Service Details
Wake keep
21st April in ILORIN
Commendation service
Emanuel Baptist Church sabo Oke, Ilorin
22nd of April
Servic of songs
22nd April
His residence in Mopa, Kogi State.
Burial service
23rd April
Baptist church, Ileteju, Mopa. Kogi
Funeral Company
LTJ Funerals International
The Story
Our beloved Dad, Chief David Olufemi Daniel was a good husband, a most loving and very generous father who did everything he could to care for all his children (both biological & many adopted). As a grandfather he was beautifully cherished by his many grandchildren and he adored them greatly.
Dad told us the story of how he lost his father a great and caring man too at a very young age but his Mother Mama Esther Iyagbadi was always there to support and guide him through life. This meant that he had to fend for himself and the family from a very early age. He shared how he had to forgo some of his early childhood dreams in life because of the burden of caring for his mother and family.
Dad, a very hardworking man did not allow this to deter him, though he got admission into some of the best schools including Barewa college at that time he could not afford it but went on to attend the trade college / later Government college then in Kaduna, Nigeria where he graduated with distinction. Dad was not deterred by the many obstacles and so after working as a technical school teacher for many years went on to pursue his graduate technical education and engineering studies in the United Kingdom and the University of British Columbia Canada.
Dad came back from Canada in 1975 and with his foreign partners started one of the pioneer Borehole drilling companies in Northern Nigeria providing water to several communities across the northern & southern parts of Nigeria.
Those who knew dad cannot forget his legendary generosity. Dad always has his envelopes next to him with which he distributed stipends to his long list of families, widows, friends and those he always felt obliged to support even after retiring from his business. He greatly looked forward to the wedding of his grandchildren and the good God made his dream come through months before his death.
Most importantly, Dad gave his life to The Lord Jesus Christ several years before his death and continued to serve as member of first the youth fellowship and then the .......fellowship of Emmanuel BaptistChurch, Ilorin to the end. This is the greatest Joy of all, that he died in Christ and that ''the dead in Christ will rise first''. Glory to God Almighty.
1 Thessalonians 4:16 New King James Version (NKJV)
16 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first.
I am extremely grateful to my Dad for his loving encouragement all through my life journey and for his protective care and legendary generosity. To the Glory of God, Dad met every need of his family and all through our growing up with him, my father ensured he sent us to the best schools around. Dad personally dropped us in School and he either picked us up himself or ensured someone did on his behalf. Dad loved his wife (our mum) so much that he will usually warn us ‘the boys’ to either respect and obey ‘my wife’ or we face the consequences!
Oreyemi AdekanolaHe ensured pocket money arrived right on time. My father was proactive in many ways which helped us as a family. When ‘the boys’ (this writer surely not inclusive!) wouldn’t stop ‘bashing ‘his cars and since his wonderful ‘belts’ couldn’t stop my big brother Ade and I from these ‘dangerous driving spree’. Dad decided it was safer to teach us how to drive ‘’so that you don’t kill yourself’. He got his driver to personally teach us how to drive and ensured we passed our driving tests.
My Dad had several designs of belts which he brought from London for various reasons, one of which was to keep the boys ‘in check’ whenever we erred which we always did anyway. I and my brothers will hide his belts whenever we got into trouble! Only the girls had some sort of silent ‘immunity’, whether that was partial or not we will hopefully discuss that in Heaven.
Dad would continue to encourage you no matter what the situation may be including when we had to hide our results (when the results were too good to be handed to him!). My Dad was a strict disciplinarian no doubt, but we were all the better for it. When I was admitted to boarding school and some of our friends opted as day students coming from home, I pleaded with my father to be a day student to save me from those extremely ‘ferocious’ seniors in school in those days, my Dad always told me he was training me for endurance in future. As protective as my Dad was of his children, even my mum’s plea wouldn’t make him succumb to the pressure for he was determined to ensure I go through the same boarding school experience with others.
He was obviously very fond of his daughters and when the boys started harassing them, particularly my big Sister, he would chase them away with all the arsenals in his possession (Otunba Adekanola inclusive!). His favourite phrase was ‘if you try to ‘’destroy’’ the life of my daughter, I will destroy you!). Thank God Otunba did not ‘destroy’ the life of his daughter, instead he became his favourite Son.
In principle my Dad never came to my School to plead my cause, even when he was aware of certain tough situations. As far as my Dad was concerned, the teacher was always right. My Dad did not tolerate partiality in any form. He took care and fought for all under his roof and care with the same zeal and determination. I am grateful to God for such a loving and caring father whom God used to provide all we needed and who despite his great love for us ensured we went through firm discipline to keep us ‘in check’ and ‘prepared’ for the great future ahead.
Dad was content with the humble blessings & provisions of God and never put any pressure on his children, every time you ask him, he says all is well ‘Maa worry’ in our native Yagba language, which means don’t worry am fine all is well.
Dad had great friends like brothers but unfortunately death wickedly took many of them professionals at their very prime. Therefore, somehow since my second form in high School and all through university days my number one prayer point was for God to spare my father’s life so he will live long. Somehow, though like ‘Oliver twist’ I would have asked God for more, I can truly say that God granted my request to which I am eternally grateful. The last time I was driving Dad back from Hospital in London I told him about this Prayer point and he just sighed and said: Glory be to God Son! God is Good.
Like my father I can surely and truly say. To God be all the Glory. God is good!
Thank you Dad! Thank you Lord!
Bamishaiye Ayo Daniel
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