ForeverMissed
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Tributes
January 24, 2022
January 24, 2022
Never had the pleasure of meeting Baba Bayode, but I can see from the legacy he has left behind, the love, the tears and most of all respect he will always be remembered as a truly great man.

I also lost my Queen just over a year ago and King 8 years ago. Nothing can compare to the pain felt for parents loss, especially when we a blessed with special ones like ours

Best wishes and love to all on this difficult day. X
January 24, 2022
January 24, 2022
“My life has been one of grace; and I’ve learnt that my life is a success when and where I have made others succeed in life. My work is done and I return all glory to God”
Olusola Bayode
21/02/1939 – 24/01/2021

On this day last year, life took on a new meaning for me. My father, my friend, my hero and the most dominant figure in my life took his last breath and slipped away into eternity. I felt lost, rudderless, and adrift. It was like my cover from the storms had suddenly been snatched away. The family was devastated and broken down, but slowly, we are being rebuilt.

A year later, it's yet to fully sink in. I still find myself instinctively reaching for my phone to call him at times when I seek advice, direction, or just to talk. Then, it hits again. 

It would be naïve of me to assume he would live forever or that he was too young to go. I had, after his 80th birthday, started to condition myself for when the inevitable would happen.  When it did, I wasn't ready. I'm still not ready. Even after surgery, following the fall he had, it never crossed my mind that the end was near.

l desperately hold on to the memories of my father. I play his voice over and over in my head, so I don't forget how he sounded, particularly his laughter. It might be easier to watch his videos, but I still can’t bear to. Just like I found it tough to look at photos of his funeral or even post the photos.

It's been 12 months of many firsts. Dad's first posthumous birthday, my first birthday without him, first easter, first Christmas, and all that.

Over this year, relationships have been redefined, adjustments made, and a lot more responsibility taken up. After all, there is a legacy to sustain. My hair has become greyer, and I want to believe I’m a bit wiser.

Dad got a fantastic send-off over 5-days. I still marvel at the size of the events and how people, particularly his old students, stood up. I was so humbled. No doubt, he touched so many lives and made impact. He emptied himself into moulding young lives. The result is evident. The family and I will be eternally grateful to all who supported and who stood by. Only God can reward you all.

God has been faithful to us in every way. The Father of the fatherless and Husband of the widow has been true to His words. His peace and comfort have sustained and kept us.

Dad, your life was a blessing; your legacy is a treasure. You are loved beyond words and missed without measure. I miss you so much, Dad. I always will.

Baba mi, Amoo, Delukanbi. Omo Olopa, opa yanyan okeruku. Sun re o.
April 23, 2021
April 23, 2021
Chief Olusola Bayode.

I may not know you while you were alive but the legacy you left behind surely lives on. From the testimonies of the preacher to the wonderful upbringing of your daughter Mrs Bolajoko Bayo- Ajayi.

Continue to be with your maker where we will meet to part no more. Amen
April 23, 2021
April 23, 2021
You were a special breed of trainer and father, rare to find in hardwork and discipline. With a few more like you in charge of the *project Nigeria*, we would have been better than most European countries. *Adieu dear character and carrier moulder*, humanity will definitely miss you.
April 22, 2021
April 22, 2021
The thought of passing on of My Principal, mentor, father and motivator still lingers, it's just like a dream. Papa made his mark on a clean slate. He nurtured and mentored us while under him as students, we can never obliterate how impactful his actions was on us. It speaks volumes and forever we shall remain grateful unto you. Adieu, the Preacher's son, adieu Oga this way, adieu the principal of principals
April 22, 2021
EXIT OF A GEM

I'm happy that Baba died at a glorious age, this is the man that means a lot to my destiny, he's a father and a true legend. Any of us that crossed his path can never forget him, he's a moulder of destiny, a true leader worthy of emulation. I won a bursary award under his tutelage when all hope was gone that I'll never go to school again, few years later when I was involved in an accident that threw me in a coma, the moment I woke back to life, his words of encouragement kept coming back to my memory even when I couldn't remember anything. I'm happy to be one of your numerous Christ's School sons, rest on OGA as we fondly called you, may God place you in a perfect and special place in eternity dear Chief Olusola Bayode, the Ogboju Omo 1 of Agidimo hill, adieu.
April 21, 2021
April 21, 2021
TRIBUTE TO LATE CHIEF OLUSOLA BAYODE
It was with mixed feeling of sadness and joy we received the news of Baba, Chief Olusola Bayode’s journey to the great beyond. However, we take solace in the Almighty for giving him the opportunity to live a fulfilled lifetime here on earth.
Baba was a great educationist, an excellent one at that, and he would be fondly remembered for his astuteness and doggedness at imparting knowledge to his students. His charisma whilst directing the Friday assemblies would forever remain fresh in our memories, 
coupled with the series of ‘life-moulding’ proverbs that do come with them.
He exhibited unequalled style of discipline which we still carry: the story of ‘ìjèṣà to gb’éja l’ọjà’ and others alike remain core values of the “ọmọ ‘lú àbí” traits that have eluded our present day Nigeria. We will honour him by carrying on with his invaluable legacy. Baba believed and lived his life entrenching unity, honesty and hard work amongst students and the alumni association.
He was and remains a blessing to our generation.
A blessing to Christ’s School.
May the soul of late Chief Olusola Bayode find eternal rest in the bosom of his Creator.
Adieu!!! Baba Oloye

Anthony Babatola    
Chairman
Alumni Association 93/99 Set


April 21, 2021
April 21, 2021
Baba, you imparted us with great knowledge and creativity which become very useful in our lives. May your soul Rest In Peace. Amen.
April 19, 2021
April 19, 2021
He was a legend, He was tall physically, so also in intelligent and vision. He was brave so also is ways are sound and in his mind. He was thorough and he measured out the trainings he got from his dad(according to the story my mom told me when she lived with them, when Chief Olusola was in elementary school at Ido Ile(Ajiinare) where his father was a catechist). He was trained and he became a stalwart, and he wanted the same for every boy or girl he could meet. I enjoyed your stern and discipline in Christs school, in my form 5 extra and Hsc days, you brought back in 1985/86. You will remain forever in the great history of Ekiti and beyond. OLUSOLA CAME, SAW AND CONQUERED.
April 19, 2021
April 19, 2021
Chief Bayode , Baba as we all called him, was a great man whose interests was to see all student successful, rest on mentor for your have made stars every where on earth.
April 19, 2021
April 19, 2021
Daddy Bayode,
You came, you saw and you conquered!
I knew you as a close friend of my late Uncle-Professor M. O. Olofinboba and was delighted when you were made the Principal of my almamater. You made us proud. May you rest in perfect peace and may God uphold and look out for your family. You have left your footprints on the sands of time. Your memories will always be evergreen. Goodnight Sir.
April 17, 2021
April 17, 2021
Tribute to late Chief Olusola Bayode

Mrs Florence Oladipo

The preacher's son, a great teacher, good disciplinarian to the core and jovial cousin passed on to glory and eternity, leaving this sinful world. To God be the glory for a life well spent.

Olusola was a great achiever that people who passed through him will never forget for his humanitarian work.

I still recall our childhood days. On one of my visits during the holiday, we disagreed over who was older. It was Mama Bayode / Mama yard, who settled the difference jokingly. She made us to realise that there were only some months between us, and that age meant less. Her emphasis was that we should love ourselves as brother and sister. My dear cousin, you maintained the seniority of the few months to the last moment.

Olusola, being an Anglican clergy's son (Late Bayode) he was involved in various church activities when papa was alive, as well as after his demise i.e (Baba).
He was engaged in church committees up to Diocesan level as synod delegate and representative. He did not allow his teaching career to hinder him from working for God. He was a man with every deep Christian faith and a role model among his groups.

I thank God that our children know one another, and the family bond continues, such that one of your daughters was the chief bride's lady to one of my daughters during her wedding.

This was made possible because you had genuine interest in the progress of other children. I recall when you advised me to send my daughter for HSCE and to also prepare her for JAMB. Your good works will never be forgotten.

Oh what a life! A golden heart stopped beating, hardworking hands at rest, prayerful soul at peace. God broke our hearts to prove to us "He (God) only takes the best.

My condolence to my wife, children, grandchildren and the entire family.

Your good deeds will always speak for you. Rest in perfect peace till we meet to part no more. Adieu! Adieu! Adieu!

*Mrs Florence Oladipo*
April 13, 2021
April 13, 2021
The Legend That Is Pa Olusola Bayode


So Sweet,
So Blessed,
is the memory of the Righteous. 

Pa Bayode’s words, deeds and legacy will forever live on in our hearts.

My first and only meeting with Pa Bayode was at Bolajoko’s book launch in Lagos a few years back.

it was brief but left a strong, lasting, indelible impression on me as I finally met The Legend that is Pa Bayode after hearing so much about him.

I would always remember his oratory, his kind words, his royal, dignified carriage, his warm, affectionate smile, his wisdom, his character and personality, full of grace and rich in love.

Pa Olusola Bayode was a Legend.
A truly great one.

We would certainly miss you.

Good Night Sir.

Rest eternal at the feet and bosom of your Lord and Master Jesus Christ.


Seni Fawehinmi
April 13, 2021
April 13, 2021
A rare creature of God you were;
A man full of wisdom and native intelligence;
A disciplinarian to the core;
A great teacher;
A loving husband;
A loving father;
A father to many;
I can go on and on and on....

