Pioneer NANS President Comrade Sunday Oladele popularly know as Baba Ladoo who died few days ago in Abuja ended his journey with so many unfinished businesses and dreams.
Though he was able to accomplish some of his dream but some he couldn’t and that was why his demise was described as a painful exit by friends and comrades in the students unionism
Baba Ladoo died as an hero, a leader of leaders a comrade and social activist who pioneered the atruggled for student Unionism when it chamges numenclature from Nigerian Union of Nigeria Students NUNS to National Association of Nigerian Students NANs
In 1980, the lanlate ,Oyo state born Danlad Sundey Ladele popularly known as Baba Lado emmerged as National president of the prestigious NANS, his Passion to lead and make other leaders consumed his education plans as he was denied the privilege of graduating with his set in 1980 having fulfilled all the requirements to be a Worthy graduate of YabaTech.
He was said to be unjustly punished and denied by the YABATECH Management. The rector who unjustly punished him on behalf of the FGN promised he will never get the certificate alive. This evil statement was reechoed at the Senate hearing where he finally got a reprieve, 41 years after.
For about forty years Baba Ladoo have been moving from pillar to post, making frantic efforts to collect hoa results and certificate from Yaba Tech where he studied Building Technology but all to no avail until few weeks ago when the management of the institution agrees to release his results and present him certificate at the next convocation after the intervention of
the Senate Committee on Public Petition and leadership of the NANS led by Dayo Asefon
He died without seeing the results, he gave up the ghost without collecting the certificate he has been yearning, thought he died a fulfilled man but his greatest desire to have the certificate and use it as a back up for businesses and other jobs
NANS President, Dayo Asefon in his tribute wrote ” Just two weeks ago, I posted an update about the resolutions of the management of Yaba Tech with the Senate Committee on Public Petition to release the result of our leader, the first NANS President, Leader Oladele Sunday (Baba Lado) after forty years of graduation. I was physically present at the sitting to offer my moral support as a comrade and the incumbent NANS President.
However, I received the news of the passing away of Leader Oladele Sunday (Baba Lado) this afternoon with a rude shock. The news of his demise is not only sudden but shocking. At a time we think we have won the struggle, we lost the battle.
Baba Lado is a fearless fighter, exceplanry leader who paid the most expensive sacrifice for fighting the just cause. He fought till the end. He came, he saw and left a great legacy of selflessness.
May his soul find rest.
THE DEATH OF BABA LADO AND THE REST OF US: A CALL FOR LOVE AMONGST COMRADES
Leaders and colleagues,
From the moment Baba Foluso Okuobi placed a distress call to me asking me to look out for BABA LADO, I became discomforted especially moments after it was discovered BABA LADO passed on in his hotel room.
The last 3 days have been one of sober reflections. These reflections are not just scary but painful when viewed from the prism of what the departed leader represented, fought for, lived for and died for.
I made a scathing remark after his demise alluding to the fact that even after 40 years of withholding his certificate for no offence other than reorganizing and rebirthing NANS from the then proscribed NUNS, many of us who became torch bearers of the organization year upon year after his effort still could not secure his certificate for which he was unjustly punished and denied by the YABATECH Management. The rector who unjustly punished him on behalf of the FGN promised he will never get the certificate alive. This evil statement was reechoed at the Senate hearing where he finally got a reprieve, 41 years after.
During the last few months to his death, he led his heart by his own convictions and secured the long withheld certificate, placing his TRUST, still, in his beloved NANS rallying support from same constituency (the NANS family). Mission thus accomplished and, shortly thereafter, he bade us all his farewell.
True to his belief, he laid on the bed, clenched his fist, crossed across his chest, a sign popularly recognized for Aluta Continua while he bade the world his Eternal departure. Too real for those who saw his corpse before evacuation to the mortuary.
Yesterday morning, a General of the Nigerian Army, from the Defence Intelligence Agency, understood to be BABA LADO’s junior in Secondary school sent a delegation led by one Col. Banjo to ascertain the veracity of BABA LADO’s death.
Col. Banjo carefully chose his words and told us that with the huge influence NANS commands and the avalanche of the highly placed ones amongst us, BABA deserves from us far better than he got.
Let it be said here that in the last 20 years, NANS comrades became BABA LADO’s immediate family. His home in Ibadan receives on daily basis comrades in turns. He was always happy receiving them. The message from Col. Banjo was thus unambiguous and sunk well with those who can speak the truth.
If you’re not amazed, why wont I? Why not start helping each other while alive or in need of a shoulder to lean on? Better we help with a penny to the needy soul, still living than buying a casket of #1m for the dead with loads of tributes and regrets. The reality is that BABA LADO is gone and we now run our emotional instincts to give him the best, in death… So serious! That was the vintage ‘first’ we had.
Understandably, whichever way we treat him while alive, we MUST now give him notwithstanding our collective negligence or individual closeness, the very best of the last honour we probably denied him while alive.
Only the eyes will see the casket, the long convoy, the creme de la creme, the security attention his burial will attract and uncountable tributes of many fake minds who will come forth to cry. And thereafter, BABA will go to his earthly grave, satisfied in his heavenly abode that he WON his battles here on earth.
As the Senator Dino MELAYE Committee set forth two organise a befitting burial for this departed rare leader, let us pull behind him in setting a new agenda NEVER for the DEAD amongst us again but for the living who are in need and have cried out for help.
We have enough STRONG ones amongst us to help the WEAK ones.
In the end, we will all go down SIX FEET.
The closest he got while alive, in his struggles, came from one of our finest..Barr. Luke Onofiok, who donated to him a brand new car after the Uyo NANS convention of 2012.
BABA LADO refused to drive the brand new KIA car until the then President of NANS (Yinka Gbadebo, GCNS) and myself visited him at his home.
His reason was incredible (because a bus promised NANS has not been delivered to Gbadebo). We succeeded in persuading him to start using the car after reading the speedometer ascertaining he wasn’t trying to impress anyone with his decision.
Finally, we may differ religiously or in our thinking and perspectives on/to issues, I humbly will tell that the issue of autopsy is deep, beyond us, beyond medical ailments suffered by BABA LADO while alive.
Anyone contributing to the autopsy can do on their own volition. Let us refrain from discouraging those who insisted it should be carried out. Even if for records, it saves the end point of view.
I condole with us all and wish BABA LADO’S family, the entire student movement and his friends a great fortitude to bear this irreparable loss.
May his soul Rest In Peace.
Aluta Continua; Victoria Ascerta!!!
Yinka Dada, JP
Former President, NANS.
