Elder Barrister David Olusegun Onilude
Dad was the most flawed of fathers. He was a man broken in many ways by his lot in life. His legacy however is a testament and a trophy of grace.
Born into a monogamous family o a wealthy village man. He was the only son of his favoured mother. Right from the start, he was a threat to the status quo in a feuding community.
His father in the prime of life and success suddenly passed away. And so my dad was given to be raised by another member of the family. His mother had no say in the matter, and in fact, she did not see him again for years.
And so Dad who was born into wealth and love, became the lost, the last and the least. He became an orphan and was treated as such.
But, my dad had an indestructible streak in him. Only God.
My dad loved books. So every opportunity he had in his early days, despite his ugly set of circumstances, he would spend at the village library and read anything he could get his hands on. He just would lose himself in the big world of books. He found a world so wonderful and so alien from where he was.
Those early years of reading created a thirst for life and living in Dad. He knew from all the wonderful books he read in his village library that there was more to life. Life was big, life was wonderful and worth living.
The library officials being English Missionaries took a liking to him. Due to his curious and gentle nature they would answer his questions and give him books that would help him develop his mind and intellect – Thank God for English Missionaries!
When Dad finished school, he got his first job in the library! What joy!
So, he taught himself how to use a typewriter. That became my dad’s hallmark. A typewriter! He loved typing. And that love took him eventually into journalism.
The first time Dad finally left his village, he left to come to England.
The English Missionaries had written to Mr Williams (not his name) of the BBC London and told him all about Dad. So when Dad arrived, he dutifully took the Little Note, bought himself a coat, a hat and an umbrella, and went looking for Mr Williams at the Strand in London, UK.
They met at a restaurant near the BBC offices in London and the rest they say is history.
Dad started working as a junior copytaker, learning and growing in his love for reading and writing. He loved journalism. Writing especially. And, telling stories. My dad was the most amazing storyteller. And, he was hilarious. He found something funny in every situation.
That was my Dad's strength. He always found a silver lining in every cloud. God endowed him with an indestructible spirit.
He later went on to work for Reuters in London.
Dad later married his childhood love, my phenomenal Mum. We were born and life was good. Until the decadent life of the ‘60s kicked in. They were not Christian believers and life in London, UK in the 1960s was not kind or morally ethical for the simple-hearted Africans that had emigrated and settled here.
Things got complicated and then fell apart.
Dad left and went back to Nigeria. Mum left later and took us with her.
I was five years old.
So, I did not grow up with my Dad. But, for some strange reason, I was always close to him.
My dad always told this funny story about when I was very young:
Whenever I was coming home from work when 'Tayo was little, I loved to bring a gift like sweets or a piece of fruit because when I would present it to her, she would burst into such overwhelming spills of laughter, joy and gratitude. It was so memorable.
So when Mum refused to continue to pay for my halls in my third year of Uni insisting I stay at Dad's who lived not too far from the campus, I did not mind too much.
The decision proved to be one of the most significant I ever made.
I had just become a Christian believer and zealously attended all the various meetings including an all-night prayer meeting every Friday night. My dad did not mind very much what I did as long as it did not meddle with his schedule.
One memorable day however, it came to a head when I responded to one of his sudden outbursts of anger by praying quietly under my breath. He went on to tell me in no uncertain terms that he found it disrespectful, offensive and unacceptable.
I was used to his disposition and attitude but this time something happened inside me.
That evening while busy pottering about the house, I found myself unconsciously confronting God about Dad’s unexplainable rage, realising for the first time that it was very abnormal behaviour.
My questions were:
Why is he so explosively angry all the time? What is wrong with him? Whatever happened to him? Why would a person behave that way? Why God!? What God!?...
As I stood quietly facing the large window directly in front of the kitchen sink contending in my heart, suddenly something happened. (Something Pentecostal)
Heaven seemed to burst open and the African sunshine seemed to come alight. Light like I had never seen before flowed and flooded my heart. And for the first time, I felt God's heart for Dad. It felt like warm liquid gold. That's the only way I can describe it. It so overwhelmed me that I fell to the ground and cried. I felt God’s heart of love for Dad. God sees him and knows him. He knows the little orphan boy... and loves him dearly.
My life changed forever. And so did Dad’s, because I started praying for him like I had never prayed in my life. I was burdened with God’s love for him. My Friday all-night prayer times became the place to spend quality time praying for him.
I can't remember how long it took, months and months, but one day I came home to find a man sitting with my Dad in the living room. So, I busied myself making dinner but could hear everything being said.
The stranger had had a dream some weeks before.
In the dream, he had seen the face of my dad. In the dream, God told him he would need to share the gospel with this man, and He would show him where to find him.
A few weeks later, he was taking his evening stroll in the area, when God told him this is the house, knock on the door. And he did. Dad opened the door.
And the rest is history. My dad became a Christian believer.
It radically changed my dad’s life and lifestyle. He stopped smoking and drinking, and his life choices became more outward-focused and life-affirming. He found a church nearby and started attending, then he started helping out and serving.
