Akin,
 May Papa's gentle soul continue to rest in Perfect Peace. Amen
E ku iranti.

Daddy Junaid, thank you for the beautiful daughters and sons you birthed. For the goodness of your soul and hardwork that you showed. For the cheer you spread and the solutions you provided. I could never conjure a picture of weariness or sloppiness in all of the times I have encountered you sir. You were an epitome of astuteness I know your babies and mummy will miss you..but, I am confident the blessed memories you created, while with us will forever linger. Sleep well sir, until God’s perfect day. Heaven’s Gain
Wunmi Ilesanmi

Dear Daddy,

Thank you for looking after me like one of your children, thank you for giving me the landscape of learning to farm and having the opportunity to follow the footsteps of one of your sons to be a Civil Engineer and also a Christian.

I thank God for the things I did that you didn't know about that perhaps 'am not proud of under your roof.....'not about to confess now....but now you know from beyond.

For you no compromise to education and no alternative vision.

Your principles were firmed and very fair irrespective of your previous or background.

In Christ Alone.......
No guilt in life, no fear in death
......................
.......................
Till He returns or calls you home...
Sleep and rest in the blossoms of his Grace

Femi Badmos (Hafeez)

Jum Jum........You were like a father to me, you made it so easy to speak and get counsels from you.....Your words lingers in my heart everyday......You can never be forgotten Dad.......I pray to have the grace of God you had while on Earth and many more. Sleep on Dad......

As a primary school mate of Sina Junaid, I grew up admiring his dad, who I affectionately referred to as "Daddy Junaid". Daddy Junaid was a doting father who will give everything for the betterment of his children. 
As fate would have it, I ended up with Sina in the same A' level class, at the then Ogunpoly and that really brought us closer than before. I was practically a member of the family and had unfettered access to the house which in itself was a great badge of honour.             
'Baba Onile' as Daddy Junaid was often referred to, shared a passion for education, most especially science education ,with my late father. 
Daddy Junaid strongly and I will say rightly believed that the future of any nation lies in science and technology. He celebrated our achievements and challenged us to do more. To him, the sky was never the limit but the starting point.
It was a privilege to sit and learn from you . You gave of yourself selflessly.
Rest on sir, till we meet to part no more.

I am because you were
Hard work ;focused dedication; devotion
Your trademark; The Junaid's trademark
Driving yourself harder
A hostage to your 'name'

And off you go
To the land that leads to where
The saints rest
Driven by factors you had no control over
When the twilight of your journey beckoned


For you were blessed to win
Like the championed sportsman
Adieu! Mathematical Akanni
Adieu!! Knight in shinning armour
Adieu!!! My life teacher and coach
Till we meet to part no more

Keep resting in bossom of your Lord.

I had a father.

We lost a man, so brilliant, honest, trustworthy, organised, an educationist, a disciplinarian, who himself lived a disciplined life.

It was there at NUD/Rev. Kuti/Isabo axis at Abeokuta where The Adeoguns and The Junaids lived together for many years in love and peace before moving to various parts of the world. You were a model, worthy of note.

What can we say but to thank God who giveth and taketh. All glory be to him. We thank God for giving you long and useful years to spend in this world and in the company of children, grandchildren and great achievements. You lived a good and healthy life.

You will forever live in our hearts papa. We love you but Jesus loves you more.
May your gentle soul rest in perfect peace In Jesus Name. Amen.

-Olukunle Adeogun for the Family.

PASSAGE OF AN ICON
I came in contact with Elder Akanni Yahaya Junaid in 2005 when I moved to a house that is adjacently behind his house. As an Elder in the Church, I got close to him by going to visit him in his house on his invitation.
My wife and I got used to the family and his mother-in-law (of blessed memory) to the extent of leaving the house for us to help in taking care of his mother-in-law, this we did for about 3years when the family travelled.
He took me as a confidant seeking advice from me at times, not considering my age. He was always concerned about others, because at a time when I should have been promoted and it has not been done, he will always ask me whenever we are face to face, have they done the promotion? However, when the promotion came, he had gone three days earlier.
Elder was a kind hearted man that people in our area will continue to remember whenever there is electricity fault ( the electricity fault finders will always want someone to come and get them because of what will be given them) he was always to the rescue bearing all the ‘cost ‘ or ‘tips’.
Elder was a liberal man that the needy in the Church, Community and people generally will miss because he always had compassion on them by giving towards their needs
Elder Akanni Yahaya Junaid, we loved you but God loved you the most. 
The euphoria around the time of your 80th birthday in January to that cold Tuesday morning, 10th March 2020 was just as if you had the premonition that the time was close and i think its also to escape all the issues of the pandemic lockdown.

Adieu, Elder Akanni Yahaya Junaid.

           TRIBUTE TO ELDER AKANNI YAHAYA JUNAID

We received with shock the news of the sudden death of our elder- Pa Akanni Junaid.

He was a prominent member of LFC Quarry Road, Abeokuta, who at different times served in different capacities in the administration of the church. He was a seasoned administrator while in the Ogun State Civil Service. On retirement, he went into business and made his impact. Pa Junaid was a fine gentleman, very effective and helpful to the needy, and always making himself available for kingdom service.

