TRIBUTE TO A WORTHY FATHER, PETER AKINOLA
Daddy, my loving father, mentor & teacher. You came, you saw & conquered.
You thought us that education is the best legacy any parent can bequeath to their children & you made good your promise to ensure all your children had that opportunity to be educated atleast upto 1st degree level. Never for once were any of us your children sent back home for not paying tuition fees or any school levies. And not just any education but the very best available within your means, good enough that we can compete anywhere in the world & hold our own as ambassadors of the Akinola family.
I recall how hard you worked, that after you came back home from work, you take off your army uniform & off you go to hustle first as a photographer/only maker/printer of dependent I.D cards in the barracks & later on your transport business, all just so we have enough to spare at home.
I can't forget how in the early 90's you taught us how to save for the rainy day by getting us all piggy bank containers and at the end of the year you gave a prize to the child with the most cash in savings. That exercise has helped me in life not to eat with all my fingers and God has used it to help me to be where I am today with my family, a reason why I also regard you as my first n best economics teacher.
I remember fondly how you wake up early at 4:30 to 5am to do the laundry of the entire family, iron our clothes & fetch water into the drums.
You taught us the ways of God by reading to us "my book of bible stories" on weekends, taking us to church on sundays and encouraging us to join christian fellowship for children back in the 80's and early 90's.
As a soldier and a fighter you held on even while indisposed for years that no one believed mom would transit to glory before you. You built a house, had a car & left us with a land n some good change in your account. We are indeed proud n lucky to have you as our father. You fought a good fight, you finished your race & what more can we say than to thank God for the selfless life you lived to ensure we didn't lack anything good and that we are set n established to continue the race to be an asset everywhere we find ourselves and not a liability to anyone. Thank you for the life you lived, thank you for being a loving husband to our mom and a caring father to us your children. Thank you for all you taught us and for the sacrifices you made so as to give us a better life than u had as a child.
We remember all you told us of how you lost your father as a little boy and from then on began fending for yourself till the age of 17 when you joined the army and against all odds with determination you succeeded as a soldier, photographer and transporter. We are glad you lived to see all your children grow, succeed in life, got married and you saw 13 of your grand children. We are sure by now you must have met with mom and you both are looking from heaven & smiling with a feeling of contentment & joy knowing that you did your best, gave your all and are happy at how the Lord has blessed your efforts, the works of your hands the way the family you left behind has turned out.
Till we meet again at Jesus' feet, in the golden city, in the new Jerusalem where all our pains & tears will be no more, where we will stand with the host of heaven and shout "holy is the lamb", where we will meet to part no more, may your gentle soul RIP in Jesus' name, amen.
Akintunde Akinola & family.