June 17, 2021
Background and Place Of Origin
Late Revd. (Dr.) Joshua Adegbemile Dada was born to the family of late Pa. Daniel, Odewumi Adisa Dada at Agurodo in Oloode’s compound of Ejigbo Local Government Area of Osun State on the 2nd day of November 1938. His mother’s name was Shangonike who hailed from Ola at Alubata’s compound also in Ejigbo Local Government Area of Osun State. His mother was a Sango worshiper due to her family background, but when she agreed to marry late Pa. Daniel Odewumi Dada, and also agreed to become a Christian. Then, her husband gave her a Christian name called Mary. For the first nine years of her marriage, mama late Madam Mary Odewumi Dada did not bear a child, and this made the elders in the land advise that Pa. Daniel Odewumi Adisa Dada and his wife should go and live in the jungle for seven days, to fulfill a particular sacrificial rite, so that she would bear a child. Thankfully to God, mama Mary conceived thereafter and gave birth to the late Revd. Joshua Adegbemile Dada. Following this event, the elders of the land advised Pa. Daniel Odewumi Dada that, since his breakthrough in having a child did not come until he had to live in the jungle with his wife, it meant that the gods of the land wanted him to choose farming as his profession. Although his family's profession was hunting, he had to embrace farming as his new profession for the rest of his life.
Circumstances Surrounding His Birthdate
Late Revd. (Dr.) Joshua Adegbemile Dada’s birthdate was not particularly documented, but he was told that he was born during the harvest period of a particular year. Since his father had become affiliated to a Baptist church, and that harvest/thanksgiving service was usually held annually within the first week of November, Revd. (Dr.) Joshua Adegbemile Dada later adopted the 2nd of November 1938 – using the birth year of some of his school colleagues with whom he associated as a youth. Although several of his colleagues believed that he was older than his chosen age, he preferred to maintain that birthday all his life, for want of a better alternative.
Growing Up and Early School Age
Despite being born after many years of barrenness, Revd. Joshua Ade. Dada (as he was usually addressed) did not enjoy the privilege of being pampered by his parents as a child. His father often disciplined him severely whenever he went wrong, even though this did not go down well with his mother. Many times, when his mother would try to shield him from his father’s corrective floggings, mama Mary would end up being flogged together with her son.
Late Revd. Joshua Ade Dada during his early age lived with his parents partly at Agurodo (his country home) but mainly at Idewure, (where his father had chosen to pitch his tent for his commercial farming life in those days). He grew up to learn and participate in the farming lifestyle of his father before his father decided to enroll him in his elementary school in the late 1940s. Although he did not particularly like the strenuous life of working on the farm, he could not do otherwise since that was his father's choice. He, therefore, made up his mind to focus on his studies so that he would eventually escape from having to continue with his father’s profession of farming; since in those days, any child that did not perform well at school confined back to full-time farming to maximize his potential in the farming business of those days.
Late Revd. (Dr.) Joshua Ade. Dada left his parents at Idewure when he was enrolled at Baptist Primary School Agurodo in 1947 to stay with ‘mama Lawale’ while he continued his primary education at Agurodo. However, when his mother died in 1949 he became a motherless child and he was satisfied staying with whoever chose to care for him in the village. This led him to go and stay with one of his teachers at Olla to enable him to complete his primary school education. His well-behaved conduct and general humility endeared him to many people during his early days. Following the Yoruba adage that says “when one eye gives birth to a child, two hundred eyes watch over the child to nurture and care for him/her”, late Rev. Joshua Ade. Dada grew up under the tutelage of different people, including uncles, teachers, and some family members who would usually invite him to stay with them for a while because of his good demeanour.