We have the assurance that his soul is resting in the bosom of the LORD and it is our prayer that the Good LORD will comfort his family.

THE SANUSIS, LFC QUARRY ABK.

I came to know daddy when I became a wife to his son, Pastor Adeola. Though I am not Yoruba by birth, daddy did everything possible to make me feel at home and accepted in the family.

Daddy, you were indeed an uncommon father in-law - the best any woman could ever have.

Rest in peace sir, you fought a good fight and finished your race.

What is the measure of a man? Is it the amount of money he has? The possessions he owns and the power he holds? Is it the professional success he’s achieved over the years?

I DON'T believe IT IS any of these things...!!!

The TRUE MEASURE of a man is how much love he gives;
How selflessly he shares whatever he can to help others;
How consistently he lifts up those around him with a kind word, a funny joke, a compliment, a humble ear or the very wave of his fingers;
How much he instilled discipline by being himself despite the opinion of the dissenting majority.

Papa Junaid (as I always called him) EPITOMISED all of the above and it was AND STILL IS a blessing knowing such a man...!!!

Would have wished you stayed on this side of Creation longer but your time was up as decreed by The ALMIGHTY...

I know that you ARE IN JOYFUL ACTIVITIES WHERE you are...!!!

May the ALMIGHTY bless your Soul and grant your entire family and the rest of us the equanimity to bear your passing with gratitude for the gift of who you were.

Daddy was a father and mentor to many people in his lifetime. He was an illustrious old boy of the famous Baptist Boys' High School, Abeokuta (BBHS). a Teacher per Excellence and a reliable community leader. I became his adopted son through his son, Musulumi ( now Pastor Adeola) who was my primary school classmate and a childhood friend but now a dear brother. I remember vividly how Daddy was taking Musulumi and I to and from Bode Ijaiye Pry School in his scooter in those days. Of more importance is Daddy's concern about our educational development towards the future through his relentless counselling on various options ofachieving our educational goals. It is no surprise that all his biological children are doing excellently well in their chosen fields of human endeavours. "Whatever ye sow, ye shall reap". I give God the glory for his life. Those of us who were present at his 80th birthday few weeks before his transition were privileged to have offered our last respect to him, as if we knew that his transition was just around the corner. May the Almighty God grant him eternal rest and comfort the entire family in Jesus name.    Adieu Daddy

Daddy Junaid,
Thanks for your kindness and generosity. Through you and your sons Funsho and Akin, I found good friends. Thanks for those days when you brought us food in UCH, Ibadan. You were an inspiration to many of us. I pray God Almighty to grant you eternal rest Daddy. We love you and miss you deeply. Sun re o Daddy Junaid.
Fowobi Gbadebo, MD

My Dearest Friend, "big boy" (like I fondly call you as soon as you turned 80years and you would always respond, "you are closely following me") you were more of a family than a friend to me, you were a brother and a very true friend indeed.

You always stood by me against all odds, through thick and thin, you always had soothing words and understood me better than anyone else did.

The lessons we learned are as consoling as the legacy you have left behind, I will always remember and cherish every moment we shared as you were exceptional.

As you are resting with the Lord right now, on behalf of my family and myself, all I can say is "sun re o, Oremi timo timo. odigbose the man and the only man, till we meet to part no more!"

You came, you saw, you conquered and you were fulfilled and very prepared to meet your Maker. This is a rare privilege given to you by your God. We thank the Almighty God for your fruitful life. Your good deeds will forever live after you and be reaped by your family. Continue to rest in the bosom of the Lord.

Tribute to an accomplished Civil Servant and fine Educationist - Gone but not forgotten.

I want to take a moment to remember Elder Akanni Y. Junaid, my Uncle as I used to call him, that went home to be with the Lord.

I was saddened when I first heard the news of his death recently as it has been a while I have spoken to the family.

The journey started in France when I met Uncle being introduced to me by Betty who used to be my colleague and a sister in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs while attending Bilingual training in Vichy, France. Uncle also came for a UNESCO course in Paris, France while with the Ministry of Education. They were both dating then between 1982 to 1984, when we were in France. During their relationship, Uncle told me in confidence that he was going to marry Betty because she was a virtuous woman.

As a seasoned Educationist and a disciplinarian, Uncle taught me a lot of things to learn when I was studying in France. His selfless knowledge of education really assisted me and Betty to where we are today. When we finally finished our courses, Betty and I came out in a flying colors with the help and prayers by Uncle. Myself and Betty used to be neighbors and closed friends in France. In fact, it was Uncle that strengthened our bond together. I thank God for using Uncle as a good person to emulate in our lives.

When we finally returned home from France, I attended their Marriage Registry in Lagos and also visited them at their house in Abeokuta. I will continue to remember Uncle has a jovial man, God fearing and respectable person. He was loving and caring husband and father to the core while he also lived a fulfilled life at the ripe age of 80.

