Kayode Fahm was  one inspirational personality I longed to meet since the first time I read an article he wrote on career development in the now rested magazine " BOTTOM LINE" . I am very  shocked to have discovered today he passed on last year while I was researching on internet and came across someone else bearing his surname ( Abdulraheem Fahm of Visionscape). I suddenly remembered him and just typed Kayode Fahm into the browser search to check on what he is up to now and the first link that came up was this memorial site.  I can't just explain the motions now but rather than being demoralised I found greater motivation from the opening quote .You were a gift to this generation , to Nigeria, Africa and the world.  You life is an inspiration in being deliberate.,focused and passionate about the things we care and love. It is painful I never had the opportunity to meet you but I will always find consolation in the  legacy you have left behind for the world. May you worthy deeds keep resonating  to inspire all your admirers to leave the world a better place.RIP Mr Kayode FAHM.

I still can’t believe the news I received from my friend Paul (ky’s training partner).

Total shock, so, so sad.

I met ky back in the early 90’s in the gym training and we became friends from sharing the passion and love for the martial arts. We had many great conversations about martial arts and combat when he came to visit me at my Kung fu school. We also shared and exchanged many Kung fu films which we both loved. He had such a passion for life.

I will always remember he was a giant of a man with a smile to match.

Rest in peace my friend, you will always be remembered,my condolences to the family. Jack Kontou.

Tolulope may Almighty God comfort you and your Mum. May his gentle soul rest in peace

He was not a pastor, neither was he an imam, but u knw wat, his lyf was a one worth emulating.

Toluwani Jumbo

"Once we make peace with our own fears we can spread and share that peace with others.." Kayode Fahm

"Remember to enjoy what you love to do...don't get lost in the details." Kayode Fahm. 

"The tragedy of life is not death but what we let die inside of us while we live." Kayode Fahm

I met Kayode Fahm as a Consultant in Futureview Financial Services Group in 2013 and ever since, I have seen him as a complete Gentleman who was Humility personified, he never took offence at anything or at anyone, all he did was to smile and thereafter let you know how inappropriate you have behaved and then offer his counsel.

He was a Consultant per excellence, very objective and straight to the point, a goal getter and achiever. He held performance and productivity in high esteem. He was a great Counsellor who mentored a whole lot of young ones.

Kayode will be missed for his 'Can do spirit' by most of us he left behind especially the Organizations he consulted for.

My sincere condolence to his immediate family.

Good night Kayode Fahm my big brother.

It saddens me that I have to write this for Kayode Fahm now; wishing he had stayed till good old age before exiting. I have known Mr. Fahm for 11 years and he is one of the most pleasant people I have met all my life. We worked together at Afrinvest and had an organized knowledge sharing session prior to joining the firm. He had such a warm disposition, a smile as bright as the “sun”, very simple approach to life, making it so easy to relate with him and most of all, very HUMBLE.

The news of his passing came as a shock; I had received a birthday message from him a few days earlier; he always did every year. I pray God rests his beautiful soul and may He console his family at this difficult time.

He is gone before us too soon! Certainly, his precious memories will remain in our hearts. This is your time, Mr. Fahm; ours will surely come! In everything, we say, the Lord gives and takes, blessed be his holy name! 

I met Kayode while working at Afrinvest West Africa Limited, and even after leaving Nigeria, I continued to follow his life on social media.

Kayode, how you spoke of your daughter then (she was 11) was with such pride and admiration, it made me long to meet her. Your dedication and discipline when it came to your craft - be it in the office, or the classical guitar or martial arts was admirable. The Ghetto Classics team in Korogocho Kenya will surely miss you - they spoke highly of you.

The world will surely be a poorer place without you.

Rest in Peace!

Ley has always spoken of her father with such warmth and pride. From the time we became friends in secondary school she loved to speak of him with affection and a smile – yet I had never met him. When I finally did meet Uncle, I understood why she loved her father so much. He was lovely, with a kind smile and an authoritative manner which only sought to make you stand tall and listen to what he said.