Vocational Training
Being one of the few educated youths of his village in his days, he decided to make every effort to be different and to succeed in his academics. He also decided to learn a vocation on his own, as a way of further detaching himself from the farming business, and also to balance his academic knowledge with productive handwork. Thus, between 1951 and 1955, he trained as a carpenter under the tutelage of his uncle, late Pa. Benjamin Adedeji, and obtained his ‘freedom’ as a certified carpenter in 1955. He however commercialized his carpentry skill by specializing in the production of Church manual hymn boards, which were used to display hymn numbers to a large church congregation from the front of the church in those days. All these did not deter his focus on pursuing his education to a remarkable level.
Education /Schools Attended
Late Rev. Joshua Ade. Dada started his primary education at Agurodo Baptist Primary School Agurodo, and he was there between 1947 – 1952. He however continued his primary education at Olla Baptist Primary School from 1953 and completed his studies in 1955. He again attended Local Authority Secondary Modern School, Ejigbo from 1956 – 1958, from where he proceeded to Local Authority Teachers’ Grade III College, Oyo from 1960 -1961. He attended Baptist College, Ede, for his Teachers’ Grade II certificate training from 1964 – 1965.
Late Rev. Joshua Ade. Dada later proceeded to The Nigerian Baptist Theological Seminary, Ogbomoso in 1973 from where he bagged his Bachelor of Religious Education degree (B. R. E.) in 1977. Because of his commitment to learning, he further proceeded to Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, for his Post-Graduate Diploma in Education from 1991 – 1994 (P. G. D. E.). After he retired from secular service, he returned to The Nigerian Baptist Theological Seminary, Ogbomoso for his Master of Arts in Theological Studies (M. A. T. S.) from 1998 – 2000, and thereafter, he was conferred with an honorary Doctoral Degree of Ministry (D. Min) by Shalom Christian University, West Des, U.S.A., through World Vision Theological Seminary, Oyo in the year 2004.
Working Experience at Schools
Late Rev. Joshua Ade. Dada worked as a classroom teacher at Awo Baptist Primary School, Awo near Ede in 1959, and as a Head Teacher in Odo-Ogun Lasupo Baptist Primary School at Lasupo-Laagbe via Oyo from 1962 – 1963. He also worked at Baptist Primary School, Olukosi via Ogbomoso from 1966 – 1967, and at Baptist Primary School, Tonkere via Edunabon from 1968 -1973. After graduating from the seminary in 1977, late Rev. Joshua Ade. Dada worked at St. Kizito’s College, Isanlu-Makutu, Kwara State (now Kogi State) as a Bible Knowledge and Yoruba Teacher from 1977 – 1987; and later as the Principal of Yagba Local Government Secondary School, Ejiba, in Kogi State from 1987 – 1993 when he retired due to the then government age policy.
From 1995 to 2008, late Rev. Joshua Ade. Dada worked as an Adjunct Lecturer at the then Joint Baptist Pastors’ College Oyo, now known as Baptist College of Theology Oyo, (BACOTHO). This was where his students fondly code-named him ‘Baba Daa-daa’ (meaning ‘Good Father’) because of his way of relating with students generally. This is what a lot of them implied when addressing him as ‘Baba Dada’. Late Rev. (Dr.) Joshua Ade. Dada fully retired from active service in 2008, but he was always seeking opportunities to impart knowledge to others.
Offices Held While Working In Schools
‘Baba Dada’ was the Health Officer at L. A. T. T. C Oyo in 1961; he was also the Health Officer at Baptist College, Ede in 1965, and he was the Health Officer at St. Kizito’s College Isanlu from 1978 – 1987. He always promoted the cause of cleanliness, hygiene, and environmental sanitation wherever he found himself, whether at schools, society, or and in the churches.