I pray for my sister Betty and the children he left behind that Almighty God to be with them and comfort them all. Since you have Jesus, nothing to fear.

R.I.P. my wonderful and precious Uncle.


Bola Davies

I heard with shock the death of my friend whom we have not seen ourselves for a long time until when I heard of his death.
Elder Akanni Yahaya Junaid was so humble a person that one can not actually guess his age. He used to treat everybody nicely and equally. I am yet to know how he became a Christian because he bears a Muslim name and I initially thought he was a Muslim until one day when I was courageous enough to ask him. I asked him because of some Christian qualities I observed in him.
I respect him so much because, I knew him through his wife, that was a colleague in the office. Some men will find it difficult to interact with men they know through their wives. Unlike my late friend, he took me as to say he was the one that I first knew and as to say he, introduced me to his wife. I gained many good behaviors from him.
I commisserate with the family and I pray for his gentle soul to rest in perfect peace.

Deacon Abimbade Oyemakinde.

ELDER AKANNI YAHAYA JUNAID - TRIBUTE FROM THE ELDERS FORUM, lLIVING FAITH CHURCH QUARRY ROAD ABEOKUTA.

Elder Akanni junaid was a prominent and active member of the elders forum LFC quarry road, abeokuta. The elders forum regarded him as a good Christian soldier who in the face of any crisis or difficulty, always hold onto God in faith without waving.

Elder junaid was many things to many people : father, brother, mentor, counselor, e. t. c But to everyone, he was a FRIEND. He was very accommodating and hospitable, always listening to complaints and giving his best to resolve issues. He never looked down on anyone, he related to young and old, male and female as friends.

Elder junaid was rooted for his courage, uprightness and discipline. He was a great inspiration to all. It is our belief that death is too little to take him away, his legacies will continue to speak for him.

ADIEU, ELDER AKANNI YAHAYA JUNAID, YOU WERE A TRUE WINNER. REST IN PEACE

FROM ELDER MRS BAMIDELE BOLARINWA CHAIRPERSON ELDERS FORUM LIVING FAITH CHURCH QUARRY ROAD ABEOKUTA

TRIBUTE AND REMINISCENCES ON MY GREAT ADDITIONAL MATHEMATICS TEACHER AND BOARDING HOUSE MASTER IN THE LATE 1970s AT COMPRO

My tribute to Elder Akanni Yahaya Junaid (1940 – 2020) (whom we popularly called Mr. Junaid at school) is somehow relatively lengthy, and I thus seek the indulgence of readers right from the beginning. In any case, a secondary intention of this piece is to refresh our memories on events during high school days some 40+ years ago. It also provides a platform for knowledge acquisition/sharing and for mentoring of current students, prospective students and younger ones. The tribute is in form of reminiscences of two events as they relate to Mr. Junaid at my alma mater, Comprehensive High School, Aiyetoro, via Abeokuta, Ogun State, Nigeria (fondly called COMPRO). I was a boarding house student in this school between 1975 and 1980.

REMINISCENCE/EVENT #1: ELDER JUNAID AS MY ADDITIONAL MATHEMATICS TEACHER

The first event is with respect to my personal experience as a student of his Additional Mathematics (now called Further Mathematics) class between the last quarter of 1978, when I was in Form 4, and June 1980 when I completed my studies in the school. The second event relates to my experience as a boarding student of Blue House where he was House Master between 1977 and 1980. A summary of my general tribute to him and to other teaching and non-teaching staff of mine at the primary and secondary education levels may be found on the website of the Society for the Advancement of ICT & Comparative Knowledge (https://socthadick.org), of which I am the (founding) President.

I begin the narration of the first event by recalling that the school traditionally organized ‘weeding’ (i.e. selection) test/quiz for students who intended to offer Additional Mathematics as a subject. This test normally took place after a few weeks of lectures during the first term of Form 4 (Grade 10). As a rule, only as many students as would fill just one class/arm were selected to offer the course, around 30 or so. So it was generally known that only the best of the best students in mathematics were selected. I was among the few lucky ones who passed the test and so were selected to offer Additional Mathematics up to school certificate level. It was indeed a highly privileged and prestigious class! It is to the eternal credit of our Mr. Junaid that I scored A grade in the Additional Mathematics examination of the 1980 West African School Certificate Examination (WASCE). I was also fortunate to make an A grade in General Mathematics. Although he was not my teacher in the latter, my performance in the subject was boosted by knowledge gained in Additional Mathematics. One particular fact with respect to Additional Mathematics was that only constant practice empowered a student to be in good stead. It was normal that any student who didn’t practice (after school hours) what was taught in a previous class, or at least the last two classes, found it difficult to subsequently understand new concepts taught in class! This was simply due to the complexities and intricacies of the methods involved. An example is solving dy/dx from first principles.