God bless the day you were born and the day you departed this sinful world.

We give God Almighty all the glory and praises for a life excellently spent here on earth by you.

Surely your legacies will live even at your demise.

May your bold and gentle soul rest peacefully. Amen !

Goodnight, Sir !

- OLA ALALE CLAN
April 13, 2021
April 13, 2021
A day is not enough to pay tribute to your life's worth and legacies.

You played your beat well and molded the hearts of men with pillars of purpose and strength of manners.

You paid your dues and kept to the path you so desire for the uplift of those ideals you cherished.

The greatest tribute shared in our hearts is the joy of your living and the behest of soul's gathered to pay you a last respect.

Time and times shall continue to heal the wound of your passing away just as we shall all bow to the mother earth on our day of reckoning.

Adieu, great teacher, admirable and undaunted scholar, the Principal of Principals, a man of principles and intellect - Chief Olusola Bayode.

May the earth receive you with peace and quiet and may your heavens be glorious.

Dr Jadesola Tai Babatola JP
April 12, 2021
April 12, 2021
CHIEF OLUSOLA BAYODE: GOODBYE TO A LEGEND

There are heroes and there are legends, heroes get remembered but legends they say never die.
It was Sunday January 24, 2021 when the news of sudden demise of one of our legends in Ikere Kingdom Chief Olusola Bayode was broken at advance age of 81 years.
Olusola Bayode the son of the Preacher as he used to call himself was born to the Ayanla Family of Ikere-Ekiti. His father was Revd. D.F. Bayode and his mother, Grace Adesiyan Bayode.
Chief Olusola Bayode can be described as a product of pioneers. He was among the first set of graduates produced in Ikere Kingdom.
From their young age, Chief Olusola Bayode and his peers (Late Professor Michael Ojo Olofinboba, Late Hon. Justice Michael Ekundayo Ogundare, Late Barrister S. Faji Fajobi, and Late Barrister Olusegun Asho etc) had been intensely involved in Ikere and her affairs. As formidable community builders, these men were concerned about the progress, sustainability and advancement of Ikere Kingdom in all spheres. May their souls continue to rest in peace.
Chief Olusola Bayode with his peers formed the Ikere Student Union while in the University and he was elected as the First Chairman (now President) of Ikere Student Union.
Apart from his immeasurable contribution to developing human capital in Ikere Kingdom, Chief Olusola Bayode saw to the building of IKERE CITY HALL while serving as the Chairman of Ikere Development Committee, a legacy he left behind. He was the Pioneer Chairman of Ikere Development Forum (IDF) Board of Trustee
Yes we lost him but his legendary footprints remain.
Chief Olusola Bayode, your body may leave this earth… But THE EXAMPLE lives on forever. The INSPIRATION lives on forever.
 The SPIRIT lives on forever. The LEGACY lives on forever.
In Ikere Kingdom, we mourn your exit, but more than mourn we appreciate that we got to experience your presence on earth. We appreciate we got the opportunity to learn from your example.
You are example of EXCELLENCE.
You are example of DISCIPLINE.
You are example of INTEGRITY.
You are example of SELF-RESPECT.
You are example of LIFTING OTHERS UP.
You are example of ALWAYS STRIVING to become your BEST SELF.

It is now OUR responsibility to pass on those qualities. It is OUR responsibility to inspire those around us, through our own example.
Chief Olusola Bayode, You Came, You Built and You Mentored. You are a Teacher of Teachers.
You are a legend. Odigba, Odigbere, Odigbose. Say us well to: Late Oba Samuel Adegboye, Late Professor Michael Ojo Olofinboba, Late Hon. Justice Michael Ekundayo Ogundare, Late Barrister S. Faji Fajobi, Late Battister Owolabi Afuye, Late Barrister Olusegun Asho, Late Chief Olorunfemi Obateru, Late Chief Dayo Okondo, Late H.E Evang Bamidele Olumilua, Late Prof Olu Longe etc.

Chief Olusola Bayode, GOODBYE

Emmanuel Sunday OGUNREMI
Assist. National Secretary
Ikere Development Forum (IDF)
April 9, 2021
April 9, 2021
It was indeed a rare privilege for me to be among the numerous students you mentored. Rest on Baba Bayode, you came, you saw and you indeed conquered. You imparted generations beyond yours and your legacies will forever be after you, as long as we write the history of the great school- Christs' School. A great teacher and good disciplinarian, to those of us who were lucky to be tutored by you, no words will ever be enough to qualify you and to those who were not so lucky, no words will be enough to describe you!
Adieu Baba Bayode
April 9, 2021
April 9, 2021
TRIBUTE TO CHIEF OLUSOLA BAYODE
By Chief G. O. Fasuyi

Awe, it was early on Monday 25th January 2021 when our son, Prof. Deji Fasuyi gave me a call and broke the news of your departure to me. Ye e e e Ye e e e I exclaimed loudly. The way I received the news must have embarrassed our son and so he apologized to me. He said he did not anticipate my receiving the news in that manner which must have been a reflection of our intimacy in your life time. It was personally to me one bad news too many. However, that you were called to glory at over 80 years deserves our praise to God. May His Name be glorified.

It is glory to God for our association together as classmates and friends for over half a century; from 1952 when we were admitted to Christ’s School, Ado-Ekiti in Form I along with other young boys from different parts of Ekiti until 24th January 2021 when you were called to glory. We thank God for our time in School which was full of jokes and pranks of the then youthful exuberances.

We also thank God for being classmates at the University College, Ibadan where we graduated in 1964. After graduation while I went into civil service you opted for teaching in secondary school to develop young ones as good future generation. I have no doubt that your option must have been motivated by the Late Rev Canon L. D. Mason who was our principal while in Christ’s School and had developed eminent citizens in Nigeria. In the same vein you became the pioneer principal of Aisegba Grammar School, Aisegba Ekiti. You gave the school a very sound foundation and had produced many eminent citizens of Nigeria today.

At close to the end of your tenure in Aisegba Grammar School, the old students of Christ’s School wanted a very competent old student to head the school. The lot fell on you. At your resumption in Christ’s School, the school was more or less on a precipice. You turned it around and raised it to an enviable height expected by the old students. You did not disappoint the old students. You made a good mark. We thank you.

You were a very active member of your Principals Association (All Nigeria Conference of Principals of Secondary Schools – ANCOPSS).

As a Christian, you held tenaciously to your faith. You served the church of God in various capacities. You were the Secretary to the erstwhile Diocese of Ekiti and Ekiti Diocesan Board for over 20 years. You took very active secret part in making me become the erstwhile Ekiti Diocesan Treasurer in 1988, a post I held for 15 years. Your jokes with me at Synod and the Diocesan Board meetings made the synod and meetings very much interesting and bubbling.

I wish to thank God for your family life. Your wife, Mubo, and your disciplined children are real gifts of God to you. They were the strong pillars of your successes in all spheres of your life. May the Lord spare their lifes, support them and bless them bountifully.

Sola, one can confidently say that your life had been very exciting and worthy of emulation by on-coming generation.

On this note I want to bid you farewell. For ever and for ever farewell Sola. Surely we shall meet again at Jesus’ feet, we will smile and rejoice. May the Name of the Lord be praised for ever and ever. May the Lord grant you peaceful eternal rest. Good night.

Your classmate and friend
Chief G. O. Fasuyi
April 8, 2021
April 8, 2021
*CHIEF OLUSOLA BAYODE: GOODBYE TO A LEGEND*

OGUNREMI, EMMANUEL SUNDAY

My People,

Greetings.

There are *heroes* and there are *legends*, *heroes get remembered* but *legends they say never die*.

It was *Sunday January 24, 2021* when the news of sudden demise of one of *our legends in Ikere Kingdom Chief Olusola Bayode* was broken at advance age of *81 years.*

*Olusola Bayode the son of the Preacher* as he used to call himself was born to the *Ayanla Family* of Ikere-Ekiti. His father was *Revd. D.F. Bayode* and his mother, *Grace Adesiyan Bayode*.

Chief Olusola Bayode can be described as *a product of pioneers*. He was a product of *Christ School Ado Ekiti *(the first Secondary School in Ekiti); he was also a product of University of Ibadan* (first University in Nigeria); he was among the first set of graduates produced in Ikere Kingdom.

From their young age, *Chief Olusola Bayode and his peers (Late Professor Michael Ojo Olofinboba, Late Hon. Justice Michael Ekundayo Ogundare, Late Barrister S. Faji Fajobi, and Late Barrister Olusegun Asho etc)* had been intensely involved in Ikere and her affairs. As formidable community builders, these men were concerned about the *progress, sustainability and advancement* of Ikere Kingdom in all spheres. May their souls continue to rest in peace. Chief Olusola Bayode with his peers formed the *Ikere Student Union* while in the University and he was elected as the *First/Pioneer Chairman (now President)* of Ikere Student Union.

At *Ikere Leadership summit in 2014*, Chief Olusola Bayode advised that Ikere should emulate the people of Ado Ekiti in playing *politics of tolerance and maturity*, he sighted how Ado people were able to benefit from both NPN controlled Federal Govt and UPN controlled old Ondo State Govt in Nigeria second republic (1979/83), what a patriotic advise! Apart from his immeasurable contribution to developing human capital in Ikere Kingdom, Chief Olusola Bayode saw to the building of *IKERE CITY HALL* while serving as the *Chairman of Ikere Development Committee*, a legacy he left behind.