Working Experience at Churches
Late Revd. (Dr.) Joshua Ade Dada took ministerial work with teaching right from the onset as if he knew he was going to become a pastor in later years. He served as a church leader at the only Baptist Church in Awo via Ede along with some other students from Baptist College, Ede in 1959. He was instrumental in the erection of a Baptist Church building at Odo-Ogun Lasupo-Laagbe from 1962 – 1963. Through the help of God, he also served as a church leader at the Baptist Church in Adelakun, Ogbomoso successfully for two years from 1966 – 1967 after successfully affiliating the church with the Ogbomoso North Baptist Association in that year. From 1968 – 1973, he worked closely with Revd. David O. Olaleye as a Choir Master and Church Secretary, develop the Baptist church Tonkere, Ile-Ife before he proceeded to train in the seminary as a pastor.
While in the seminary, he served in the following capacities: as a student pastor at Emmanuel Baptist Church, Isale-Afon, Ogbomoso from 1973 – 1974; as the chaplain of Kersey Children’s Home Ogbomoso, from 1974 – 1976; and also at Iware Baptist Church near Ejigbo from 1976 – 1977, as a student pastor. He nurtured the First Baptist Church at Egbe, Kogi State, a church that he was instrumental in building from the cradle and pastored for thirteen years from 1978 – 1991. Following the obvious growth and development of the First Baptist Church, Egbe, he was later commissioned by the Yagba Baptist Association to develop the Baptist churches at Odo-Eri and Ayeteju- Amuro. He carried out that commission three years, from 1991 and did not leave the place until 1994 after he retired from teaching service in Kwara state. ‘Baba Dada’ was ordained into full Gospel ministry as a Reverend gentleman on the 8th of June 1996 at First Baptist Church Egbe.
While working at the Baptist College of Theology Oyo, he helped to develop Baptist Church Fashola, Oyo as their pastor for seven months from 1998 – 1999. He again proceeded to develop and to build the Baptist Church at Oweyo Ona via Ogbomoso in 1999 - a church he pastored fully for eighteen years, from 1999 – 2016 when he handed over to other pastors to take over from him. However, he never stopped attending the Baptist church at Oweyo at least once a month until his home call. He initiated the first day of the month prayer in the church which he usually attended until his home call.
One outstanding character of ‘Baba Dada’ for All the churches where he served during his lifetime was that he never received any salary nor stipend from any church all his life; rather he would use his money to pay any student pastor sent to any of those churches either in full or as part of the payment until the church would be buoyant enough to finance her pastor by herself. ‘Baba Dada’ would always earmark monthly stipend from his salary to support different pastors working at village churches around him whenever he was aware that they are not financially buoyant to pay their pastor’s salaries; this he did for many years until his home call.
Public Offices Held
Late Revd. (Dr.) Joshua Ade Dada was the chairman of Agurodo Progressive Union from 1970 -1975; he served as Chairman of Agurodo Descendants Union from 1998 – 2003, and he was also the Grand patron of Agurodo Club ’80 from 1980 till 2021 when he slept in the Lord. He was the secretary of the retired ministers of the Nigerian Baptist Convention from 2011 to 2017 amongst many other public offices held during his lifetime.
Spiritual Life
Late Revd. ((Dr.)) Joshua Ade Dada publicly declared Jesus as his Lord and personal saviour in the early fifties and thereafter got baptized by immersion at the First Baptist Church Agurodo which led him to commit his life to godly living and obedience to God’s word. He sincerely loved to work with the Lord and to serve Him such that he took pleasure in gathering youths and young people around him to teach them the word of God and how to live a Christ-like life and be morally upright. This passion led him to create different reading and literacy clubs in his days. He also formed the Oloode’s compound dramatic and debating society at Agurodo in the ’60s and many more.
Hobbies and General Passion
‘‘Baba Dada’’ was a lover of sports especially football and he used to serve as a goalkeeper on many occasions in his school days. He used to encourage young ones in every aspect of sports because he believed in exercising one’s body to keep fit all the time. Although he dreaded farming as a youth, ‘‘Baba Dada’’ later embraced the candour of domestic farming as a support for family sustenance. He would ensure he planted crops and other products for personal consumption and led the children to know that, as a Yoruba adage says, ‘one way does not lead to the market’ (meaning there is wisdom in the diversification of knowledge and skills). ‘‘Baba Dada’’ was also a lover of animal husbandry and livestock farming, as he reared different livestock such as rabbits, chicken, pigs, and goats. He also practiced fishery and snail farming for some years until his home call.