The significant thing about my narration pertains to the style of setting examination questions by Mr. Junaid, our Additional Mathematics teacher. He taught very well and his questions were normally simple enough for an average student who followed his class to answer correctly. He was easily one of my best teachers in secondary school! In actual fact, he used to bring questions directly from his class note, word for word, perhaps only changing some of the constants in the note. Ordinarily, one would have thought that this approach to setting questions would make a typical student lazy. However, on entering the university –University of Ife (Unife) (Obafemi Awolowo University), Ile-Ife – later for my undergraduate degree programme, I noticed that an Indian teacher, Engr. Khan, who taught us a 300 level Civil Engineering course entitled ‘Strength of Materials’ also had the habit of exactly bringing examples solved for us in class as examination questions! Despite this style of setting questions, while some students used to score very high marks in the examinations, there were still some who used to perform woefully.

This tended to simply confirm to me that any student who did not understand the basic concept(s) of a mathematics question, even though it is ‘lifted’ word for word from a class note, will miss important steps of the question. And this will easily make an examiner to know that the student doesn’t understand the fundamental principle involved. Of course, the above style of setting examination questions works more effectively if examination malpractice, including smuggling of class notes into the examination hall, is prevented. Generally, good marks are awarded in mathematics subjects basically for understanding the methods involved, and not for getting the answers per se! This peculiar style of grading a mathematics examination paper became clearer to me towards the late 1990s when I served as an examiner for the General Mathematics paper of the West African Examinations Council (WAEC). Higher marks are awarded for method (normally denoted by M) and lower marks (usually 1 or 2) are given for self-evident result requiring no proof, called block (denoted by B) and for accuracy or answer (denoted by A). Thus, mathematics examination papers are graded using the M-B-A format.

Interestingly, after an initial study of environmental engineering (Building Technology, to be precise), I followed the footstep of my teacher, Mr. Junaid, by obtaining degree(s) in Mathematics. That is, I received a B.Sc. (Mathematics) degree and later, a M.Sc. (Mathematics) degree, although mine degree(s) were however received in a Faculty of Science. These were followed by other degrees, including a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D) degree in Computer Science from the University of Ibadan. Thus, the initial passion I had for Mathematics, as stimulated by my Additional Mathematics teacher, Mr. Junaid, had significant impact on my several intellectual adventures (search for complete knowledge) since I left high school. That is, the good mathematics background which I received from Mr. Junaid’s class significantly assisted me in subsequent years. For instance, despite the fact that my level of devotion to the sciences relatively dwindled in favour of the arts and humanities in the post 1980 era, I easily had reasonably good grades in Mathematics subjects/courses during the Lower Six of my Higher School Certificate (HSC) programme when I studied Physics-Chemistry-Mathematics subject combination. This was at the Federal School of Arts and Science, Ondo (FSASON) in the 1980/81 academic session; the same good grades were obtained during my 100 level as an environmental engineering student in the 1981/82 session at Unife.

On a concluding note with respect to my experience as a student of the Additional Mathematics class of Elder Junaid, I wish to say that my recent knowledge about his background educational training (beyond classroom pedigree) clearly reveals why he was such a thorough-bred teacher. In other words, that he received both NCE and B.Sc. (Mathematics Education) degree now makes me to simply retort by saying ‘no wonder’! That is, I am no more surprised why he embraced a peculiar methodology of impacting knowledge, having known now that he was trained at both a College of Education and Faculty of Education! Elder Junaid surely excelled in teaching!

REMINISCENCE/EVENT #2: ELDER JUNAID AS MY HOSTEL MASTER

The second reminiscence/event of my encounter with Elder A. Y. Junaid relates to the famous Room 10 of the Blue House boys hostel at COMPRO. First, there is need to describe the structure and location of this room, especially for the benefit of Compronians who were not members of the house, and outsiders who didn’t have the opportunity to visit the school. Room 10, Blue House, is in a sense, a special room. It is a small size student dormitory, unlike the typical large dormitories. By tradition, the room was inhabited by Form 5 (Grade 11) students from time immemorial. As a digression, it is important to note that COMPRO had all along been one of the privileged schools which had a Higher School Certificate (HSC) arm – Lower Six and Upper Six. Students in this arm were normally accommodated in special hostel outside the school campus, called ‘Doga’. At a stage, by governmental policy, the HSC class was abolished for a few years. By the time it was reinstated, the Management of COMPRO decided to accommodate HSC students in the conventional hostel on campus.

By the time I was entering Form 1 (7th Grade) in 1975, the HSC system was abolished, and was only reinstated around 1979. Now, when the school had an HSC class, school prefects were selected from the class, being the most senior class. However, when the HSC class was abolished, Form 5 (11th Grade) students were made prefects. The key gist about Room 10 in this reminiscence is that it was occupied by Form 5 students, at least between 1975 and 1979, before the introduction of the HSC class. In late 1979 when my set was in Form 5 (1st term), by which time the HSC class had been re-introduced, the HSC students (from whose class the prefects were selected) wanted to forcefully take over the room from we the occupants of the room. The occupants of the room and their room friends/associates at the time included Bamidele Olopade (this writer, fondly nicknamed ‘PADE’ Jnr), Taofeek Onatunde (‘Brother Tao’), Kayode Adeyemi (aka Kongi), Nureni Adeniran (‘Alagbara’), Tunde Obajinmi (‘PARIS’), Olumide Fadina (‘PLUTO’) and Abisoye Adeyemi (‘Ajakara’).