He was *Vice Principal of Amoye Grammar School Ikere*; *Pioneer Principal of Aisegba Community High School, Aisegba Ekiti*; *First Alumnus Principal and Principal Emeritus of Christ School Ado Ekiti (1984-1994)*; he was *President of ANCOPPS (All Nigeria Conference of Principals of Secondary Schools) of old Ondo State from 1989-1993*. He was installed as *Atayese of Aisegba Ekiti in 1982*

He was a member of the *West African Examinations Council (WAEC) from 1990-1993*. He became the *first school principal in Nigeria to be appointed as member of Governorship and Legislative Elections tribunal*, a privilege he enjoyed on two occasions. He was awarded the prestigious award of *Christ’s School Merit award (CSMA) and Principal Emeritus of Nigeria (PEN)*. He also was awarded the *Full Gospel Arganbright Partner 2013 award* and the *Obafemi Awolowo University Faculty of Education Distinguished Veteran Teachers’ award in 2018*. He was the *Pioneer Chairman of Ikere Development Forum (IDF) Board of Trustee*

Yes we lost him but his legendary footprints remain.

Chief Olusola Bayode, your body may leave this earth… *But THE EXAMPLE lives on forever*. *The INSPIRATION lives on forever*. *The SPIRIT lives on FOREVER*. *The LEGACY lives on forever*.

In Ikere Kingdom, we mourn your exit, but more than mourn we appreciate that we got to experience your presence on earth. We appreciate we got the opportunity to learn from your example.

*You are example of EXCELLENCE.*
*You are example of DISCIPLINE.*
*You are example of INTEGRITY.*
*You are example of SELF-RESPECT.*
*You are example of LIFTING OTHERS UP.*
*You are example of ALWAYS STRIVING to become your BEST SELF.*

It is now OUR responsibility to pass on those qualities. It is OUR responsibility to inspire those around us, through our own example.

*Oga this way* as fondly called by his students, Chief Olusola Bayode was well loved and respected by his students for his decisive and stern posture on all issues. Today in Christ School Ado Ekiti, *a Hostel* is named after Chief Olusola Bayode and *an annual scholarship* in his honour is in place powered/funded by *Christ School Alumni 1993 set: Chief Olusola Bayode annual scholarship scheme and award.*

*Chief Olusola Bayode, You Came, You Built and You Mentored. You are a Teacher of Teachers.*

Chief Olusola Bayode, you are a *legend*. Say us well to: Late Oba Samuel Adegboye, Late Professor Michael Ojo Olofinboba, Late Hon. Justice Michael Ekundayo Ogundare, Late Barrister S. Faji Fajobi, Late Battister Owolabi Afuye, Late Barrister Olusegun Asho, Late Chief Olorunfemi Obateru, Late Chief Dayo Okondo, Late H.E Evang Bamidele Olumilua, Late Prof Olu Longe, Late Chief Mrs Abosede Akanle, Late Chief Isaac Aremu Omotosho (Onward) etc

My people, the remains of Chief Olusola Bayode will be laid to rest on *Friday April 24, 2021* after a funeral service at *St Luke Anglican Church Uro Ikere, Ekiti State*. All roads lead to Ekiti State on Friday April 24, 2021 to honour this great son of Ikere Kingdom.

CHIEF OLUSOLA BAYODE, GOODBYE.


OGUNREMI, EMMANUEL SUNDAY
April 8, 2021
April 8, 2021
AN ODE TO A TEACHER, MENTOR AND LEADER: CHIEF OLUSOLA BAYODE
BY CHIEF WOLE OLANIPEKUN, OFR, SAN

It is appointed unto man to be born, to live and to die. However, nestled in and embedded in its fine print, is an intrinsic linear trajectory of evolution, development and growth. Without these, man is but a husk; an organic container of other organic containers which merely fleshen out into the dust from whence man came. In this extent, the ingredient majeur that exculpates man from assured perdition is wisdom and its attainment. Wisdom in this context is not wisdom, the finished product; it is wisdom, the sedimentary aggregation of knowledge through experience, from when one is born, to when a higher call is answered. In this wise, the journey is the destination and the destination is the journey; it is both the beginning and the end, with both being of equal momentum, substance and value. As such, knowledge and wisdom are two peas of the same pod; Siamese twins, if you like, and they operate in tandem, ad infinitum.

Arising from the foregoing prognosis, I have come to the realisation, nay, enlightenment, and, in fact, reached another Eureka! moment, to wit, that I could not have arrived here on my own, and that if knowledge and wisdom are the journey and the destination, then Teachers, that selfless, self-denying, compassionate, public-spirited and altruistic class of persons, are the vehicle that conveyed me here; right from my elementary days in primary school, through to secondary school, even the university, and till now.

This Ode is to a Teacher amongst Teachers; a Teacher in a class of his own; a Teacher who combined so many ingredients and attributes – a leader, an instructor, a disciplinarian, a friend, a brother, an uncle, a role model, a mentor, a guardian, et al – Chief Olusola Bayode. It was Albert Einstein who opined that “it is the supreme art of the teacher to awaken joy in creative expression and knowledge”. I find myself in concomitance with Einstein’s postulation as years ago, I was privileged to have been taught, in character and learning, and my joy in creative expression awakened by eminent Teachers, including Chief Olusola Bayode, an individual I consider to have eclipsed the realm of being a mere Teacher, and attained the status of what I call my Teacher Emeritus. He was my Literature Teacher in Forms 1 and 2 at Amoye Grammar School, Ikere, and took over as our Geography Teacher in Forms 3 to 5. While doing my Higher School at Ilesa Grammar School, Ilesa, between 1970 – 1971, this benevolent instructor kept up with my progress and wellbeing through a close friend of his, one Mr. Olajide, who taught me poetry. Even now, I recall the relish with which I used to look forward to his classes; his way with words, and particularly, his mien and practicalisation of his lessons. While teaching, he did so with gusto, bringing all of his experience to bear. Whether Literature or Geography, he painted the most vivid of pictures. It was in his Geography class, right here at Amoye Grammar School, Ikere, particularly in our final year in 1969, that this gentleman took all of us to different parts of and destinations in the world, including the oil deposits in the United States of America, the Ruhr of Great Britain, the Pampas of Argentina, the coal in Newcastle, the fine skins in Australia/New Zealand, etc. In other words, it was in Teacher Bayode’s class that I obtained my first visiting visa; by paying rapt attention, I travelled to England and knew her seasons, even though I had not yet physically been there at the time; by listening to him, I took trips to the American Rockies, the Sahara Desert, the Indian Ocean, the Amazon River and the Chagos Archipelago, amongst others. Chief Olu Bayode did not only transmit regimented knowledge; he also connected us with the spiritual and metaphysical. At a one-week Christian Camp for young secondary school students, which took place at Baptist Boys High School, Igede, in December, 1969, Chief Bayode, along with Mr. Mike Oye and Mr. Muyiwa Olamijulo, took their thematic expression from 1st Peter – 5:8, and in so doing, urged us to be wary, to gird our loins and to “be sober and to be vigilant, because our adversary, the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour”. During our break, they took us on an excursion, nay, pilgrimage, to Ikogosi Warm Springs, Ikogosi where, using the unique and rarefied example of the Spring’s competing hot and cold waters, flowing simultaneously from the same source, demonstrated the effervescence of God’s wonder.

To F. Soneil Jose, “The influence of a teacher extends beyond the classroom and well into the future”. Chief Olusola Bayode fit into this postulation, as I can say without any fear of contradiction that his influence over the generations of students he taught in several schools during his illustrious career extended beyond the classroom, and that influence shaped and still shapes their future. He was always very excited and proud of any one of his students doing well. A quick example will suffice. In 1993, he was the Chairman, Ondo State Branch, All Nigeria Confederation of Principals of Secondary Schools (ANCOPPS), and the Association declared an industrial dispute with the State Government, leading to an impasse. Prominent figures and traditional rulers in the State approached both sides to resolve the imbroglio; and this led to a meeting of eminent personalities from all walks of life at the Cocoa Hall, Akure. Chief Olusola Bayode stood in gap for all the secondary school teachers in the State and presented their case stoically and brilliantly. Let me pause here by stating the obvious, that is, Chief Bayode had the gift of the gab. While Governor Bamidele Olumilua was responding to Chief Bayode’s presentation, he stated, amongst others, that he sympathised with the teachers… ; but Chief Bayode quickly cut in, rose on his feet, and said “Mr. Governor, do not sympathise with us. Teachers are not the dregs of the world, but moulders of professionals and leaders. Rather than sympathising, you have to reason with and be proud of us. How can you sympathise with someone like me who has produced several leading figures in the country including the man sitting to your immediate left, the Attorney-General of Ondo State, the Chief Law Officer of the State, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria?” There was thunderous applause! Vintage Chief Olusola Bayode!!