Because ‘‘Baba Dada’’ was never comfortable being idle, he engaged in so many productive activities as in his lifetime, not particularly for any financial gain, but just to keep him busy – as long as such activity made him happy and fulfilled.
Family Life and Other LifeStyle
Revd. ((Dr.)) Joshua Ade. Dada met with his heartthrob Juliana Olayoonu Akande a native of Iware in Ejigbo Local Government Area of Osun State in 1961 and their relationship developed into the union thereafter. God blessed their union with six children, 4 males and 2 females out of which 2 of the children died during his lifetime.
‘‘Baba Dada’’ was a lover of people. He was a selfless giver, very personable and accommodating. He loved his siblings, cousins, nephews, nieces, and relations so much that most of his younger ones lived with him at one time or the other while they were growing up. His primary concern was always to get every young one around him educated. He had such a great passion for education that he would stop at nothing to support and encourage those around him who were interested in academics. Even when the children sent him his upkeep allowances monthly, he would share this out to support young children often kept in his care, while regularly taking out his time to coach them at home after school. His commitment to excellence led him to always give gifts to students with outstanding performances to motivate them to do more. He even instituted an annual memorial award at BACOTHO in honour of his late father Pa. Daniel Odewumi Dada Memorial, for the best students in Christian Religious Knowledge at the Certificate, Diploma and Degree level, and he was committed to this until his home call.
The entire Oloode dynasty is celebrating the outstanding life and times of this great man of God who used his life to serve God and humanity and who is indeed a source of inspiration to many of those he left behind. He will be greatly missed for his impeccable standards, sense of humour and love.
May the Lord uphold and keep the entire family, friends and associates left behind in Jesus’ name.
Late Revd. (Dr.) Joshua Adegbemile Dada was born to the family of late Pa. Daniel, Odewumi Adisa Dada at Agurodo in Oloode’s compound of Ejigbo Local Government Area of Osun State on the 2nd day of November 1938. His mother’s name was Shangonike who hailed from Ola at Alubata’s compound also in Ejigbo Local Government Area of Osun State. His mother was a Sango worshiper due to her family background, but when she agreed to marry late Pa. Daniel Odewumi Dada, and also agreed to become a Christian. Then, her husband gave her a Christian name called Mary. For the first nine years of her marriage, mama late Madam Mary Odewumi Dada did not bear a child, and this made the elders in the land advise that Pa. Daniel Odewumi Adisa Dada and his wife should go and live in the jungle for seven days, to fulfill a particular sacrificial rite, so that she would bear a child. Thankfully to God, mama Mary conceived thereafter and gave birth to the late Revd. Joshua Adegbemile Dada. Following this event, the elders of the land advised Pa. Daniel Odewumi Dada that, since his breakthrough in having a child did not come until he had to live in the jungle with his wife, it meant that the gods of the land wanted him to choose farming as his profession. Although his family's profession was hunting, he had to embrace farming as his new profession for the rest of his life.
Circumstances Surrounding His Birthdate
Late Revd. (Dr.) Joshua Adegbemile Dada’s birthdate was not particularly documented, but he was told that he was born during the harvest period of a particular year. Since his father had become affiliated to a Baptist church, and that harvest/thanksgiving service was usually held annually within the first week of November, Revd. (Dr.) Joshua Adegbemile Dada later adopted the 2nd of November 1938 – using the birth year of some of his school colleagues with whom he associated as a youth. Although several of his colleagues believed that he was older than his chosen age, he preferred to maintain that birthday all his life, for want of a better alternative.
