By Ọba Adedokun Ọmọniyi Abọlarin
Adedeji Tajudeen Adeleke has been my dear friend since 1971. We were schoolmates at Adventist Grammar School, Ede, where our motto still resonates today, Building Souls for Service.
Though I was a year ahead in school, he is actually about a year and a half older than me. I know him like the back of my hand, he is a gem. Over the years, I have always prayed that his influence and blessings would spread far and wide, and I am truly delighted to see this happening.
He has a heart of gold, especially when it comes to children, his own, mine, ours, both biological and those he affectionately supports, and countless others. He has played a major role in shaping lives and ensuring that many young people are given the opportunity to thrive.
My non biological children of Abolarin College, Oke Ila Orangun stand as clear testimony. Many of them owe their successes to his kindness, alongside the support of my other friends and the contributions of beautiful unknown souls across the world.
In Yoruba culture, a man like him would be described as Aladekomọ, someone who absorbs responsibility and genuinely cares for all children. He is also Omoniyi, a living expression of the belief that children are wealth.
He lives this principle daily, ensuring that no child under his care suffers neglect or abandonment.
Honestly, he is more than a friend. He is a brother, a mentor, and a blessing to many. Yet he carries all this with humility. He is a private person who does not seek the spotlight.
But he is human after all. He is not perfect, and that is perhaps the major reason why he does not joke with his God.
Dej, Dej, the Chairman, may your tribe continue to expand in our land. Deji Adeleke is indeed a great book waiting to be written.
Ọba Abọlarin is the Ọrangun of Oke Ila-Ọrangun