When the HSC students attempted to eject us from the room, we the occupants quickly used a masterstroke by deploying our cordial relationship with Sina Junaid. Apart from the fact that Sina is the son of our housemaster, he was also our classmate, though living with his father in the official duplex of the housemaster, adjacent to Room 10. We briefed Sina who contacted his father and relayed back to us our housemaster’s sympathy for our plight, and his decision to support us. To cut the long story short, the elderly Mr. Junaid ruled that we should continue to occupy the room since it had traditionally been occupied by Form 5 students, who were final year students. This is a significant event that pointed to Mr. Junaid’s firmness. Permit me to say that he was of course a highly respected and regarded teacher and housemaster in the school. One will not easily forget this event because, had we occupants been denied the legitimate use of Room 10, the comfort and privacy enjoyed by using the room would have been forfeited. Also, the HSC students, who seemingly say Form 5 students as rivals, would have scored a cheap and embarrassing point against us. Interestingly, the famous Room 10 was located on the ground floor of the one-storey Blue House. It is the last room encountered before the residence of the House Master. In fact, the room is located by the boundary of the Blue House, less than 10m to boundary of the house master’s residence.

On this final note, I say adieu Elder Junaid! Adieu our great Additional Mathematics teacher! Adieu our Blue House master! And lastly, on behalf of the Society for the Advancement of ICT & Comparative Knowledge, whose mandate is partly to showcase knowledge and its transmitters, I say au revoir!

COMPRONIAN “PADE” (Jnr), 1975 – 1980 set
Bamidele Olopade (Oluwade)
Professor of Computer Science & President, Society for the Advancement of ICT & Comparative Knowledge (SOCTHADICK); https://socthadick.org

The death of Boda mi came as a rude shock because he was to visit me the day he died. However, I give thanks and glory to God Almighty because
Elder Yaya Akanni Junaid, Boda mi as I fondly call him, who was a staunch Muslim by birth knew Jesus Christ before he died. I remember that on many occasions he was angry and very crossed with me because he thought I was instrumental to his children's conversion to Christianity. But God in His infinite mercy got Boda mi himself converted and he became an Elder.
He was an educationist and a disciplinarian. He loved his children and family. He was loving and caring husband and father. He was my confidant, mentor and adviser. I will miss him. Boda mi, until we meet to part no more. May your gentle soul rest in perfect peace. Odi gbo se. Sun re o.

Elder Joju Fadairo.

Tribute to Elder Akanni Junaid.

My sister, Mrs Betty Adaku Junaid, coming from a Bilingual training from Paris, France, introduced this tall and dark man and said, he's Mr Akanni Junaid from Abeokuta in Ogun State and she wants to marry him. ln my usual self, I said, "then he is my "boyfriend too". Elder Akanni Junaid was unstoppable as he proceeded to Ngwaland in Abia State for the traditional marriage. I was present at the Marriage Registry which took place in Lagos. Elder Junaid was such a determined man, and an interesting fellow promising to always love and cherish my sister even in the midst of difficult times. Adieu my in-law, Adieu my boyfriend, Adieu Elder Akanni Junaid. Rest in Peace.

It is really difficult for me to come to terms with the reality that Daddy Junaid is no more. Hmm, like I was fond of addressing him, Daddy was such a calm and fine gentleman full of passion for all.
Well, death is inevitable. It marks the end of our sojourn on earth. No one knows when it will come. But I pray to the ALMIGHTY to make our exit a peaceful and glorious one.
To my sister Adaku, I pray the good LORD in his infinite mercy, continues to be with you and lead you and all the children left behind.
May you continue to flourish and prosper. May the Divine Power of ALLAH that holds the Heavens and the Earth without pillars continue to lift you up above all challenges of life and guide you, Amin.
I pray that God Almighty gives you, his children and the family he left behind the strength to carry on and keep alive those ideals he was noted for.
May the gentle soul of our Daddy continue to rest in perfect peace, Amin.

"When beggars die, no comet seen the heaven itself bleeds forth the death of a prince".
When we gathered to celebrate daddy's birthday in January this year, it never crossed my mind that the goodbye we said to him was the last. He was full of life.
What can we say when a saint has finished his pilgrimage here on earth, he has gone to a better place.
We lost Daddy but heaven gained a saint.
To my sister Betty, there is no need to mourn for he lived a fulfilled life indeed, loving and serving God till the end and so there's hope for you and the children.

The Comforter will always be there for you and the family.
Daddy, continue to rest in perfect peace at the bossom of our Lord Jesus Christ.

TRIBUTE TO ELDER AKANNI YAHAYA JUNAID
We will forever miss you. It was like a dream when we heard of your death, still finding it difficult to believe. We shall always remember you as a caring and loving husband, father, grand father and also a reliable friend. We are proud to have relationship with you while you were here on earth. May your soul rest in perfect peace, Amen.
FROM ELDER EDUN AND FAMILY

My heart was broken when I first hard the news, and still hurt whenever I think about it.

