very seasoned epidemiologist.  He was a very good father. He spent all he had on his children and his family. He made sure we all had good education. That was his legacy.  He made sure he gave all his children, including his non-biological children very good high standard education.

When last did you see him before he died?

I saw him last a day before he died in his house.  We talked, he was always putting his affairs in order.  He was very organized, reasonable and objective.  So, he was able to lead us on this direction.  As he has gone away we thank God and give Him the glory.  We don’t regret anything at all.

Did you have any premonition he was going to die?

No, I had no premonition.  You will never want your father to die, no matter how old he is. I felt that he would never die because he strode around like a colossus.  Even in the house, he would tell you to be responsible to yourself, your country and to your profession.  He really instilled that in me and I will carry it for the rest of my life.

 –              TOLANI ABATTI

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