Charity, they say, begins at home. Chief Bayode’s charity began at home, right here in his cradle, Ikere. I bear eloquent testimony to the fact that right from the time he was our teacher at Amoye Grammar School, he had been keenly involved in Ikere and her affairs, holding regular and constructive meetings alongside other patriots on the progress and advancement of the town in all spheres. The City Hall in the centre of the town today could not have come to fruition without Chief Olusola Bayode’s active involvement. I vividly recall when the project was virtually abandoned, with the project site becoming a dumping ground; some people beckoned on me to assist in resuscitating it, and I decided to put down some money, but only did so with a proviso that Chief Olusola Bayode and Chief Michael Ogundare (Eyitope) should be in charge of the disbursement of the fund set up by me as I could always vouch for their unyielding integrity. It was this fund as well as the donation by His Excellency, Dr. John Kayode Fayemi, the Governor of Ekiti State that Chief Bayode and his team utilised in completing the project. What of the quest for the creation of Ekiti South Diocese out of the present Ekiti Diocese? Again, Chief Bayode and other eminent leaders of our Church, past and present, including the late Professor M. A Olofinboba, Prof. David Oke, Chief Ogunlade, Justice Edward Ojuolape, the late Venerable Jacob Asaolu Adeyinka, have been in the vanguard for the creation of the Diocese for over 20 years. It was a project so dear to Chief Bayode, and his joy knew no bounds when it appeared that we would have the Diocese created about this time last year. Alas, that great expectation, which enlightened the spirit of all of us and also gladdened our collective heart, was not realised in the lifetime of this great leader. Howbeit, it shall come pass in the nearest future in the mighty name of Jesus Christ.

There is much to say about this enigma who, to many of us, was a Gamaliel, by whose feet we learnt a lot; and we boast of him, just like the great Apostle Paul boasted of his teacher, Gamaliel (Acts 22:3). He was our guiding light, a motivator, beacon, a facilitator, an accelerator, a catalyst, and mobiliser. His passing has left a big vacuum which will be difficult to fill. Be that as it may, we have to thank God for his life and times; for his works and deeds; for his teachings and admonitions; for his inspiration and motivation. We equally bless God for the beautiful and edifying legacies he left behind, including a wonderful wife and well brought up children. He lived well; he served his God to the best of his ability; he was steadfast and unwavering all through; he fought a good fight; he ran a good race; he completed his work; he died in the Lord. I am persuaded that he has joined the heavenly throng – the Saints Triumphant.

This Ode is in testament of Chief Olusola Bayode - his mettle, his substance, quality, character and reputation as a great Teacher. May his amiable and pleasant soul rest in peace in the bosom of the Lord.



Chief Wole Olanipekun, OFR, SAN, LL.D, FCIArb, FNIALS
Asiwaju of Ikereland
Iyaniwura House
Ikere, Ekiti State
March, 2021
April 8, 2021
April 8, 2021
As fondly called "OGA" but you meant a lot more to each and every one of us.
Great Teacher like a Father.. With Many Good Parts, Yet Instills Discipline Likewise a Mentor. Literarily Touched many Lives and Changed Them for What We are Today and Build So Many Great Mind and Destinies one of which I am One.
Adieu COB “OGA” you will forever be Missed &Remembered for your Good Deeds!!!
April 8, 2021
April 8, 2021
He was a father figure to me. He taught me the Ten Commandments over and over again.

I grew up knowing him because we attended the same church - St Luke’s Anglican Church - but my first encounter with him was when I was in Christ School for my HSC and I had sneaked out home to eat pounded yam with my childhood friend Biodun at their shop. On our way back, he caught us red handed! No escape and of course, he knew where we were coming from because he had followed us all the way from Ikere garage. He told us point blank that there was no need to suspend us because he can’t send us home to our fathers who are his friends but that by the time he finishes with us we will not go near the gate again. True to his words, he stood us out in front of his office a whole day where everyone automatically knows you are under punishment and asks questions. Thereafter, he handed us over to the Warden 2, Late Elder Bello, with instructions that we were to cut grass on the lawns for days.

And so when I had issues with my parents then and the church made him to head the panel to look into making peace he simply told them to drop panel and committee and allow him only handle me which he did perfectly. Daddy will call me almost everyday preaching peace and forgiveness sometimes I break down and cry but one thing was sure He did not give up on me and he was not judgemental. He will pray with me till I became broken. He retaught me the Ten Commandments especially the fifth one : Honour your parents! He was too overwhelmed when I told him He will chair my wedding which was his prayer all along and when I also lost my Dad too he was so so supportive, always making sure I and my siblings are on the right path.

He sure made an impact in my life and I will never forget him. Up till He died there was never a week he will not call me
twice to be sure I'm okay.
I will miss him, his prayers, words of wisdom and his encouragement!

Daddy thank you for impacting so much in my life. I will always keep you in my heart. You will be sorely missed.
April 7, 2021
April 7, 2021
I got to know Daddy in the year 1996 when I went for my admission in Federal Polytechnic Ado Ekiti. My mother Mrs Oladipo told me to ensure i locate him within Ado Ekiti, which i did without an address given to me. On that fateful night after i rounded up my moves in school, I asked of him from 2 bikemen and one of the bike men shouted he knows Chief Bayode- Former Principal and he knows where he lives. I was surprised and happy and at the other hand i thought "hope you have not fallen into wrong hands".

Few minutes drive, i was already in front of his house and i introduced myself as Bose's daughter from Lagos. Without hesitation, he allowed me in and introduced me to Mummy and my brothers at home(At this time, No GSM ooo)
He assisted with my processes where there was need, took me down in his car himself .was so happy he did all that for me.
He really imparted me the few years, He was loving, down to earth, and given to kindness.

You will forever be missed Daddy.
April 7, 2021
April 7, 2021
Your proud legacy will live on - Mr Bayode may you rest in peace.
April 7, 2021
April 7, 2021
A big Iroko has fallen in Ekiti!

One of the few remaining of his generation that gives Ekiti her identity. A quintessential Ekiti man to the core...teacher, educationist, mentor, administrator, writer, father and churchman of repute.

Personally, I drank from his fountain of knowledge, wisdom and love. Ever so interested in my personal life and development and would forever sit me down anytime we see to ask me how I am doing and the children. A lover of men and a lover of Ekiti...one of the closest friends of my father.

Christ school Ado Ekiti just lost The Principal! Ekiti has lost an illustrious son and Ikere-Ekiti has lost a defender and lover of their town who will go to any length even at personal cost to see to the development of that town!

Personally, I just lost a father in Chief Olusola Bayode. My sincere condolence goes to Mama Morohunmubo Bayode, the matriarch of the Bayode Family. Most importantly, to my dear brother and friend, Morakinyo Bayode, a proud son of a proud father....this one hits hard but we take solace in the life that Baba lived. He lived well, he raised many and his legacy can never be erased! So, to Bola Bolajoko Bayo-Ajayi, my dear sister, take heart and be proud of whose daughter you are.

May light perpetual continue to shine on Papa.

Adieu!
April 7, 2021
April 7, 2021
It was in 1985, my father just passed away in June, and by September mother got me transferred to Christ School, Ado Ekiti, and there was the principal, Chief Olusola Bayode.
My very first encounter with him was on the third night after my admission, and knowing my story, he gave me a very strict welcome. As days, weeks months passed, I because his "unofficial adopted son".
The last time I saw my principal, who became my father, I asked him; "daddy, there was a day you caned all of us who didn't have the literature text book. You gave everyone six strokes, but me, twelve. Why?". He took a look at me and said; "Funto, after the canning, did you have a positive perspective change? I answered yes. And he said, that's your answer".
A few months to his death, he learnt I was critically ill, he told the person that informed him to place a call to me, and I heard a father pray for me from the very depth of his soul, his heart.
Chief Olusola Bayode, a scholar, teacher, administrator par excellence, but above, the very definition and standard of a father.

Sleep well my Principal, my father, your fruits abides forever.
April 6, 2021
Chief Olusola Bayode was indeed teachers of men. You can not visit his office without a lesson to learn. You will pray not to have a rough encounter with him.Once you hear (lo duro si office demi), you are finished. He thought me 'Discipline' 'Hardwork' and 'Integrity' as one of the House Captain (Babamboni) to be precise, to always remember the son's of whom you are. That is a popular saying but such were the words that resonates in your psyche and memory till tomorrow. May his Soul rest in peace. We miss you, Ekiti will miss you and indeed Christ's School will never forget you. Adiu Papa.
1988 A'level set.
April 2, 2021
April 2, 2021
Chief Olusola Bayode – A Life Well Spent
From: Ibrahim Shekarau, CON, PEN - Sardaunan Kano

Chief Olusola Bayode’s return to the Lord on January 24, 2021 will be felt, not only by his family, but also by Nigeria’s education industry. Although we grieve for his loss, we also celebrate the fulfillment of the life he lived. He lived a purposeful and productive life, leaving behind a vacuum that cannot be filled.

In 1964, while I was still in the primary school, Chief Olusola Bayode had graduated from the University of Ibadan. Despite the wide age difference, however, our paths crossed under the umbrella of All Nigeria Confederation of Principals of Secondary Schools (ANCOPSS). Although I was his very junior colleague, my position in the Confederation accorded me the privilege of coming close to him - and it was a worthwhile experience.

We pray for the repose of his gentle soul. We also pray that God, in His grace, will afford his family, and Nigerians, the fortitude to bear the irreparable loss.


Ibrahim Shekarau, CON, PEN, Sardaunan Kano
Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria
Kano Central Senatorial District
(March 30, 2021)
April 1, 2021
April 1, 2021
A LOVING FATHER

My earliest recollection of daddy was when you came visiting us in Lagos accompanied with the Architect-in-training. Few months after, we were all on our way to spend the holidays at Ado. It was a life changing experience because it would be the first time that we would be out of our comfort zone and away from the immediate family. At your place I saw a lifestyle of order. I saw how people got disciplined for not respecting the morning devotion bell or for skipping the daily chores. We had no option but to align. The lessons and values learned at Ado will forever remain with us.

