The venue was Ala Road in the ancient town of Idanre, Ondo state and the event was the funeral of a first rate scholar and a great mentor, Dr Oluwasegunota Oluwatobiloba Olowolabi who passed unto glory on the 2nd of August, 2025.
Right from the street, one could easily tell who Dr Olowolabi was in his lifetime as exotic cars of different brands and sizes flooded both sides of the street housing his modestly built bungalow, causing light traffic jam especially for motorcylists. Infront of the house was a roll up banner bearing the picture of this scholar in a red and black academic gown.
A peep into the premises showed a large number of people consisting dignitaries from all walks of life, family members, colleagues, friends, old students, mentees and the children of the deceased, adorning purple attire.
While his son, Taiwo clad in a purple colour flowing agbada, the two girls, Kehinde and Mosopefoluwa dressed elegantly in a beautifully tailored dresses, all in honour of their late father.
Cospicuous among those who came to pay their last respect to Dr Olowolabi were both academic and non academic staff of the Adekunle Ajasin University Akungba Akoko, AAUA led by the Deputy Vice Chancellor, Professor Adebisi Daramola
Performing the obsequies, the Zonal Pastor, Mountain of fire and Miracle, Idanre Zone, Pastor Ojo Akinlalu who spoke on the theme “Fear of God” emphasised the importance of obeying God’s teachings and walking in his direction as every human would taste death and give account of their stewardship on earth. Pastor Akinlalu said Dr Olowolabi had ended his race on earth, impacting lives.
After a short exhortation, Eulogies began to pour in for the deceased and leading the pack was his younger brother, a successful Lagos based property lawyer, Remi Olowolabi Esq who said the Olowolabi’s family of Okejebu, Idanre had not only lost a son but that he had personally lost a friend, gist mate and adviser.
“I will miss his love, advice and affection, my brother was a total package and I will miss everything about him. He was my friend, he was more to me than a brother, we grew up together, we developed together, physically and intellectually, so i will miss everything about my brother”
Another sibling and former information commissioner in Ondo state, Hon. Yemi Olowolabi described his late brother as a jolly good fellow and a fearless fighter.
“Like i wrote in my tribute, he was our pillar in our family, our mother’s womb opener, he was a man of prodigious erudition, I will miss him greatly” Olowolabi said.
His son, Taiwo, extolled the virtues of his late father and his dedication to knowledge as well as learning, noting that his legacy would live on.
As for Kehinde, his daughter, Dr Olowolabi was a father in a million as he did not only support his children with finances but with prayers, counselling and guidance especially in their darkest times, praying for the repose of his soul.
His last child, Mosopefoluwa said she would never forget the lessons of knowledge, kindness, resilience, humility and courage learnt from her father.
In the University Community, where Dr Olowolabi worked for almost two decades, he was diligent, dutiful and respected as attested to by the Deputy Vice Chancellor, Professor Adebisi Daramola and a professor of international relations, Adedayo Afe.
According to Professor Afe “Egbon Olowolabi was older than some of us but we related like friends, he was a darling of everybody when it comes to punctuality and attending to official duties. He was a man of many parts, having many first degrees, Masters degrees and a PhD, he was a master of many things. There’s one take home from this burial, his siblings love him alot, he happened to be the first born of his family and he was respected until death and he was giving a befitting burial. We will miss him”
Dr Olowolabi’s mates at Baptist Academy, Lagos, led by Mr.Bankole Akintola also rained eulogies on him even as they recounted the deceased’s positive impacts in their secondary school days.
Emotion however ran high as family members, siblings and some guests wept uncontrollably when the body of the great scholar was lowered into the grave with the dust-to-dust rites performed by members of his immediate family, siblings and others, drawing the curtain on the eventful life of Dr Oluwasegunota Oluwatobiloba Olowolabi, a man with a prodigious thirst for knowledge.
Notable among dignitaries at the funeral ceremony were, Special Adviser on Media to Ogun State governor, Hon Kayode Akinmade, former Ondo state Information commissioner, Yeyeoba Bamidele Ademola-Olateju, a serving lawmakers in the Ondo state house of Assembly, Hon Tunji Ifabiyi, Public Relations Officer, Federal University Technology Akure, FUTA, Mr Adegbenro Adebanjo, the Permanent Secretary, Local Government Service Commission, Abiodun Akintade and Mr. Dele Akinnola, a Lagos based top executive of Flour Mills Plc.