I am grateful for you and the wonderful children you left with us. We call you Jumjum, and could not have asked for a better Jumjum.

Thank you for accepting Chun and I to your family, FreshGirl, Sista Bola, Ade, Shabi and Dami are lucky for the life you shared.

You will forever be missed. Rest well JumJum.

Gone But Never Forgotten

Janet

Tribute To A Wonderful And Amazing Man!

From the very first day I met you I knew you were my daddy too! You and your family accepted me and welcomed me into your home, and treated me like one of you. Daddy, you knew no stranger, and that became more and more obvious the longer I lived with you and your family.

To me, you were the measure of a man: strong and confident, yet gentle and caring; astute and organised, yet loving and jovial; God fearing and respectable, yet kind hearted and understanding. No words can accurately sum up your essence and the pure generosity that you showed me and many others that I know. You are one in a million! You gave strength and hope to many, and helped them fulfil their dreams. I am a testament to it, and I cannot thank you enough.

Although you’re gone from this world, in my heart you will always live. I will miss your humour, your calm counsels, your prayers and support, and most importantly, your fatherly guidance.

Thank you for opening up your heart and your home to me. Knowing you and your family enriched my life and I feel very blessed to have known you. Once again, thank you! My entire family also say a huge thank you to you.

Your light will never go out in our hearts.

Here’s to a life well lived!

Joseph Afolabi

Adieu! Adieu!! My Senior!!!
From Engr. Olayinka Abiodun.
Elder Yahaya Akanni Junaid was a student at the Baptist Boys High School OkeSaje Abeokuta between 1960 and 1964.
I was with him between 1962 and 1964, he was such a kind senior. We happened to be in the same House (Pinnock House) in which he was a good leader.
He often used his body stature to defend we Juniors with small body frames as against many of his mates in those days that were bullies.
We parted in 1964 only to be lucky in meeting him again about fifteen years ago through his wife Mrs Betty Adaku Junaid and had remained his old self in the service of God vineyard....... an enviable and respected elder in Winners Chapel where we were both serving the Lord.
May his soul rest in perfect peace.
I will always remember him for the school song that we used to sing together " Blest be the tie that bind us "
May he rest in the bosom of our Lord Jesus Christ till we meet to part no more.

Adieu my Senior.

TRIBUTE TO A MAN WITH A GOLDEN HEART.
Daddy, your death is still a great shock to me, can't still believe that you are gone but who are we to ask God why!!!! I was so privileged to know you Sir during my service year at Abeokuta .You took me as your daughter... Sir your care was so amazing!!!Casting back my mind into retrospect,l remembered a certain day, a Corper colleague of mine and I were desperately looking for where to get water, you saw us with our kegs and buckets and immediately called us to come,fetch water in your Compound,even when you didn't know us from anywhere.Not once,not twice.....In fact your act of kindness deared most of us to you, back then as a Father.ls it your jokes each time one is around you,your jokes will surely make one to laugh and laugh hmmm...You are such a great and wonderful person.....May you continue to rest in the bosom of the Lord. The memory of your kind-heartedness will ever linger in my heart Sir.Adieu,Daddy.
Chinwe Enekwizu

May your soul rest with the Lord, Amen. When I first saw you,I thought as an elder, you were one of them that sees themselves as a semi-god. I never knew you were humble and God fearing, even to be in the midst of the lower class people's unit. My personal encounter with you indeed proved to me that you were a man with a Heart of gold.
Never minding your status, you still mingled with all.
Your demise, Elder Junaid as I fondly called you has created an irreplaceable void.
Rest on in the bosom of the Almighty.

Thanks 4 accepting me into your family which always make me feel like ur blood. I have learned so much being w u during ur lifetime.
Memories of you fill my mind like a million beautiful stars in d night sky. If d only thing that could kept you alive was love, u would have lived a v more long time. But it v certain that a beautiful soul like yours will never be forgotten bcus you are still loved, missed & cherished by the Akinwandes'

Daddy we thank God for your life and celebrate the time we had with you. You affected so many lives.You loved your family but shared them with so many of us . You inspired greatness in all.
You will forever be missed

My daddy as I used to call you because You were a father to me. You thought me how be come a rich person and to fear God in all we do in life cuz one day we would leave and everything we do would speaks after us. That made me remembered what you had impacted into my life today .Your heart was so pure, you took everyone that come across you as your family members. I pray that you should rest in perfect peace of almighty God. We love you daddy but God loves most good night till we meet again in the bosom of God .Your son azeez jelili akinsanya. Aaaaaaaaaaakin. As you used to call me. Buy daddy.

I celebrate your life daddy...You were a father to me. You ease the burden of those around you with your jokes,loving and peaceful nature. My soul knows you are at peace..... Continue to reign and rest in the bossom of the Lord

Akin Junaid and I were classmates at Abeokuta Grammar School from 1981 to 1986. I would say I first met Papa Junaid in 1982 or thereabout. During my interactions with Papa Junaid in all those years that followed whenever I visited Akin at their home in Abeokuta, he struck me as a very humble, affectionate and warm character. He was a disciplined father. He believed in educational excellence, and little wonder the Junaids at Abeokuta Grammar School excelled.
May his gentle and loving soul rest in peace. Amen.