Many years later, I found myself at Ado again, this time preparing for O-Levels examination. We both went to your library at Ikere-Ekiti to dig out some books. The books I saw that day were without number. I remember how we would rise very early in the morning and you would tutor me in Geography. What a sacrifice that was even in retirement! 

You introduced me to Full Gospel Businessmen Fellowship International when you were the Chapter President. When I got back to Abuja, I located a chapter and continued to fellowship with the "Happiest People on Earth". You are a good example to follow because people that don't heed to your wisdom will definitely fall by the wayside.

Daddy, you would call me on all my birthdays to wish me well. You would personally involve yourself in all our wedding ceremonies as if we were your own children. Anyways we were because whatever advice or instruction you gave was always followed. The long distance, bad roads or highway bandits were never a barrier for you to travel. Through thick and thin you were always there to provide a blend of fatherly yet Godly counsel.

The news of your demise was shocking and I still find it hard to believe each time I bump into your ever smiling pictures online. Heaven has gained a soldier. It's not really a good bye but it's good night until we meet on the resurrection morning.
May your gentle soul rest in perfect peace. Amen.

Engr Olugbenga Owolabi
March 30, 2021
March 30, 2021


How does one describe Chief Olusola Bayode? I don’t believe there are enough words; certainly one hundred and fifty words are not enough. Even a thousand words are not enough to describe his kindness, his wit, his magnanimity, his generosity, his service to humanity, his mastery of speech, his warmth and his levity.
Nobody could match Daddy for making people feel special, for making people strive to give their best and some more in the journey of life. No earth based guide or mentor has set so many men on the path to greatness. No administrator has given as much as he gave to the responsibilities placed under his care.


I find unmatchable joy in his smile of approval from the first day I met him as the smallest runt of a schoolboy being admitted into form one and to the last day I saw him alive in April 2019.
I arrived in Christ’s School Ado Ekiti from Lagos with my biological father on a dusty afternoon in 1988, it was my first time away from home and I was getting admitted into the school’s boarding facility so I was filed with fear and trepidation. But I needn’t have worried because the first thing my father and I met was the kind and welcoming arms of Chief Olusola Bayode, his wife Chief Mrs. Morohunmubo Bayode and his entire family.

Unknown to my father the old Ondo State had moved the resumption date for all schools by a few weeks but we arrived with my luggage in tow and we were told at the school gate that we had to turn round and go back home. My father was appalled; he knew it would be too much emotional trauma for me to bear if I had to go through the tears of separation from my mother and siblings again. So to my dismay and silent disapproval my father asked to see the principal and we were directed to Chief Olusola Bayode’s office.
It was a weekend day but Chief Bayode was at his desk and he immediately told my dad to take me to his official residence after listening to our predicament, from that moment on both Chief Bayode and his wife Chief Mrs. Bayode adopted me as a son and held back no kindness from me throughout my stay in Christ’s School. Remarkable because the day I arrived in Christ’s School was the day Chief Olusola Bayode met both my biological father and I for the first time.


I became Chief Olusola Bayode’s adopted son and for the next six years I lived in a community of boys Daddy molded into men, a community where we always ask ourselves – “What will Oga say if he were to see me at this activity at this moment?” and that question largely made us realign or rededicate as needed. How much better could a man make another man?

Daddy was strict yet kind, he was tough yet loving, he was prudent yet generous, he had a mastery of words but also kept the common touch. In one moment he will be extolling his students and staff to better virtue and harder work and in the next moment he will be regaling everyone listening with adages and witty remarks. When he speaks he arrests the attention of everyone listening.

Daddy was a builder of men; he always finds the opportunity to develop the minds and body of his wards. I can recall several times that other students and I who were privileged to be called directly by him to run school errands were also given spelling tasks and grammar corrections alongside. After an embarrassing incident I came to appreciate the difficulty of spelling “Peugeot” if you assume you are being asked to spell an English word instead of a French one.
Daddy was always completely invested in the success of whom and whatever he managed. I was privileged to see his elation and joy at the success of Christ’s School and its students in fields of academics and sports. He was the school’s number one fan but he also did his duty to the wider community without conflict. A notable example of this was when as the ANCOPSS president he stood and presented the Principals Cup to Ondo Boys High School with full pump and pageantry after that school had just narrowly defeated his beloved Christ’s School. The next morning he lifted the spirits of a sombre Christ’s School and told us that the journey to winning the next Principals Cup starts now.


Daddy regimented and organized both the humans and the facilities he managed, he was a stickler for rules; he repeatedly impressed it upon his wards and staff that without adherent to rules, society will be swallowed by chaos. So we lived by the bell, we studied, played, ate and slept like clockwork and when we left his tutelage the discipline stayed with us.

His students feared and yet adored him, they marvel at his memory, he remembers names and faces easily, all through my years in Christ’s School I had innumerable experiences of students awed at being apprehended at some act of truancy even when they thought they had purchased anonymity via their mode of dressing or by keeping a great distance between them and Daddy’s routes. The fear of being called out during the school’s morning assembly for a rule they had broken the day before but had no idea anyone observed kept many on the straight and narrow.
But youth must be served, so even I dipped my foot in the waters of truancy by dodging night prep on a particular day and of course he caught me. His verbal expression of disappointment caused me more pain than a thousand lashes would have caused. I subsequently promised myself never to be on the receiving end of his disapproving lecture again.


Several parents sowed the seeds that grew up in Chief Olusola Bayode’s vineyard but I feel immensely blessed and privileged that he was the vintner who raised my vine. Daddy will be sadly missed along life’s way but quietly remembered every day.


Chief Olusola Bayode you are no longer in our life to share, but in our hearts you are always there. I thank you for the immense part you played in my journey.


Temitope Adelowo.
Babamboni House 88/93
March 30, 2021
March 30, 2021
The Eagle suddenly flew away, high across the sky after a beautiful season, gliding through the wind like the sky owner. He was beautifully attuned reclining with candour and prestige in his heydays. The giant we saw in you as a staunch believer of school rules and norms, made you dignified lass of your own.
You were One of the brightest and the best. You made your mark leaving indelible impression in our hearts. Chief Olusola Bayode, an uncommon builder and moulder of beautiful minds and a gallant specie. So long, so good; our teacher, mentor, Principal, and father. Adieu. Your dreams shall never die.
May you find peace with your maker as you join the triumphant saints like Dallimore, Mason
and Ogunlade. May your eternal rest be glorious, Amen.

Dr Adeshola Tai Babalola FCIA, JP
Registrar
Federal Polytechnic
Ekowe, Bayelsa State
March 30, 2021
March 30, 2021
TRIBUTE TO AN UNFORGETABLE FATHER AND MENTOR, CHIEF OLUSOLA BAYODE J.P
“OLUWA MO DUPE” (LORD I THANK YOU)
Above were the last audible words of my father, my mentor, my Principal, and my alter ego, Chief Olusola Bayode who diligently served his creator in the vineyard as a sexton, Lay-reader, People’s Warden, Synod delegate and Synod Secretary of the Diocese of Ekiti Anglican Communion.
The last three days of our father Chief Olusola Bayode on this mother earth was eventful and mostly devoted to thanking God before he slept peacefully at about 5pm on 24th January 2021 in the presence of Bolajoko, Babajide and Ven. M.A. Ajao the Vicar of his home Church, St Luke’s Anglican Church Uro who came to pray with him, what a holy day and way to depart from this sinful world by a man who devoted his life to the propagation of Christianity.
On the 13th of January 2021 at about 8:30pm, daddy you told me to sit on the chair beside your bed and asked me “are you afraid of my dying?” You answered the question yourself and said, “I am not afraid of dying”. Our discussion ended with “Timo, let your yes be yes and let your no be no, sun mo awon aburo re”.
What can I say than to thank God who created you and made you a symbol of discipline, honor, integrity, love, visionary leadership, and inspiration to those who care to drink from the cup filled with grace which the Lord set on your table. On so many fronts, you were a soldier, soldiering on without looking back, each chapter of your life teaches “hard-work, devotion, target to success and advancement of mankind”. No wonder in 1980 from far away UK, you sent a postcard to me on which you wrote "Make going to University your target."
At personal level, you made me what I am. You left at a time your worth of experience is needed most in the target and goals you set for me. You have plans yet unaccomplished that are known to me because you shared your views and plans especially for Ikere, St. Luke’s Church Uro and the proposed Ekiti South Anglican Diocese
As you go to rest, I will continue to give glory to God who in His mercies made your path and mine cross. When my father Late Prince Michael Adedara handed me over to you in July 1974, little did I know it will be a journey of father and son.
Little did I know that it will be a journey of a father waking up in the morning and saying, “Timo come I want to tell you something”. You put me in the picture of your actions and plans, all of which has equipped me. You put a seal of love between me and your biological children.
All of us will miss you physically, we will miss your tiny handwriting, but we will not miss remembering those words, those proverbs and wise sayings with which you usually return us to path of honour whenever we were losing track.
Adieu, Goodnight Daddy.

Surv. (Prince) Aderemi Adedara.

March 29, 2021
March 29, 2021
Chief Olusola Bayode was a teacher of teachers, a principal of principals. Baba changed the paradigms during his period as Christ’s School Principal and made the school a centre of excellence once again. His leadership, mentorship and guidance made me a better person today. I am going to reminisce this forever. He always made our Friday afternoon assembly brighter with his knowledge and wisdom. It is hard to believe that he is no more here. Okun oo *Morakinyo*, oku asehinde, please be consoled with thousands of lives he impacted positively across the globe. May the Lord comfort the family in Jesus name.

