He was one of the best and a literary giant in the journalism industry.
The former chief press secretary and spokesman to military President Ibrahim Babangida. One of the best, if not the best, who served in that role.
He gave up the ghost in the early hours of today at the ripe old age of 83.
I can write so much about the Ijebu high chief and quintessential gentleman.
I met him at Heathrow Airport around 2003 and a relationship developed which got to a point that when I registered my oil and gas service company, Integral Energy Limited, in 2004, he accepted to be one of the directors of the company with few other notable Nigerians.
He didn’t look at me as a young man of just 32 years of age when we met and looked down on me.
I was a regular visitor to his Dolphin Estate home, opposite the police post, everyday after work when I relocated to Nigeria then, to drink from his fountain of wisdom and share his favourite red wine with him. He educated me more about the complex nature of Nigerian politics during our discussions and I really cherished those discussions till date.
I remember vividly how he and few others close to IBB wanted his former boss to succeed Olusegun Obasanjo in 2007 but that never materialised.
He was one fiercely loyal man to his former boss that I can vouch for. Another like him so loyal is Col Abdulmumuni Aminu, the former military governor of Borno State and commander of the Brigade of Guards, who I was very close to during the same period
Also, if I developed the knack for reading more on political issues today, I picked it from Chief Onabule. He was a voracious reader. His library at home was well stocked, very rich and anytime I was coming to Nigeria from my base then in UK, his only request was “Femi, can you please help me get XYZ book from Amazon or this biography from Waterstones.”
High Chief, you will be sorely missed but never forgotten.
May your soul rest in perfect peace.
Sunre, o omo Ijebu Ode ajagbalura, omo alagęmo męrindinlogun.
Adieu!