He was later introduced to Bishop Oyedepo's ministry called Winners Chapel. The large congregation was then in the process of moving to virgin land in Ota, Ogun State. The Bishop had bought thousands of acres of land in the forest in Ota, and they were about to start breaking ground.
Dad loved Winners Chapel so much that he decided to go and scout the forest of Ota and buy some land for himself to build a home and a law chamber to be closer in location.
By that time, Dad had completed a Law Degree at the University of Lagos so he could commence a second career in law upon retiring as Board Secretary and Legal Adviser to NAN.
And so with time, he retired to his new building project in Ota and set up his Praise Chambers. He became the town property and probate lawyer so all the other landowners came to him to get their estates in order and write their wills. Dad was in his element!
Another passion of Dad’s was land. The concept of starting something from scratch was a challenge he relished. So, he would buy land and build a house, after living in it for a while he would get bored, then sell it and start again at a new location. The good thing was each time his house got more elaborate. He just loved the adventure of planning and building something new. We would watch in amusement, listen to his plans in amazement, and just nod in agreement. Perplexed!
So, property law was his dream job. And, Winners Chapel (which had suddenly become a global mega-church) was only a short drive away from his new home.
Everything was as it should be.
Dad came to the UK often. He loved to come and spend time with his four children and 'countless' grandchildren. He would do the rounds and share his time with each one.
On Christmas Day of 2019, he turned 80 and we gathered at my brother, Femi's house in Altrincham, Cheshire. It was the most memorable Christmas. All of Dad and Mum's children and grandchildren were present to celebrate the incredible milestone with him and each other. Such joy!
When Dad visits he stays in London for the most part. He would take long walks or just stay in his room reading books on various topics he would get from the local library. He loved to explore and rediscover the London he knew in the 1960s and would often stop at a good Fish & Chip shop he found along the way. At dinner time in the evenings, he would tell stories and have a good laugh at life.
Life is short, and every moment is precious. - Gad Saad
Life is short, and if we enjoy every moment of every day, then we will be happy no matter what happens or what changes along the way. - Gretchen Bleiler
Dad went back to Nigeria in January of 2020. He had a minor accident and went to the hospital for treatment. It was during COVID-19 and not knowing he was diabetic he was given a dose of anaesthetics. His body went into shock.
Dad's body could not cope...
Life is brief and time is short.
How we use our lifetime is what counts for our legacy and eternity.
Dad passed to heaven on the 7th of July 2020 at the age of 80.
The greatest solace we had was the quality time we had spent laughing with him just months before. Also, that he loved God and served Him with everything he had. He seemed to be making up for lost time and he did it with great zeal.
Dad loved life. He is now enjoying it in stellar quality and greater quantity.
Below is a summary of his Remembrance Service Bio:
Barrister David Olusegun Onilude aged 80 years old of 39 Olanrewaju Oshunfowora Street, Fashogon Estate, Ota, Ogun State passed to glory of cardio-respiratory failure on Tuesday 7th July 2020 in Ota, Ogun State, Nigeria.
Elder Onilude was born on the 25th of December (Christmas Day) of 1939 in Oyo, Oyo State, Nigeria.
He moved to the United Kingdom in 1964 and accepted a position as a copy-taker at BCC, Broadcasting House in London where he worked until his return to Nigeria in 1972. He then worked at the then Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria, FRCN before he moved to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN). At NAN, he covered many international events such as the OPEC conferences as a young Nigerian Reporter and Correspondent.
He later obtained a Law Degree from the University of Lagos while he worked at NAN. Elder Onilude retired from NAN as Chief Editor and Legal Advisor to the Board of Directors in 1990.
After retirement he spent the rest of his life practising law, specializing in Property Law and Probate Law.
Elder Onilude was a great family man and a loving father to his children and grandchildren. In his later years (1988), he became a committed Christian and dedicated most of his time, energy and resources to the Christian ministry.
Elder Onilude was a founding member of Winners Chapel (Faith Tabernacle) in Ota, Ogun State. He relocated his home to Ota when Winners Chapel broke ground for the building of Faith Tabernacle. He was committed and dedicated to Winners Chapel and active in various roles. He was later appointed an Elder and served faithfully hosting various church gatherings in his home for the rest of his life.
He enjoyed visiting his children and grandchildren in the United Kingdom and telling stories of his many adventures as a youth and as a journalist in his early career.
His family, friends and church members will always remember him as a generous, jovial and studious person.
A remembrance service is scheduled for October at Winners Chapel, Ota, Ogun State with a reception to follow. The Pastors at Winners Chapel will officiate.
Due to Covid-19 restrictions (2020), a limited number of people will be able to attend the service to celebrate Elder Onilude's life. Please check with the family before travelling.
Elder Onilude had many grandchildren and nine children, namely:
· Ms Deborah
· Ms Elizabeth
· Mrs Bethia
· Mr Emmanuel
· Mr Paul
· Mrs Omotola
· Mrs Faith
· Mrs Ore-Oluwa
· Mr Stephen
Elder Barrister David Olusegun Onilude
We celebrate your life Dad.
Thank you for giving us life and leaving a stellar legacy
of tenacity and faith.
Written by
Komentarze