Sir, we love you but God loves you more. Continue to rest in peace until we meet to path no more on  resurrection morning

Joseph Adeleye
Alumnus of Christ’s School Ado-Ekiti - 1987 Set
March 26, 2021
March 26, 2021
From 87 Set, a Song for COB

"OGA, THIS WAY!”

Just one phrase – three simple, seemingly harmless words. But once you heard them from Chief Olusola Bayode, utter terror would seep into your very being without delay. For you needed no one to tell you that woe was about to betide you. And in a big way too!

*"Oga, this way!"*

It was a language of command, not something you looked forward to hearing from the man we feared the most at that stage of our lives. But it was also the language of renewal. For many of us, those were the very words that brought us back into shape. Those simple words ultimately altered our destinies that were fast racing down a disastrous course. It was the language of regeneration, a language of our rebirth and renaissance.

“ *Oga, this way!”* became the compass that led us through the right way to our desired destinations!

Yet, he had darted into our lives suddenly, without invitation, with vigour, with fury, with pace and with purpose.

As newly promoted Form Three students of Christ’s School in September 1984, we were just okay with ourselves. Were we not students of the greatest school on the planet, the large citadel sitting pretty atop the hills of Agidimo, the Holy Child of Archdeacon Dallimore, the institution that had produced scores of eminent personalities in different spheres of human endeavour?

Everything was going on well. What more did we need? We waddled in our self-flattery, lost to the reality that we were sinking fast into the dungeons of complacency. We thought we were already there, that the world would serenade us with a song and a dance at the mere mention of our alma mater.

But then, Chief Olusola Bayode came upon us and ‘disrupted’ our lives. He dislocated our lethargic and listless attitude to life, deflated our ego and self-deceit and whipped us back into line – literally and literarily.

Who was this tall, handsome gentleman with a face as tough as a rock? Who was this unusual man with his unusual ways, this man of authority, revered by both students and teachers?

We learnt he had been in one ‘rural’ school somewhere in Aisegba; that he was a native of Ikere-Ekiti, that ethereal town on the southern fringes of Ekitiland, the place where two towering rocks – Olosunta and Oroole – daily communicate with the firmament. 

_Ehen?_ And so what? _Nigba yen nko_ ? We queried his actions and antics. We suspected his moves.

We learnt he was an old student of Christ’s School, where he was moulded by that popular Oyinbo principal who brought a lot of positives to the school – Rev Cannon Mason.

But even at that! Was that why he’s changing things and events with the speed of lightning? Was that why he would dress up in Christ’s School uniform to deceive us and catch us in certain, not-too-noble acts?

You cannot blame us. In those days, many of us did not like the transformations that COB was bringing. What manner of a man was this? You could no longer come late to school without genuine reason. You must be present at Friday afternoon meetings in the chapel. You could no longer sneak into town during school hours without the fear that a tall man with a unique goatee in Christ’s School uniform might be trailing you in his car. You could no longer hurl a large stone at any of those inviting fruits on mango trees dotting the landscape of the expansive school premises. You could no longer be rude to a teacher and get away with a slap on the wrist. You could not afford to come to school looking dirty and tattered and unkempt. You could no longer be attired like a hooligan. If caught – and indeed, you were likely to be caught – only God knew what your punishment would be.

Any of these could fetch you a two-week or one-month suspension, depending on the gravity. And don’t think for once that you might serve out your punishment without your parents knowing. No way! Oga would invite your parents and personally hand you over to them, telling them to keep you at home and give you proper training while your suspension ran its course.

*_“Oga, this way!”_*

Then gradually, we started to realise that this tall man with his firm, fearful visage might not really hate us that much o. Abi?

First, he withdrew his children from Federal Government schools and brought them to Christ’s School. One of them – his first son - was even in our class! So we started to reason that if he had hated us the way we were thinking he did, would he bring his children to our school? Morakinyo was obviously not too enamoured with the arrangement, but oga noh send am. And he too was as hyperactive as the rest of us. We saw him being flogged by his dad like the rest of us. So if he hated us, did he also hate his own children, we wondered.

“ *Oga, this way!”*

Before the end of that session, it was becoming obvious that this man actually meant well for us. We began to discover that the “this way” that this oga was always talking about was not just the right way, it was the only way to succeed in life!

But it was at the Friday meetings that the love he had for us and for our future evidently manifested. That was where he lectured us about life and its varied vicissitudes, and how to make a success of our future. He told us to be ogboju omos – men of courage and character. He implanted in us didactic lessons of industry and hard work, using proverbs, parables, philosophy, innuendoes, true-life stories, wit, words of wisdom and songs. *

_Make hay while the sun shines



Ogboju Omo l’aye nfe; aye o f’omo to y’ode.

Nitori naa, ka mura, ka ba le j’ogun aye.



Oo sa’gi l’ogbe, oo ta’guro l’ofa

O de idi ope, o gb’enu soke

Ofe nín ro ni?
*_
So, we gradually following those philosophies of life, and many of us have recorded and are still recording great accomplishments, from Nigeria to other parts of Africa, to Europe, to North America and other parts of the world.

By the end of our fourth session, we had totally accepted Chief Bayode as the greatest mentor we would ever have. We loved him with a passion, and the feeling was mutual. We resolved to make him proud. And to God be the glory, he confessed, many times before his transition to glory, that we had made him proud. We were all his children, and he, our father. He was a honorary member of the Class of 87.

And now that he has transited to higher realms, his legacies as one of the best school principals ever in the history of Ekiti/Ondo states would linger on in the minds of the thousands of people whose lives he impacted.

Dear Oga, you started out as our principal, but you later became our father and our friend. You encouraged us. You chastised and chastened us in love. The Biblical verse, Hebrews 12: 6 was your mantra. “For whom the Lord loves He chastens; and scourges every son whom He receives.”

Since we left Christ’s School as students – for we can never leave Christ’s School – you have never left us. You were always with us at all times. During our reunion four years ago, Oga, you attended all our activities. And we were also there to celebrate you as you joined the Octogenarians’ Club in February 2019. Oh, how we enjoyed those great moments!

When Professor Folarin Oguntoyinbo, our current president asked you why you always called out students when they erred by saying, “oga, this way,” you said it was a way to make them feel important before getting their due punishment!

You were firm, yet fatherly and funny! You desired our success. Besides our regular teachers, you even got special teachers to tutor us in English and Mathematics before our school certificate examinations in 1987!

Referring to you in the past leaves us totally diminished. But we take solace in the fact that, as the teacher of teachers, as Founding Principal of Aisegba Grammar School, as Principal of Christ’s School, as President, ANCOPPS - All Nigeria Conference of Principals of Secondary Schools - you left not only good legacies for your successors to build on, you also left highly successful biological children who are doing exceedingly well in their careers within and outside Nigeria.

Dear Oga, we never knew you would leave at this time. We had desired that you would stay a little longer with us. We had thought we would congregate again and celebrate your 90th birthday in February 2029. We thought we would also celebrate your centennial birthday anniversary celebrations in 2039. But God apparently desired your presence more.

Dear Oga,

At your passing

The heavens rumble and the earth quakes,

Here lies our hero in sombre quietude

For the great savant, the world lays a wreath

The moulder of our renaissance

Takes regal steps into eternal glory

We stand in salute to a life well spent

Our father, our mentor, our hero

We hail, we hail, we hail…

Sleep well, Chief Olusola Bayode. Till we meet to part no more inAbraham’s bosom, sleep well sir!

Christ’s School ‘87 Set Alumni
March 26, 2021
March 26, 2021
TRIBUTE TO LATE CHIEF OLUSOLA BAYODE BY THE LATE RT REVD C.A AKINBOLA FAMILY

The life, time and activities of Chief Bayode intermingled with the church from his first day in this world. Being the son of an Anglican Cleric, Chief Bayode understood church administration. Little wonder that he was chosen as the Lay Synod Secretary of Ekiti Diocese under the Episcopacy of the Late Rt Revd Clement Agboola Akinbola. This was a position he combined with being the Principal of Christ’s School Ado-Ekiti—a school he ran for 10 years.

Chief Bayode was one of those who helped revamp economic life in Ekiti Diocese along with Bishop Akinbola. An example was the establishment of the Diocesan Technical School where many were taught crafts like tailoring, hairdressing and typing which empowered many Ekiti indigenes to be self –employed and thereby achieving economic independence.

Chief Bayode was a great friend of Bishop Akinbola. From the very first day that Bishop Akinbola and Mama Akinbola arrived Ekiti Diocese on July 3, 1986, Chief Bayode and his family contributed immensely in making the Akinbola’s 11-year stay in Ekiti memorable, sweet, and impactful. 

The Late Chief Bayode was a large-hearted, jovial, yet very strict disciplinarian. There were all traits that endeared many Christ’s School students to him. He was both feared and loved at the same time and was a true icon of the entire Christ School Family. It was all these attributes that made Bishop and Mrs Akinbola to make one of their children attend boarding school at the school which was ironic because Christ’s School was located in the valley of the Pisgah top hill where the Bishopscourt was and is still located.