Thoughts of you transcend time!

May I start with a thank you? Thank you for sharing your amazing world with us!

We will always remember your lively nature, smiles, jokes, and care. We will remember the opportunities you shared, the hand of friendship you extended to our home, and sweet fellowship.

You touched our hearts with fairness and diplomacy, yet unafraid to defend truths. Hearts mourn your departure daddy, especially the children and friends you have loved dearly, but knowing thoughts of you transcends time remains our comfort.

Forever in our hearts and memories, our Elder Junaid x
Ileola

I celebrate life of whom I can authoritatively call a father with exemplary lifestyle. I believed Daddy is not dead, rather, relocated to our memory. I will forever cherish the awesome moment we shared together. I can never forget his comic and peace loving nature, no dulling when daddy guest your gathering. It's a life well spent. Rest on Dad! Rest on lover of God!

My dear inlaw,Elder Jinadu,I have never forgotten my first discussion on the phone with you when I got to know you are married to one of our sisters.When you told me your name, I asked you if you are a Christian or a moslem cos your name sounds like a moslem.You replied,'A moslem saved by grace'That was how our relationship started.For the period I knew you,your calm comportment and approach to issues show that the grace of God was really upon your life. You had a loving and giving heart.When we attended your 80th Birthday ceremony some months ago,little did I know that would be our last meeting but the celebration revealed you lived a fulfilled life when I saw all your children and grandchildren all flocking around you with great joy.You are gone,yet your legacies live on.Farewell my dear brother. Rest in the bosom of your Lord and may He grant you eternal piece in Jesus mighty name. Professor Godfrey Nnamdi Ezeri.

Daddy Junaid,
We thank the Father-God for giving us the privilege to know you on this side of eternity.
You told us at your 80th birthday celebration in clear terms that you were ready to cross over to eternity but because we wanted you around for longer we did not process the thought of you leaving anytime soon.
We are confident that you are resting in peace because we serve the God of the living. May God comfort the hearts of your wife, children and loved ones.
Adieu Daddy!
Omotola Bello
LFC Quarry
Abeokuta

I met Elder Junaid when I joined the Living Faith Church, aka Winners Chapel, Abeokuta in the year 2000. I had always respected him as a man who has a heart for God. In one of my few encounters with him,he got to know I was a teacher of English language and he asked me to take his children. This task brought me so close to the family thereby knowing this great man more.
He was a family man to the core. A disciplinarian per excellence. He was kind,loving and very witty.
I had so much to learn from him while I worked with his family. He was very accommodating.
The news of his death came as a rude shock. May his gentle soul rest in perfect peace.

Indeed a great lost. Very humble man to the core. Met this gentle man in London United Kingdom and he welcomed me with a magnificent heart. May the lord forgive all his shortcomings. Rest in peace sir

I call him my adopted dad. I met him physically in 2016, but I had known him virtually since 2000. Oh daddy, never a dull moment with him. He was full of life, a dedicated and selfless man of God.

We love and miss you , our very 'Clueful' dad and grand dad, continue to rest in God.

I met daddy JUNAID first time in September, 1978, at Comprehensive High School Staff Quarter, Aiyetoro, where I had gone to spend my holiday with my Sister’s family, G. A. ELEGBEDEs. As fate would have it, I met him again Sometime in 1983, at ABEOKUTA, I had gone to his house to see one of his children, my classmate, Funso. Their flat was dead silent and everybody was reading in the sitting room. This scene was strange to me considering my background. I had been privileged to meet him teaching his children Mathematics a couple of time and each time, I quickly seized the opportunity and joined them. He was a great and born teacher! I never went to his house without my books even if I was going there to play because Baba JUNAID was a disciplinarian to the core. Adieu Baba and continue to rest in the bosom of your Lord...Kola Ojerinde

We give thanks to God for a fulfilled life. There was no period of his life that he had any cause to regret: was it when he was an Education Officer in the State Ministry of Education, a lecturer at Ogun State Polytechnic (now Moshood Abiola Polytechnic, Abeokuta or when he became a Christian? Elder Junaid was a loving and lovable father, grandfather, brother and an in-law.
We are grateful for what God had made him achieve in life because he had, indeed, touched the life of many people. May his gentle soul continue to rest in the bossom of the Lord. The Onifades.

I was shocked when I learnt about daddy's departure. I know him to be a strong energetic (even at his age), exciting and very lovely and loving elder statesman.
I was privileged to be his pastor back then in Abeokuta. I respect him for one thing, he never indulged in what is often known as Church politics. Was a man with an open heart for everyone 
Daddy may your lovely and loving soul rest in perfect peace in Jesus Holy name. Adieu

Rest in Peace Pa Junaid. Thank you for a life well spent. Thank you for the lives you touched. Thank you for the beautiful children God gave you and trained by you! I happened to partake in the lives of some of your children and my friendship and memories of then and now is beautiful and still sweet! Rest in Peace.
The Adeogun Family.