Growing Up and Early School Age
Despite being born after many years of barrenness, Revd. Joshua Ade. Dada (as he was usually addressed) did not enjoy the privilege of being pampered by his parents as a child. His father often disciplined him severely whenever he went wrong, even though this did not go down well with his mother. Many times, when his mother would try to shield him from his father’s corrective floggings, mama Mary would end up being flogged together with her son.
Late Revd. Joshua Ade Dada during his early age lived with his parents partly at Agurodo (his country home) but mainly at Idewure, (where his father had chosen to pitch his tent for his commercial farming life in those days). He grew up to learn and participate in the farming lifestyle of his father before his father decided to enroll him in his elementary school in the late 1940s. Although he did not particularly like the strenuous life of working on the farm, he could not do otherwise since that was his father's choice. He, therefore, made up his mind to focus on his studies so that he would eventually escape from having to continue with his father’s profession of farming; since in those days, any child that did not perform well at school confined back to full-time farming to maximize his potential in the farming business of those days.
Late Revd. (Dr.) Joshua Ade. Dada left his parents at Idewure when he was enrolled at Baptist Primary School Agurodo in 1947 to stay with ‘mama Lawale’ while he continued his primary education at Agurodo. However, when his mother died in 1949 he became a motherless child and he was satisfied staying with whoever chose to care for him in the village. This led him to go and stay with one of his teachers at Olla to enable him to complete his primary school education. His well-behaved conduct and general humility endeared him to many people during his early days. Following the Yoruba adage that says “when one eye gives birth to a child, two hundred eyes watch over the child to nurture and care for him/her”, late Rev. Joshua Ade. Dada grew up under the tutelage of different people, including uncles, teachers, and some family members who would usually invite him to stay with them for a while because of his good demeanour.
Vocational Training
Being one of the few educated youths of his village in his days, he decided to make every effort to be different and to succeed in his academics. He also decided to learn a vocation on his own, as a way of further detaching himself from the farming business, and also to balance his academic knowledge with productive handwork. Thus, between 1951 and 1955, he trained as a carpenter under the tutelage of his uncle, late Pa. Benjamin Adedeji, and obtained his ‘freedom’ as a certified carpenter in 1955. He however commercialized his carpentry skill by specializing in the production of Church manual hymn boards, which were used to display hymn numbers to a large church congregation from the front of the church in those days. All these did not deter his focus on pursuing his education to a remarkable level.
Education /Schools Attended
Late Rev. Joshua Ade. Dada started his primary education at Agurodo Baptist Primary School Agurodo, and he was there between 1947 – 1952. He however continued his primary education at Olla Baptist Primary School from 1953 and completed his studies in 1955. He again attended Local Authority Secondary Modern School, Ejigbo from 1956 – 1958, from where he proceeded to Local Authority Teachers’ Grade III College, Oyo from 1960 -1961. He attended Baptist College, Ede, for his Teachers’ Grade II certificate training from 1964 – 1965.
Late Rev. Joshua Ade. Dada later proceeded to The Nigerian Baptist Theological Seminary, Ogbomoso in 1973 from where he bagged his Bachelor of Religious Education degree (B. R. E.) in 1977. Because of his commitment to learning, he further proceeded to Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, for his Post-Graduate Diploma in Education from 1991 – 1994 (P. G. D. E.). After he retired from secular service, he returned to The Nigerian Baptist Theological Seminary, Ogbomoso for his Master of Arts in Theological Studies (M. A. T. S.) from 1998 – 2000, and thereafter, he was conferred with an honorary Doctoral Degree of Ministry (D. Min) by Shalom Christian University, West Des, U.S.A., through World Vision Theological Seminary, Oyo in the year 2004.