I remember Uncle taking Ley and me out for lunch one day and I was struggling to finish my pizza. I knew I wouldn’t be able to eat it all but I’d ordered it anyway. At some point Leyla looked at me and sensing my discomfort, laughed, as she watched me struggling to finish everything on my plate. Uncle asked her what she was laughing at and she proceeded to tell him that I was forcing myself to finish my food. I remember Uncle just smiled and said I shouldn’t worry that I couldn’t finish it. I felt so relieved because it was the first time I had ever met him and I didn’t want him to think I was wasteful. He was so kind and that’s what I’ll remember – so, so kind. And he always did everything to make Leyla happy.

Rest in perfect peace Uncle Kayode,

Thank you for blessing us with your beautiful daughter

Hazel x

Kayode was an unusual person because of his single minded dedication to whatever he considered important. These included among other things his music, his martial arts, fitness and inspiring people. He was very inspiring in his zeal and commitment to excellence, the varied experiences that he sought and lent himself to, in his eloquence in speech and performance. He was a decent soul. I wish the world had more people of his quality. I wish you a great journey in the vast beyond, there is no doubt you will have a diverse and exceptional experience just like you enjoyed here on earth. I wish you joy, enjoyment and fulfillment. 

Kai, my family is still in shock about your passing.  You were such a fine, humble, honest and pure gentleman.  Oh how Aunty Belinda, your London Mother will miss you so much. Having prepared to receive on Tuesday, she got the SAD news of your passing. Indeed good things don't last for God has a lot for you to do in HEAVEN! Bravo for a job well done, a life well spent, for your reward will be great in heaven. Tolu, you were the apple of your dad's eye. May he live in you each hour of the day and may light perpetual shine on KAI's gentle soul. RIP KAI.  

I was hoping it wasn’t true. I was hoping it was just fake news. I can’t quite believe it IS true. How could someone like you so vital so honest so decent be gone so early? Why? I am aghast! I met Kayode at Murtala Mohammed Airport. I was green in my new job as a legal counsel for a British Multinational. It was about 5/6am and I was rough, groggy, make-up free and embarrassed that as he talked to me I was not looking my best! But as you have all noted here, he wasn’t about the surface! He was a deeper person than that. Every once in a while in the world, God makes people who surpass others spiritually. He was one like this. He was impossibly talented, impossibly handsome, impossibly intelligent and impossibly fit! Forget triple threat this was a quadruple threat! But yet, there was a vulnerability which made him humble and incredibly human. He was so down to earth, such a true man of the people he would have made an excellent Politician for our country. Can’t quite believe Kayode is gone. God always takes the pure ones soon it seems. Kayode made a mark on me since 2002 when I met him at the airport. I’ll never forget his words of encouragement as I revealed my terror at some upcoming business meetings (the reason for my visit to Nigeria back then). It’s so funny that of late even though I now live oceans away, I had been fondly recalling Kayode and his classical guitar.... because I recently in the last 3 months took up guitar lessons. I was thinking how ironic it was when I met him  and he was so adept and skilled at guitar that one had felt quite iadequate: Imperial College,banker, guitar expert, martial arts expert, and humble to boot, and now I wished to learn the guitar. I wish I could tell him: “you’ll never believe it Kayode, I’ve taken up guitar!” Ha. God knows best. This is the solace I keep to make sense of it all.... Only God knows best. We thank God for his daughter. My dear, you sound like a wonderful person, may your Father’s exceptional spirit and gift live within you and with us forever. Kayode is gone, but never forgotten.

Rest In Peace Ky!