To My Teacher and Mentor,

Mr Junaid. My house master (Blue House) in Comprehensive High School Aiyetoro. And my Mentor.

Unfortunately, after he left us on transfer, (I am not sure where to, either Oyo State or Ministry of Education Abeokuta), our paths did not cross again although I was in constant contact with his son Akin, who was a business associate of Isaac Olaogun.
However I was delighted to see him (for the last time) at our 738 Set's 40th anniversary reunion where he was our Chairman and guest of honour.

As house master ,Mr Junaid had so much trust in me, that I had the singular responsibility of driving his children (Akin & siblings) to school, in his most cherished Igala Volkswagen car. I must add that this privilege did not earn me any favours. On the contrary, he expected me to be of best behaviour at all times and excel academically. Unfortunately I wasn't good at maths, which was his forte.

This act, in no small manner, influenced my sense of responsibility. I am forever grateful. Sir.

Unfortunately, I missed his 80th birthday celebrations due to other family commitments.

We are all glad that we made the effort to honour him as a class set. It came to us as a rude shock when we heard of his death.

May Papa Junaid' s soul rest in perfect peace. May He equally grant the entire family the fortitude to bear this irreplaceable loss.

Amen!

Baba Onile, as nicknamed by the children, will fondly be remembered for his love for family values and penchant for educational advancement and pursuit of academic excellence.

His love and vision for his children had no second version, he wanted the best for all, and no matter the divide, Baba made it seem like non existent bringing everyone together under one fold. He made the Junaid family one to crave for with deep and interesting study.

Baba knew by full names a handful of his children's classmates. He knew those that were their serious contenders in school, and those were the only ones who could gain a pass to the Junaid's family house at Isabo, Abeokuta. You could only be guaranteed a pass to the Junaid's home only if clutched with either a maths or any of the sciences' text books, an indication that you were there for a serious business. Sometimes when our real intention was to catch up on our youthful stuff, we knew how to beat Baba Junaid to his game, we woukd only have to grab our copy of a text book.

He was such a pleasant disciplinarian whose agenda was as if to match the tough discipline we received from Baba Oris at school(Abeograms) with some core doses of moral brainwashing from the home front. It may seem like we were handled so tough, but Baba never denied us of our youthful preserves. It would go down memory lane that the Junaids were amongst the few proud owners of the Raleigh brand of bicycles in those days. For those of us who never had one, we looked at the Junaids with such envy. Only a caring and loving father takes the comfort of his children to heart.

He was no doubt a no nonsense man who devoted his life for the service of God and humanity. He had his rules and regulations well laid out for membership of the famous Junaid's family, a stance which must have earned him the popular Baba Onile (the Lord and Master of the House rules) nomenclature from the children. He was never unaware of the children's antics and teases.

He was a loving father and an erudite scholar with an unusual sense of humor, always connecting with people of different generations. He was a mentor of note and father to many even those not biologically connected to him. You would wonder sometimes if Pa Junaid was running a boys hostel at that time.

I am proud to have been a friend of his son Akin Junaid, and by extension a distant son of Baba. I know we made you proud, for all that you sowed into us. I remember now that warm embrace we had few months ago at your 80th birthday, little did I know that was a goodbye embrace from you.

May your soul rest in peace Baba! Amen!

Please accept our sincere condolences on the demise of your beloved father. He was a deep gentleman who practically demonstrated his love and commitment to his family. I was privileged to meet him when he personally came to my office requesting contact with the offspring of my deceased client in respect of a matter that had occurred a few decades earlier. I was awed by his commitment to purpose and inclined to make the necessary connections. I naturally felt comfortable dealing with you, knowing you are a "chip of the old block"!
May his soul rest in peace.

Ven. FAOAdekunle

Baba Arsenal, you came, Olorun yo e. I would fined you heavily. You hadn’t come to say hello to me in a very long time. His words, when he saw me at his birthday celebrations. I would have regretted this so much if I hadn’t made it to your 80th birthday. A perfect gentleman, never a dull moment anytime I found myself visiting or chatting with him on the phone. Anytime I fondly call him, Elder JINODU, his response is always, you this boy. I am happy that you met Jesus and without any doubt, you are with the saints singing Hallelujah to the King of kings and Lord of Lords. Akin and other siblings God will grant you all the fortitude to bear this irreplaceable loss. RIP Baba JINODU.

We give Thanks and praises to God for a life well spent. Pa Junaid have been an inspiration to many of us. I was priviledged like so many others to have been a student in his Mathematics and Additional Mathematics ( now call Further-Maths) class at Comprehensive High School Ayetoro, Ogun State. We will always remember his steadfastness, firmness and fairness, forever in our hearts for he made us successful men/women we are today. We love you but God loves you most. May you continue to rest in the bosom of your maker. It is well. 
I pray that the Almighty God will strengthen and Comfort the entire family and friends. May Pa Junaid gentle soul rest in perfect peace. Amen