Remembering the late Professor Ade Adefuye

You did not indicate August which year and like a thief in the night at about midnight of August 27, 2015, Lanre Ashiru called me and asked “Lawyer what happened to Prof”. I surfed the internet and alas, the news of your death was breaking. I quickly dashed to your cousin’s (Sanu Otudeko) place and we both started praying for the news to be false, or a rumour. This time around, God did not answer our prayers as the news of your death was confirmed to be true.

Dear Prof, I have mourned you for a whole year and I shall now begin to celebrate you forever.

Prof, in whatever role I knew you, from whatever vantage position you were, you stood apart as a special person: Your special leadership qualities and warm, charismatic personality were very apparent. Your services to Nigeria, ECOWAS, the Commonwealth and the world at large are well documented and appreciated by all you met in the course of your sojourn during your lifetime.

In addition to your devotion to your duties, either as a lecturer or a diplomat, you found time for your wife (Aunty Sola), your children (Bunmi, Tolu and Baba), you found time for your sisters (Bola, Seun and Toyin). In fact, you found time for almost everybody.

It was a privilege for me to have known you. I will forever cherish our moments together, either at Calabar Kitchen in Abuja, at my office in Ibadan or your office in Washington DC, whenever I visited. I will forever cherish your bright and beautiful smiles while drinking “my cheap wine” visiting me in Ibadan and Ijebu–Ode.

Bro Ade, as you were called by Bola, Seun and Toyin, O daaro!

My Prof, my Prof! as I called you, sleep tight as my guys say.

• Adeniyi Uthman,

Ibadan.