OLUSOLA AYODEJI AROGUN: ODE TO MY FRIEND AT 40

A lot has been written and a lot more said regarding the place of friends in the life of an individual. While some people have inspiring tales to tell about their friends, others yet have woeful stories of betrayals by those they took as their closest friends.

Today, I write on Mr. Olusola Ayodeji Arogun, my brother from Isanlu Isin in Kwara State who has been a rock, a friend, a confidant and an ally since we met. It may be shocking to say so in this year and age but I state boldly that for the Eight (8) years that I have known Shola as he is commonly known, we are yet to have our first quarrel. Not because i have not offended him, but because he forgives before you offend.

Such is the disposition of this perfect gentleman that his capacity for patience and accommodation is legendary amongst all those that know him closely. He doesn’t bear grudges, forgives easily, overlooks things that most people would latch on to make trouble and is as sincere as they come.

He does not smoke, does not drink, takes his God seriously without terrorising you with his piety and is generally an all round nice guy.

He is unflinchingly loyal to his friends and I can state boldly that Shola will protect his friends come what may. Shola will NEVER use your secret against you which cannot be said for most friends these days. He will never snitch, never backbite and never gossip about you. They have stopped making them like Shola.

He is also fiercely loyal to his siblings. He is providentially the eldest son of his father’s ten (10) sons (he had an elder brother who sadly passed on in the year 2000) and at various times, each of his younger ones have had cause to live with him sometimes three at a time.

He will go out of his way to ensure that his younger ones feel at home to the extent that they had the liberty to invite their own friends to come and squat with them in their brothers house. At a point in time, three of his brothers and seven of their Youth Corper friends were all living with Shola at his house in Umuahia and he was catering for them all. I never heard him complain even for one day nor treat anybody disparagingly. Even when he needs to send any of them on an errand, he asks nicely and adds please at the end to boot!

This fierce loyalty to his siblings would eventually play a major role in the break-up of a serious relationship he was into at the time.

Shola came to Aba in Abia State for his Youth Service in 1996 and at the end of his service year, he stayed back in Aba to work for Olusola Adekanola & Co, the Revenue Consultants to the Abia State Government then. Eventually, at the inception of democracy in 1999, he came to Government House, Umuahia to work as Personal Assistant to Chief Chuka Odom who held diverse positions in the Orji Uzor Kalu administration for 8 years ranging from Special Adviser to Deputy Chief of Staff, Commissioner in two Ministries and a whole lot more.

In 2007, when Chief T.A. Orji took over as Governor of Abia State, he retained Shola to serve as Abia State Website Administrator and Special Assistant on Information Technology. He diligently discharged this role until 2008 when he decided that having spent twelve years in Abia State, the time had come for him to pursue new challenges in another clime.

He voluntarily resigned his appointment with the Abia State Government and relocated with his family to Abuja.
To the glory of God, he immediately secured appointment with the Federal Housing Authority as a Personal Assistant to the then Managing Director, from there, he was employed full time in the agency such that even when the Managing Director was redeployed out of the agency, he was safely entrenched in the system. He is still with the Federal Housing Authority and God has been kind to him and his family.

A 1995 graduate of Computer Science from the Federal Polytechnic, Illorin, Kwara State, he has since topped that with professional certifications as an Oracle Certified Database Administrator (OCDBA) and an Oracle Certified Professional (OCP).

He got married to the then Miss Tosin Jagun in Lagos in December 2005, an event at which I was the Best Man, and the union is blessed with two beautiful daughters. Omotola and Omolola.

Deji (as I call you), as you mark your 40th Birthday today, January 17th, 2011, my prayer for you is that the good Lord, who has given you such a beautiful heart, should bless you indeed.

You are a good man therefore goodness shall never be far from your place of habitation. You are a kind man therefore men shall favour you and yours ceaselessly.

You are a large-hearted man therefore your barnhouse and your storehouse shall never run dry.

Life they say begins at 40. You began your own life before 40. Enter into your season of rest. You shall be like the tree planted by the riverside that brings forth fruit in season….and even out of season.

From the bottom of my heart, on behalf of the Hart Clan, I say Happy Birthday and God Bless You my best friend.

Sam Hart.