Chief Olusola Bayode, sleep well and continue to rest in the bosom of the Lord. Mama Janet Akinbola and the entire Akinbola family commiserate with Mama Moronmubo Bayode, the children and grandchildren. Let these words comfort you:

“Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope. For we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. (1 Thessalonians 4:13-14)
March 18, 2021
March 18, 2021
*Chief Olusola Bayode ( 1939 - 2021) was a man of many parts, his excellent parts cannot be overlooked by us, he was a great mentor, an Impactful teacher, a strict disciplinarian and a wonderful father to all.

You surely touched our lives over the 10 years spent in Christ's school, many destinies were reshaped and reinvigorated under your tenacious guidance. We are happy to celebrate the passing to glory of a saint.

We love you Oga Bayu but God loves you more, continue to rest in the bosom of our Lord Jesus Christ until the Resurrection morning when we meet to part no more. Adieu Chief Bayode! Your Legacy lives one
March 18, 2021
March 18, 2021
MESSAGE FROM
THE PREACHER'S SON.
(1939 - 2021).

"........ Let me die the death of the righteous And let my end be like his!”
(Numbers 23:10).

Chief Olusola Bayode, the Preacher's Son, passed through this earth (1939 - 2021).

As a great
*Teacher,
*Principal,
*A Visionary Leader,
*Mentor,
*An Academic Administrator,
*A Disciplinarian Man,
*Lover of God and Man,
*A Symbol of Courage,
*A Giver of Hope.
A man that God used to bring the best out of the people that had contact with him during his lifetime. The legacy of Selfless Service he left behind is a Message to us in this generation.

As a Visionary leader, he was able to build Aisegba Community Grammar School, Aisegba - Ekiti, from the scratch in 1972. This school brought a great honour to Aisegba town. Baba was given a Chieftaincy title The ATAIYESE of Aisegba -Ekiti.
He impacted some of us with Leadership skills at our tender age. I personally learned how to be a leader under him. From Form One to Five l was a School Prefect. I doubled as the school Time Keeper and the Labour Prefect during the early years of the school, later I dropped the time keeping for someone else when the school began to grow and I faced the responsibilities of the Labour Prefect till we the Pioneer Set finished in 1977.

As the Preacher's Son, our Daddy Feared God. He told us we were in school to acquire Knowledge and to get Wisdom. He always explained this to us with Biblical scriptures and some Yoruba proverbs.

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, But fools despise wisdom and instruction.
(Proverbs 1:7)

“ The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.
(Proverbs 9:10)

Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the Lord and depart from evil.
(Proverbs 3:7).

He used to tell us that if we hide the Word of God in our hearts we would not sin against God.

Your word I have hidden in my heart, That I might not sin against You.
(Psalm 119:11).

To assist us to know the Word of God, Baba made Bible Knowledge a compulsory subject for all the students at our time. Also when we were in Form One he used to prepare Daily Bible Reading Roster for every student to read a passage of the Bible in the morning assembly each day.
Every Sunday we used to have Morning and Evening Services. He bought for us an Organ, our Chapel Prefect then, Dare Adegite now an Engineer, was the school organist. Much later we had Pa Adewole who was our Bible Knowledge teacher to play the organ along with him. We used to enjoy melodious hymns from our S.O.P. and this made some of us to have a good Relationship with God early in life.
As a Spiritual parting gift in 1977, the Preacher's Son, organised a Confirmation Service for us in the Holy Trinity Church in Aisegba town. The then Bishop of Ekiti Diocese* in the Anglican Communion, Late Archbishop Abiodun Adetiloye, came to pray for us and laid his hands on us. We were spiritually impacted to prepare us for the challenges of life.

When we landed in the school in 1972, Baba greeted us with the School Motto "ISE NI OOGUN ISE".
He told us that 'Hard Work does not kill'.
We made use of this in all the areas of life.
In the Academics we tried our best, some of us sat for Physics, Chemistry & Biology and passed the three very well at our first setting. Our Library Prefect then, David Akomolede now an Architect, who is the current National President of the Alumni Association passed out with Grade One Distinction of "Aggregate 9". I don't know if this Record of his has been beaten by another student(s) in the school.

Baba made us to practice Agriculture . We were made to cultivate some of the food we ate, like Rice, Maize, Yam, Cassava, Oil Palm etc. As the school Labour Prefect then, I really learned a lot in relating and taking instructions from him on what we were doing. In his wisdom he set up the Young Farmers Club in the school that really helped us in crops production. We molded blocks to support in the construction of the buildings. He always told us that ' There is a Reward for Hard Work'.

The closer you were to Baba Bayode , you could see the Spirit of Humility operating in him. He brought himself so low to our level that he would wear the school uniform with us and occasionally visited the Dinning Hall to eat the same food with us, just to make sure that the cooks served us good food as he instructed. Mama Abeleje the Chief cook and our *O/C Food* for five years, Adekola Fashina did their best for us. What was common in some Secondary schools in those days was students riot because of bad food they were served. I never remembered we had anything like that.
He related to us as a Father, that he knew us by our names. For us not to sneak out to go and socialise in town, he bought us Sound System to organise Social Night on one Saturday every month, when we all came to dance to the music of King Sunny Ade, Ebenezer Obey, Dele Abiodun and other musicians at that time.

Daddy taught us to be Honest and Truthful. He always told us 'Say the truth and let the devil be ashamed'.

"The truthful lip shall be established forever, But a lying tongue is but for a moment.
(Proverbs 12:19).

His Yoruba proverbs and biblical quotations were enough lessons to build us to make it in life. Some students that misbehaved were openly corrected during Friday Afternoon Assembly so that other students could learn from their mistakes.

The Marital Relationship between Baba and Mama, Chief (Mrs) Mubo Bayode was a good lesson to emulate. Mummy used to bring some of her ex-students from St Louis Grammar School, Ikere - Ekiti , to teach us then and to be role-models for our female students. Mummy thank you ma. The Holy Spirit will console and comfort you. The Lord Himself, the Husband of the widow the Father of the fatherless will never leave you nor forsake you and your Children in Jesus name.
We thank God that Baba got us good teachers to teach us then. We say thank you to you all for the cooperation you gave to Baba Bayode to make us what we are today.

To all my Brothers and Sisters who passed through Baba at one set or the other in ACGS, let us thank God that we had the opportunity to learn under him during his lifetime.

Our Teacher, Principal, Father and Mentor the Legacy of Selfless Service you left behind is a Great Message to us in this Generation.

Baba Bayode, we loved you but your Creator loves you more.

May your Gentle Soul Rest in Peace in Jesus name.

REV. DR. KOLA OLUWARINDE.
PIONEER '77 SET.
March 16, 2021
March 16, 2021
A TITAN IS GONE
You filled the Vacuum our parents left. You stood as a pillar for all. You will always be remembered for your love and steadfastness. We will hold you in our hearts until eternity.
Good Night ( Daddy Ado ) as you are fondly called.

THE OLAGUNJU FAMILY OF EESA COMPOUND
OYAN (OSUN STATE )
March 16, 2021
March 16, 2021
ODE TO 'THE PREACHER'S SON'

Standing straight like iroko tree
In height and size
Bestriding the space on Agidimo hill
Like the Colossus
All six foot plus
Of brain, brawn and bite
Spotting a well-pressed white short sleeves
With the Christus victor
logo crafted to the breast.
Navy blue knicker shorts
Assentuating the massive frame.
'Oga this way'
The voice roared
to jolt the loitering late comer
Or mischief making idler
Or fence jumping 'mecho' patron.
Bursting love birds in hidden love zones yarning sweet nothings
Or prep-jumping truant
Who cooked concoctions inside lockers and hostel corners
With the connivance of the night.
He was the all seeing eyes
That roved day and night
Giving care
Checking exuberance
Never resting, never conceding.
Moulding destinies in the midst of constant resistance
From the rebellious teens.
He hollered
He counselled
He sang, nudging
Ogboju omo l'aiye nfe
Aiye o fe omo to y'ode
Nitorina ka mura
K'aba le j'Ogun aiye
(Life only reckons with the bold, the courageous
Not the dense and timid
Hence let's be prepared
That we may inherit the world)
That was the mantra
Of the man we all loved to hate
In our fitting ignorance
But now adored
When we have become what he desired
Now we stood side by side
Naughty boys and girls of yore
Now proud men and women from all walks
Fitting laurels of his years of sweats, labour and often riotous rigour
Largely misunderstood.
But now he called us friends with pride
The Ogboju Omo he saw before us
And called us to be
Take your deserved rest sir
You came, you nurtured, you built, you stood uncompromising, you succeeded.
And now your diadem waits for you
In the hands of your maker whom you served serving humanity.
He has now made your own call
'Oga this way'!
Go well Ogboju Omo Olusola Bayode.
The preacher's son
Our pride, our icon
Will we miss you?
I doubt,
For you gave your all, your best, withholding nothing!