Working Experience at Schools
Late Rev. Joshua Ade. Dada worked as a classroom teacher at Awo Baptist Primary School, Awo near Ede in 1959, and as a Head Teacher in Odo-Ogun Lasupo Baptist Primary School at Lasupo-Laagbe via Oyo from 1962 – 1963. He also worked at Baptist Primary School, Olukosi via Ogbomoso from 1966 – 1967, and at Baptist Primary School, Tonkere via Edunabon from 1968 -1973. After graduating from the seminary in 1977, late Rev. Joshua Ade. Dada worked at St. Kizito’s College, Isanlu-Makutu, Kwara State (now Kogi State) as a Bible Knowledge and Yoruba Teacher from 1977 – 1987; and later as the Principal of Yagba Local Government Secondary School, Ejiba, in Kogi State from 1987 – 1993 when he retired due to the then government age policy.
From 1995 to 2008, late Rev. Joshua Ade. Dada worked as an Adjunct Lecturer at the then Joint Baptist Pastors’ College Oyo, now known as Baptist College of Theology Oyo, (BACOTHO). This was where his students fondly code-named him ‘Baba Daa-daa’ (meaning ‘Good Father’) because of his way of relating with students generally. This is what a lot of them implied when addressing him as ‘Baba Dada’. Late Rev. (Dr.) Joshua Ade. Dada fully retired from active service in 2008, but he was always seeking opportunities to impart knowledge to others.
Offices Held While Working In Schools
‘Baba Dada’ was the Health Officer at L. A. T. T. C Oyo in 1961; he was also the Health Officer at Baptist College, Ede in 1965, and he was the Health Officer at St. Kizito’s College Isanlu from 1978 – 1987. He always promoted the cause of cleanliness, hygiene, and environmental sanitation wherever he found himself, whether at schools, society, or and in the churches.
Working Experience at Churches
Late Revd. (Dr.) Joshua Ade Dada took ministerial work with teaching right from the onset as if he knew he was going to become a pastor in later years. He served as a church leader at the only Baptist Church in Awo via Ede along with some other students from Baptist College, Ede in 1959. He was instrumental in the erection of a Baptist Church building at Odo-Ogun Lasupo-Laagbe from 1962 – 1963. Through the help of God, he also served as a church leader at the Baptist Church in Adelakun, Ogbomoso successfully for two years from 1966 – 1967 after successfully affiliating the church with the Ogbomoso North Baptist Association in that year. From 1968 – 1973, he worked closely with Revd. David O. Olaleye as a Choir Master and Church Secretary, develop the Baptist church Tonkere, Ile-Ife before he proceeded to train in the seminary as a pastor.
While in the seminary, he served in the following capacities: as a student pastor at Emmanuel Baptist Church, Isale-Afon, Ogbomoso from 1973 – 1974; as the chaplain of Kersey Children’s Home Ogbomoso, from 1974 – 1976; and also at Iware Baptist Church near Ejigbo from 1976 – 1977, as a student pastor. He nurtured the First Baptist Church at Egbe, Kogi State, a church that he was instrumental in building from the cradle and pastored for thirteen years from 1978 – 1991. Following the obvious growth and development of the First Baptist Church, Egbe, he was later commissioned by the Yagba Baptist Association to develop the Baptist churches at Odo-Eri and Ayeteju- Amuro. He carried out that commission three years, from 1991 and did not leave the place until 1994 after he retired from teaching service in Kwara state. ‘Baba Dada’ was ordained into full Gospel ministry as a Reverend gentleman on the 8th of June 1996 at First Baptist Church Egbe.
While working at the Baptist College of Theology Oyo, he helped to develop Baptist Church Fashola, Oyo as their pastor for seven months from 1998 – 1999. He again proceeded to develop and to build the Baptist Church at Oweyo Ona via Ogbomoso in 1999 - a church he pastored fully for eighteen years, from 1999 – 2016 when he handed over to other pastors to take over from him. However, he never stopped attending the Baptist church at Oweyo at least once a month until his home call. He initiated the first day of the month prayer in the church which he usually attended until his home call.
