TRIBUTE GOOD NIGHT … Abioye Oladiti Fayiga: Nee: Adelegan By Femi Adelegan

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March 12, 1969- August 2, 2023

It was famous playwright – William Shakespeare who wrote that ‘’ Life Is but a walking shadow, a poor player that struts and frets his hour upon the stage and then is heard no more: it is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.” — (The Tragedy of Macbeth” (Act V, Scene V) Grappling with the reality of the huge loss of a treasured junior sister, Abioye Oladiti Fayiga hasn’t been an easy task, just as writing this tribute is not a laid-back undertaking. The grief occasioned by the loss of a very precious one is inexpressible. Therefore, this tribute is written with untold distress to pour out my feelings as a mark of respect to Abioye, a devoted child of God who served her heavenly Father dutifully, remarkably, and with total commitment and dedication.
Perhaps it is true that “Only the good die young” as theorized by Greek historian, Herodotus. Bioye was born to the family of educators .. late Chief S. T. Adelegan and Mama E.O. Adelegan also of blessed memory on March 12, 1969 in Ipetu-Ijesha, Oriade local government area of Osun State, Nigeria. Easy going, simple, unassuming, quiet, sincere, brilliant, self-effacing, and honest all describe her personality, a combined product of nature and nurture. Bioye rose early in life like a morning star, and in the evening is found no more. She was an embodiment of intellect, collecting her Bachelor’s Degree from the University of Ibadan in 1987 at the age of 18 years, and 3 months. Bioye started her terrestrial journey with bright hopes and showed great promises throughout her very impressive career. Her rise was steady and promising. As a very sound believer and follower of Jesus Christ, Bioye had a hunger for witnessing Jesus Christ to children and her impact was felt through her unadulterated service in God’s vineyard, having been led to Christ as a strong Scripture Union devotee by her eldest sister, Dr. Mofoluso Rosanwo who mentored and supported her from childhood.
Soon, Bioye assembled a very rich resume, including teaching in tertiary institutions in Nigeria and the United States. She quickly collected two Masters Degrees from the University of Ibadan and later acquired a Doctorate Degree in Environmental Soil Chemistry at the University of Florida, Gainesville, United States, where she won the Sam Polston Scholarship for Excellence in Graduate Studies, and also received the Most Productive Graduate Student Award. While at the University of Florida, Bioye won the Minority Fellowship. Her performances fetched her employment as a Post-Doctoral Research Scientist in the University. Her streaks of honour also include the Achievement Medal for Civilian Service while serving as an Assistant Professor at the Department of Chemistry and Life Science, United States Military Academy, West Point, New York.
The deceased was a well-trained educator and true patriot who left stainless marks in all places where she served. Where duty called, she was always there. Bioye was a cultured personality who through her character, disposition, and unassuming nature demonstrated the fellow feeling of a well-bred creature. Examples of her exemplary conducts are too numerous to recount here. A fine Christian, mother, sister and educator, she performed her assignments with professional proficiency. She possessed an ability for endurance and so, was able to live with great fortitude, never displaying or betraying emotions even in the face of strong adversity that all human beings must pass through as tests of Christian faith. I remember very vividly her eagerness to do things in a right manner from her foundational years. On an occasion, Bioye and driver encountered a traffic build up in an area known as Kobomoje while being driven to St. Anne’s School, Molete, Ibadan. Sensing that she was almost late for resumption, Bioye expressed concern and lamented aloud that ‘’Kobomoje ti bomo je o!’’. That utterance came from a Secondary School Class Two student who was conscious of time and getting to school promptly!
It is not a surprise that the deceased was loved sincerely by family, friends, and associates. Her telephone calls were sure to come in every Sunday evening. My family and I, will never forget her very unwavering support for me in the period of my travails when I thought all hope of living was lost. She was never scared of associating with me for any reason at all, at that very critical period of my life when I shrank to about half of my usual size for several months. She called repeatedly to ask my wife about my well-being and prayerfully encouraged her. She told a few of my friends that I stood in the place of a father to her.
The storm has been much and fierce, and coping has largely been the result of His mercies as epitomized by the Biblical verse: ‘’So, then, it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy’’. (Romans 9:16-21). This reminds one of the fact that the call of God we all must obey in the fullness of time. Nothing happens without His knowledge. Every organism must die at the appropriate time as may be permitted by the Lord. The pain is much and it is only the Creator Who is always able and understands the reasons for all occurrences and why they have to happen. Bioye was a very sincere person. I never heard her speak ill-advisedly about anybody. She was a contented human being. We are to be consoled by the fact that the Lord gave her to us for a purpose. The Lord also called her home in the fullness of time.
We thank Almighty God for Bioye’s successes in life and for making her a very fine human being by all standards. I feel sure that she has left indelible footprints on the sands of time and will be remember for a very long time for her Christian virtues and family values. In the words of Alfred Lord Tennyson, ‘’God’s finger touched her, and she slept. Quoting William Shakespeare again: ‘’All the world is a stage, and all the men and women merely players: They have their exits and their entrances; and one man in his time plays many parts’’. Indeed, death is unavoidable, but true love will stand the test of time. Elsewhere, Anne Lamott, an American novelist philosophized:
‘’You will lose someone you can’t live without, and your heart will be badly broken, and the bad news is that you never completely get over the loss of your beloved. But this is also the good news: They live forever in your broken heart that doesn’t seal back up. And you come through. It’s like having a broken leg that never heals perfectly—that still hurts when the weather gets cold, but you learn to dance with the limp’’.
We commend Bioye to God’s eternal care. We wish that our Creator, who knows all things and can do all things may grant her soul a quiet and eternal repose. The loss is simply irreparable. Nle o, omo olowa ni Igbajo; Igbajo npe mi, Iresi npe, Iresi ni maa je ki n mu igba dola, omo olugba jiere l’ule Otan, Omo olugba jege ona Iloro, oro ni Ilare ko foju apa kan woni; obirin ko wole baba re ke bi, agan orisa leere. And from her mother’s side: Nle o omo olule owo, omo aratirin sawo.
The last stanza of ‘’In Christ alone’’ a song rendered by Keith Getty and Stuart Townend is consoling:
No guilt in life, no fear in death, This is the power of Christ in me;
From life’s first cry to final breath, Jesus commands my destiny.
No power of hell, no scheme of man, Can ever pluck me from His hand:
Till He returns or calls me home, Here in the power of Christ I’ll stand.

May God grant those of us who are only fortunate to live after her through the mercy of God the fortitude to bear this sad deprivation. Please rest on in perfect peace, dear sister till we meet to part no more.
On behalf of the S.T. Adelegan and Afowowe families of Ipetu-Ijesha, Osun State, Nigeria.