_“Inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi raji’un.”_
Baba Amuda Obelawo, the Ejigbo-born industrialist and business magnate, passed on to eternity on Tuesday, March 10, 2025, at the ripe age of 95. The news of his death came as a shock to many of us, including his family, admirers, and the business community in Nigeria, Ghana, Côte d’Ivoire and other places where he established an industrial presence. He had become such a permanent towering figure in our collective consciousness that we hardly contemplated his mortality. Nevertheless, we accept his passage as the successful completion of his sojourn on this earthly plane and the fulfillment of Allah’s will.
Baba was a great leader, an admirable community figure, a successful businessman and industrialist, a father figure to many, a great mentor, and a patriotic statesman.
He served as an informal advisor and inspiration to me when I had the privilege of serving the State of Osun as Governor and the nation as a Minister. Until his passing, he continued to offer me the benefit of his wisdom and guidance. His home was often a place of comfort and relaxation whenever I had the opportunity to unwind with my associates. He was also a strong pillar of support for my politics, my movement, and my administration.
Our movement, the Omoluabi Progressives, will deeply miss the periodic gatherings at his residence in Osogbo. During those meetings, we were often regaled with endless stories of his experiences as a budding businessman, a community leader involved in the struggles surrounding the installation of monarchs, the agitation for the creation of Osun State, his life in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, and his relationships with several heads of state and local leaders. Those interactions were always both hilarious and deeply enlightening.
Sheri and I mourn the passing of this legend. We commiserate with his wives, children, family members, friends, and admirers, and we extend our deepest condolences to them.
We pray for the repose of his soul and for comfort for all who will miss him.
May Baba Amuda Obelawo — the man in whose honour Pa Yusuf Olatunji, the Sakara maestro, recorded a timeless and evergreen musical tribute in the late 1960s — awaken to joyful activities on the other side of existence. Aamin.
*Ọgbẹni Rauf Arẹgbẹsọla*
