How I watched my late dad, eat breakfast – Aremo Segun Oniru recounts Oba Oniru’s final moments

In his tribute to his father, who passed on last September, Prince Adesegun Oniru revealed the depth of their closeness when he wrote; “Idowu Abiodun Oniru, my dear father & friend. A man like no other. He gave me life and guided me through it. What I am today is what he created. Idowu Abiodun will always tell you what it is; take it or leave it. But most importantly, he loved all unconditionally…

There are not enough words to express, just how important my father was to me and to his kingdom, and what powerful influence he continues to be. He came. He saw. He fought.

He conquered !!!. To the first Goodman I ever met, sleep well and  be rest assured that all you left behind will be taken care of and your legacy will live on forever…” Last week, Aremo Oniru further told City People about his late dad’s last hours.

What will you miss about your late dad?

I don’t think his exit has hit me yet. But I am sure pretty soon it will hit me, because I have played this funny game with my own mind, to shut out pain, negative emotion, and just to focus on what it is I am dealing with at that particular moment.

But this is a man when, whenever I am in the country and he is also in the country, we see each other every day. I watch him eat breakfast. I listen to words of wisdom from him. All those things, I am sure, it going to hit me pretty soon and that’s when the emotions side will set in. But for now, I am doing ok. I have to remain strong for the family. I cannot afford to break down. I cannot be seen to be an emotional week. As a leader, life goes on. I must continue to look after the entire family that he has left behind.

When you heard the news, the day he passed on, did it hit you?

Funnily enough, the day he passed on I was with him that morning and I watched him eat breakfast and I was still making fun of him that, Daddy, look at how fresh you look now that, you are eating properly again. He didn’t say much. He just smiled. He ate his breakfast. He went back to lie down on his bed. And I came to my office, nearby to do some work 45 minutes later, one of my brothers was with me T. J. I was called that I should come back to the palace. And around 2.15 pm he was gone. That was the same day I sat down to watch him eat breakfast. We thank God. God knows best.