“Find Your Gift, and Give It Away” this statement has played on my mind since news of your passing broke. What truth you spoke! You epitomized this in your uncommon life – you lived in service of others and did so with tremendous impact and so generously too. So many of us are better for having had you in our lives…I personally credit you for mentoring me through my deliberate re-career out of public health and into leadership development…you continuously validated my gift and I’m still working on the ‘giving it away’ part :-)

Ky, you had such a BEAUTIFUL gift…and invested so much time honing your craft…never taking it for granted – continuously developing it. I recall last October when showing my nephews William and Baraka your action shots in that famous motivational video “Believe” – William asked you in his innocent way “How do you do THAT??” you replied without batting an eyelid “practice”. You were all about discipline and practice – indeed your training and practice regimen were ‘insane’ (from where I sit) yet it was so important to you to be the best version of yourself and this was the way you did so. Buddy, you raised the bar for so many…I know your life will continue to inspire many of us to pursue a life of discipline and to push through the discomfort required to truly hone one’s craft and excel at that which we are purposed to accomplish whilst we still have breath.

One of the platforms you and I connected so deeply on was the Acumen East Africa Fellows…I spoke incessantly about ‘my fellows’ sharing with you the fulfillment I had coaching and guiding their leadership journey’s when I first took on the role at Acumen. You expressed curiosity about the Fellows which led to you spending a few magical days in Nairobi in November 2015. One of those days was spent exclusively with the Fellows giving them (pro bono) a flavor of your music, stretching work and leadership lessons as they wound up their year long program. The authenticity with which you shared yourself will forever remain a highlight in my leadership journey…nothing about how you impart your leadership lessons is conventional and a part of me really appreciated that. Authenticity was a hallmark of yours – living by your rules – and going with the flow. I am so bummed that we don’t get to do Addis together in six weeks time :-(  I was so looking forward to showing you Addis and spending the weekend of 11-12 August co-facilitating a leadership retreat for the Ethiopian Acumen Fellows, most of whom had never met you. Birikit, your number one fan, sold you to her Ethiopian Fellows community and you were ‘coming to Addis by popular demand’! We are gutted to say the least.

Hard as this is to write – it is also cathartic...

Ky, one of the ways you impacted me was through your authentic friendship. I cherished every interaction, soaked in the wisdom of your counsel, accepted the challenges you threw my way and really appreciated the sounding board you were as I navigated the vicissitudes of life. You were a die hard cheer leader of mine, always affirming my efforts and achievements yet cautioning me not to believe the hype (I’m still chewing on that lesson). I appreciated how you were always such a straight shooter - you spoke your truth no matter how hard it may have been to internalize in the moment. I am such a grateful mentee.

I confess I took for granted that you would always be here…alas! I pray that I never, ever take for granted any of my cherished friendships.

You will remain one of my treasured life blessings and as I bid you fare well, I journey on in gratitude and full reassurance that you RAN YOUR RACE AND FINISHED WELL! What a beautiful and comforting thought that is. My heart overflows with gratitude right now for the gift of having had you in my corner these past years, I am so much richer for it. And I thank you for your devoted love and friendship.

Ky, I promise to look out for Tolu, your pride and joy. I cannot wait to meet her and have been praying for her since your passing. Tolu, I am sending you love and comfort from Nairobi and praying these tributes comfort you in some small way…you indeed had the best dad ever…he spoke incessantly about you and was sooo proud of you – as you well know. I look forward to meeting you soon and giving you a hug xxx

Rest with your maker my friend! And enjoy the heavenly music whilst you are there:)

That sobriquet is one that has been loosely thrown about much in our times, in an attempt to describe men who have dipped their fingers into many jars - A little here, a little there; a jack-of all trades, striving for mastery in all.

Looking at the life and time of Kayode here on this side of eternity however, that phrase is a worthy representation of the person that he was; it takes on a life of its own, with a real meaning and a visceral punch that hits you when you read through his accomplishments over the 53 years that he walked this earth - he truly was all that and then some more…

A Maverick, A Renaissance Man, A Role Model, A Mentor, A Trail blazer, A Quintessential Man, are some of the other phrases that have been used by some, in an attempt to capture the essence of who he was.

Reading through the different tributes that those whose paths crossed with his have left in his memorial, one will not fail to notice this common refrain that pervades the sentiments of many. 