One outstanding character of ‘Baba Dada’ for All the churches where he served during his lifetime was that he never received any salary nor stipend from any church all his life; rather he would use his money to pay any student pastor sent to any of those churches either in full or as part of the payment until the church would be buoyant enough to finance her pastor by herself. ‘Baba Dada’ would always earmark monthly stipend from his salary to support different pastors working at village churches around him whenever he was aware that they are not financially buoyant to pay their pastor’s salaries; this he did for many years until his home call.
Public Offices Held
Late Revd. (Dr.) Joshua Ade Dada was the chairman of Agurodo Progressive Union from 1970 -1975; he served as Chairman of Agurodo Descendants Union from 1998 – 2003, and he was also the Grand patron of Agurodo Club ’80 from 1980 till 2021 when he slept in the Lord. He was the secretary of the retired ministers of the Nigerian Baptist Convention from 2011 to 2017 amongst many other public offices held during his lifetime.
Spiritual Life
Late Revd. ((Dr.)) Joshua Ade Dada publicly declared Jesus as his Lord and personal saviour in the early fifties and thereafter got baptized by immersion at the First Baptist Church Agurodo which led him to commit his life to godly living and obedience to God’s word. He sincerely loved to work with the Lord and to serve Him such that he took pleasure in gathering youths and young people around him to teach them the word of God and how to live a Christ-like life and be morally upright. This passion led him to create different reading and literacy clubs in his days. He also formed the Oloode’s compound dramatic and debating society at Agurodo in the ’60s and many more.
Hobbies and General Passion
‘‘Baba Dada’’ was a lover of sports especially football and he used to serve as a goalkeeper on many occasions in his school days. He used to encourage young ones in every aspect of sports because he believed in exercising one’s body to keep fit all the time. Although he dreaded farming as a youth, ‘‘Baba Dada’’ later embraced the candour of domestic farming as a support for family sustenance. He would ensure he planted crops and other products for personal consumption and led the children to know that, as a Yoruba adage says, ‘one way does not lead to the market’ (meaning there is wisdom in the diversification of knowledge and skills). ‘‘Baba Dada’’ was also a lover of animal husbandry and livestock farming, as he reared different livestock such as rabbits, chicken, pigs, and goats. He also practiced fishery and snail farming for some years until his home call.
Because ‘‘Baba Dada’’ was never comfortable being idle, he engaged in so many productive activities as in his lifetime, not particularly for any financial gain, but just to keep him busy – as long as such activity made him happy and fulfilled.
Family Life and Other LifeStyle
Revd. ((Dr.)) Joshua Ade. Dada met with his heartthrob Juliana Olayoonu Akande a native of Iware in Ejigbo Local Government Area of Osun State in 1961 and their relationship developed into the union thereafter. God blessed their union with six children, 4 males and 2 females out of which 2 of the children died during his lifetime.
‘‘Baba Dada’’ was a lover of people. He was a selfless giver, very personable and accommodating. He loved his siblings, cousins, nephews, nieces, and relations so much that most of his younger ones lived with him at one time or the other while they were growing up. His primary concern was always to get every young one around him educated. He had such a great passion for education that he would stop at nothing to support and encourage those around him who were interested in academics. Even when the children sent him his upkeep allowances monthly, he would share this out to support young children often kept in his care, while regularly taking out his time to coach them at home after school. His commitment to excellence led him to always give gifts to students with outstanding performances to motivate them to do more. He even instituted an annual memorial award at BACOTHO in honour of his late father Pa. Daniel Odewumi Dada Memorial, for the best students in Christian Religious Knowledge at the Certificate, Diploma and Degree level, and he was committed to this until his home call.
The entire Oloode dynasty is celebrating the outstanding life and times of this great man of God who used his life to serve God and humanity and who is indeed a source of inspiration to many of those he left behind. He will be greatly missed for his impeccable standards, sense of humour and love.
May the Lord uphold and keep the entire family, friends and associates left behind in Jesus’ name.