By Akeem Oyetunji
As a longtime friend and associate of Kayode Aliyu Tijani, I owe him a tribute, not because we were friends but because of the objectively good and thoughtful things he did for me. I cannot write my life story without the mention of his name and the significant role he played in my quest to ply my journalism trade outside the shores of Nigeria.
I got close to Kayode in 2002 as Nigeria was preparing to host the 2003 All-Africa Games popularly called COJA 2003 with Dr. Amos Adamu, as the executive director.
Kayode worked in the media department of the organising committee with Mr. Fan Ndubuoke as the head. Mr. Ndubuoke was a former national president of the Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN). I was a frequent visitor to the media department by virtue of my position as chairman of SWAN, Abuja chapter.
Expectedly, there were always some approvals that my office (Abuja SWAN chairman) was always seeking on behalf of sports writers in Abuja. Kayode was always willing to help monitor our files and would make sure that everything was in order to get approvals. We remained very close friends till the end of the Games.
After Nigeria hosted the 2023 All-Africa Games, Kayode and I became like brothers and shared intimate discussions even about our future.
It was during one of such moments of intimate talks that we decided to relocate to London, United Kingdom to garner international exposure and also in search of greener pastures.
Kayode left for the United Kingdom in early 2004 and I joined him later. His departure ahead of me was a great blessing because he had secured our accommodation before I traveled to meet him.
In July 2004, I remember visiting Kayode in London on my way from Stuttgart, Germany, where I was covering the pre-Athens Olympics training tour of Team Nigeria. During the visit, Kayode reassured me that the accommodation he had secured was for both of us whenever I was ready to relocate.
On my return to Nigeria on August 15, 2004, I immediately tendered my resignation from Vanguard Newspaper as a sports correspondent in Abuja.
On October 9, 2004, Kayode was waiting to receive me at London Heathrow Airport. He took me straight to his house in East London. We lived in the same room for about six months after which I relocated to Birmingham.
Before I arrived in London, Kayode already got me a job as an editor with the London Yoruba Post and my office was at Streatham Hill, South London.
I was a regular guest on ABC Sports, a programme Kayode anchored on BEN TV located in Tottenham Court Area, alongside Wunmi Thomas and Tope Israel Agboola, then of BBC.
Kayode and I shared good moments in London and interestingly by 2007, we both resolved to move back to Nigeria. Just as we came to London, Kayode left before me.
When I moved back to Nigeria in 2008, even though Kayode was in Lagos and I was in Abuja, we remained very close. My children were always looking forward to having Kayode around in Abuja. He was very good with the children and he could engage them in interesting discussions. It was always a delight whenever Kayode spent a night in our house at FHA Estate, Lugbe, Abuja.
My wife and I were not therefore surprised when my daughter burst into uncontrollable tears when I broke the news of his death to her on that fateful Wednesday, February 7, 2024.
Before Kayode took ill, we also shared great moments again in Nigeria. We were together on a trip to Alexandria, Egypt in March 2016 when the Super Eagles played the Pharaohs of Egypt in an AFCON qualifier and later in October when Eagles played against Zambia in the city of Ndola.
Both trips were courtesy of our common friend Amaju Pinnick, the immediate past NFF president.
It was very difficult for me to do my work as a journalist and publisher of PROMPT NEWS ONLINE, to break the news of my friend’s death even though I knew about it early enough. The news was so devastating for me.
I however owe Kayode a tribute and I have just done that! May Allah forgive all of Kayode’s shortcomings and grant him Al Jannah Firdaus. Ameen.