You’d hear them say about Kayode: 

“…he was my confidant, he was my best friend, my very own encourager and champion of my cause”.

That there, was one of the most striking parts of the man that Kayode was; though he was straight-talking and forthright in nature, still he had an uncanny capacity to make people feel so special and important to him, in an uplifting, sincere yet non-condescending way. And that was because genuinely, it was how he really felt about you.

As I say this, I imagine many reading this, nodding in agreement with this truth about Kayode - chances are, he made you feel exactly that way too!

However, over the years, I’ve been privileged to see at very close quarters, a part of Kayode that very few people have had access to - Kayode The Father!

If you ever thought you’ve seen Kayode love or protect or nurture, if you thought that you had experienced the depth of his care and the best of his attention in his dealings with you; if you ever thought you were so special to him or that you were his best friend in an exclusively intimate way, everything you felt or experienced pales into insignificance, compared to the love that he had for his daughter, Tolu - she was the epicentre of his life, around which everything and every one else revolved!

I’ve watched Kayode relate to his daughter, I’ve seen the bond of love and affection develop through the years, as father and daughter forged a relationship built on a kindred spirit that mirrored similar giftings and interests. She was his best friend and he was hers too! 

I’ve seen him shape, mentor and guide her into the wonderful woman that she has become, I’ve seen him nurture and encourage her, giving her the confidence to pursue her dreams and live her passion. What he did for people outside, was simply him mirroring what he has done in his daughter’s life over the past 20 years!

Whilst I join with many in appreciating and saluting Kayode the successful business man, Kayode the generous philanthropist, Kayode the disciplined athlete, Kayode the gifted musician, l singularly appreciate a unique part of him that really shone out to me - 

Kayode the loving father!

As he would often say to his daughter,

“The true mark of success, is creating a life that outlives you”

I think in more ways than one Kayode, you truly have been successful in living and expressing that truth!

Kudos and Adieu D1…

Pastor Wale Ola

My friend, my brother words fail me. How do you talk about a life long bond of almost 30 years?. You were quite an inspiration, a high achiever, passionate about things you believe in.Unique and driven. We worked on several projects together especially the Charity driven projects, you just believed in giving back. 

I am glad Tolu your daughter made you so proud. She certainly has some of your traits. May God give her and Nana the fortitude to bear this loss. 

Still in absolute shock but we can't question God. My kids are also in shock. May your gentle and kind soul Rest in Perfect Peace.

I only got to meeting Mr Kayode once on the premise of trying to source an end user for his beautiful home on Reeves road. I was just in awe of his straight talking and transparent manner of engaging with counter parties; a smart businessman who also looks out for the interest of others. Mr Kayode barely knew me but all I felt was love and encouragement from him in the way he told me to continue my entrepreneurial drive. He was a great man and it was with great sadness I heard of his sudden passing. Our loss is Heavens gain. May the fruits of his labour continue to shine for many generations to come. Goodnight to a great man and father. God Bless you and keep you in his arms. 

Kayode we met only once at a my friend’s grandson’s dedication and we shared time together. 

The time was impactful because I met a shy but strong character and mind. We spoke at length about our practice of martial arts and of our values. Of how we needed to fix a country we both love that was broken and by how important it was to nurture ourselves.

Rest well and may your good works and impactful life ripple on forevermore. Ami

Dear Mr Fahm we will miss you so much- my husband, children and I loved you and admired you. I hope you knew. You encouraged my children and sat patiently through their classical guitar training. You never critisied and always encouraged. Remember our favourite song- Julia Florida which you introduced to us in Cape Town in 2009 and you promised Ehi that if he played it well you would buy him a ticket to Paris. Well he just learnt it! Remember when you took my daughter in as a student when she was 6 years old in 2001 even though you were so busy. She always wished you would play at her wedding. I will miss your smile, your gentleness, your passion and your optimism. You made such an impact in my children lives! They always played for you! May you rest in perfect peace.