Kanmi Olatoye
79/84, 85/86(HSC)
March 12, 2021
March 12, 2021
Good Night Daddy Ikere ,

you left a great legacy behind , you impacted our lives , we will miss you
growing up we have a lot of great memories about our trips to ikere and you carrying us on your shoulder , you were a disciplinarian , no nonsense one at that . between you and my mum i dont know who i was afraid of the most .

you loved your sister and showed it in anyway you could , i hope you have seen her now.
Daddy ikere we will miss you but we take solace in the word of God knowing you are in a better place .
Goodnight Daddy till we meet again on the resurrection morning

March 11, 2021
March 11, 2021
Baba Bayode,it is a privilege to know you, sit down and listen to your ever fresh words of wisdom. Your words to me( especially when I lost my loved ones )and your several visits to my family at critical times proved to me your value for humanity and your humility(despite the age and status differences).... Baba, I thank God for your life...rest on!!!
March 10, 2021
March 10, 2021
It was a great honour meeting Baba at the twilight of his life. Within a short time we became father and son. We were very close. He was always with a smiling face even in tough situations. I am greatly missing an extraordinaryly fatherly friend of mine. Rest in peace Baba
March 9, 2021
March 9, 2021
To God be the glory for a life well spent, Chief Bayode is a builder of men, he was a father everybody will love to have, he mentor us all by turning us to a useful person in the community. We love you but God love you more. Sleep on till the great resurrection day.
March 8, 2021
March 8, 2021
He was a man of many good parts, a great teacher, a disciplinarian and a mentor. He has used his many parts to touch many lives and build many great destinies one of which I am today. Adieu Chief Olusola Bayode “OGA” you will for ever be remembered for your good works
March 8, 2021
March 8, 2021
Death leaves a heartache no one can heal but Love leaves a memory no one can steal
Your life was a blessing, your memory a treasure
You are loved beyond words and missed beyond measure
I will hold you in my heart until I can hold you again in heaven.
Farewell my teacher and mentor!. Thanks for being there at those dark days in my family. You were a rare Gem.

We will meet to part no more.... please put a bunch of roses on my darling daughter’s hand; plant a kiss on her cheeks. Tell her you supported Yinka and Yinka when she departed.
March 8, 2021
March 8, 2021
SO LONG, FARE THEE WELL, CHIEF OLUSOLA BAYODE; THE PREACHER’S SON.
And yet another one bites the dust, yet another one of Ikere’s quickly diminishing stock of sturdy statesmen. First it was Professor Michael Ojo Olofinboba, Chief Olusola Bayode’s bosom friend, who was last with us 20 years ago. The Hon. Justice Michael Ekundayo Ogundare is gone. My uncle, Barrister S. Faji Fajobi, is gone, Barrister Olusegun Asho and as are many others who shunned the glare of public celebration. And now the ferryman has come calling. Chief Olusola Bayode has closed his eyes one last time, never to open them in this world again.
From his perch as vice principal of our very own Amoye Grammar School in the 1960s, Chief Bayode moulded many of my generation. Having been shipped off by impoverishment to a little-known secondary school, Eyemote at Iyin Ekiti. I had very much become a man in my own right before I began to drink from his relentless fountain of wisdom, knowledge and understanding. From Amoye, he would become the foundation principal of Aisegba Community High School, Aisegba-Ekiti, and later, principal of Christ’s School, Ado-Ekiti, his own Alma mater of which Professor Olofinboba also had been the Senior Prefect of his set. It was a fitting swansong for a revered teacher and administrator.
During my growing years, teaching, the life of all professions and preoccupations, was loathed, not because of teachers themselves but owing to the value government has historically placed on education. Nevertheless, Chief Bayode was one of very few teachers for whom I might have considered taking up teaching as a profession. He was the essential teacher, a natural intellectual. No matter the platform and whatever the professional, he was no pushover.
I met Chief Bayode many years from his pedagogic pomp on the recommendation of Prof. Olofinfoba. As formidable community builders, both these men were concerned about sustainability and were actively implementing a succession plan by recruiting some of us younger ones into a ready pipeline. And to demonstrate how serious they took this mantle of leadership, that first meeting with Chief Bayode was akin to the kind of robust cross examination you may find a skilled advocate conducting in court. I suppose I impressed him well enough to become one of his confidantes right until his death.
Asides his immeasurable contribution to developing human capital in Ikere, one of Chief Bayode’s legacies is the IKERE CITY HALL that adorns the centre of town. As chair of Ikere Day activities, Chief Bayode spearheaded the efforts to bring that long-deferred dream to fruition, bringing his penchant for excellence and probity to bear.
This period too was when former Governor Segun Oni bit the bullet to establish The University of Education Ikere Ekiti (Tunedik). Chief Bayode, again, was one of the leading lights of that project, recognizing the immense developmental opportunities that would accrue to his precious hometown. The fate that befell Tunedik is apposite today, given that Ikere must now scrounge around to achieve something that arrived on a platter just over a decade ago. The irony. The lofty aspirations behind our joint sacrifice was scythed down by a navel-gazing, narrow-minded elite and their cohorts and associates. So toxic was that broth of envious hatred cooked that this tribute to Chief Bayode may have come a decade ago—and not by my hand. It is a blessing that Chief Bayode lived many more years beyond those dark times, and I am here today celebrating his passage. A failure I freely admit is my inability to commit the travails of Tunedik to a book before Chief Bayode passed. It was not for want of trying, and it is a debt I owe to his memory.
Alh. GANI FANIYI
March 8, 2021
March 8, 2021
SO LONG, FARE THEE WELL, CHIEF OLUSOLA BAYODE; THE PREACHER’S SON.
And yet another one bites the dust, yet another one of Ikere’s quickly diminishing stock of sturdy statesmen. First it was Professor Michael Olofinboba, Chief Olusola Bayode’s bosom friend, who was last with us 20 years ago. The Hon. Justice Michael Ekundayo Ogundare is gone. My uncle, Barrister S. Faji Fajobi, is gone, Barrister Olusegun Asho and as are many others who shunned the glare of public celebration. And now the ferryman has come calling. Chief Olusola Bayode has closed his eyes one last time, never to open them in this world again.
From his perch as vice principal of our very own Amoye Grammar School in the 1960s, Chief Bayode moulded many of my generation. Having been shipped by off by impoverishment to a little-known secondary school, Eyemote at Iyin Ekiti. I had very much become a man in my own right before I began to drink from his relentless fountain of wisdom, knowledge and understanding. From Amoye, he would become the foundation principal of Aisegba Community High School, Aisegba-Ekiti, and later, principal of Christ’s School, Ado-Ekiti, his own Alma mater of which Professor Olofinboba also had been the Senior Prefect of his set. It was a fitting swansong for a revered teacher and administrator.
During my growing years, teaching, the life of all professions and preoccupations, was loathed, not because of teachers themselves but owing to the value government has historically placed on education. Nevertheless, Chief Bayode was one of very few teachers for whom I might have considered taking up teaching as a profession. He was the essential teacher, a natural intellectual. No matter the platform and whatever the professional, he was no pushover.
I met Chief Bayode many years from his pedagogic pomp on the recommendation of Prof. Olofinfoba. As formidable community builders, both these men were concerned about sustainability and were actively implementing a succession plan by recruiting some of us younger ones into a ready pipeline. And to demonstrate how serious they took this mantle of leadership, that first meeting with Chief Bayode was akin to the kind of robust cross examination you may find a skilled advocate conducting in court. I suppose I impressed him well enough to become one of his confidantes right until his death.
Asides his immeasurable contribution to developing human capital in Ikere, one of Chief Bayode’s legacies is the IKERE CITY HALL that adorns the centre of town. As chair of Ikere Day activities, Chief Bayode spearheaded the efforts to bring that long-deferred dream to fruition, bringing his penchant for excellence and probity to bear.
This period too was when former Governor Segun Oni bit the bullet to establish The University of Education Ikere Ekiti (Tunedik). Chief Bayode, again, was one of the leading lights of that project, recognizing the immense developmental opportunities that would accrue to his precious hometown. The fate that befell Tunedik is apposite today, given that Ikere must now scrounge around to achieve something that arrived on a platter just over a decade ago. The irony. The lofty aspirations behind our joint sacrifice was scythed down by a navel-gazing, narrow-minded elite and their cohorts and associates. So toxic was that broth of envious hatred cooked that this tribute to Chief Bayode may have come a decade ago—and not by my hand. It is a blessing that Chief Bayode lived many more years beyond those dark times, and I am here today celebrating his passage. A failure I freely admit is my inability to commit the travails of Tunedik to a book before Chief Bayode passed. It was not for want of trying, and it is a debt I owe to his memory.
Alh. GANI FANIYI
March 7, 2021
March 7, 2021

Chief.Olusola Bayode filled the gap my biological father left barely 6months after his death. He took me as his own son, believed in me, and stood by me at every stage of my career as a fresh medical graduate in Ekiti land. Sometimes I call him Sai baba, better still I jokingly hail him 'Aba Linla' (Big Daddy), his usual reply...Yemi o ma tojometa, sooo gburo Seyi (my wife)? He had a notable philosophy of a united family. His marriage clocked 50 when I started mine and he stood by us at every stage of the planning. Baba was my mentor in Full Gospel Business Men's Fellowship International, a dedicated leader, a follower of Christ serving God vehemently at old age, this usually motivate me to serve my Maker unwaveringly. 7 hours after his death, I sobbed like a child in the middle of the night knowing I will not see my Aba Linla again. Baba was a strong soldier, even at brink of his last breath, his faith in Jesus was unshakeable! He came, he saw, he conquered!


Dr. Abioye Opeyemi Oladipupo
Public Health Physician, FETHI
March 7, 2021
March 7, 2021
I would like to express my sincere condolences to my friend Bolajoko Bayo- Ajayi and the entire Bayode family on the recent passing of their beloved father. It is obvious that his children were very fortunate to have such an amazing man as their father and role model. It is great to see how his personality and strength was passed to all his children, and in doing so he lives on. May God give him eternal rest and the family the strength to bear the great loss.

Folake Awoyiga

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