My Tribute to Daddy
How does one begin to describe the legend called Lekan Balogun? A man who wore many hats and seemed to live multiple lifetimes like the proverbial cat with nine lives.
As a dad, he was liberal, unconventional, so much fun yet firm, even strict when necessary. His horse whip graced multiple backs, but I managed to escape that even though he always said I broke the most rules. Yet for some reason, he never whipped me. His excuse to my siblings was that I was an A+ student at school and maybe if they did just as well, he wouldn’t whip them.
As a neighbour, he was the one other families facing armed home invasion in the 80s and 90s called in the middle of the night knowing he would come through for them bearing arms at the risk of his own life.
My dad was an avid reader and I got that from him. He had a library at our home in Ibadan that is still there, and that was my favourite room in the whole house as a child. There was no subject or literature you wouldn’t find in that room. He was not only a voracious reader with a PhD, but he also wrote and published widely. Some of his publications were “Power for Sale", " Arrogance of Power”, “Social Justice or Doom” among many others.
My father was the most humble, unassuming and down to earth person I ever knew. The way he related with the elderly was the same way he related with a five-year-old. Everyone was treated the same irrespective of class in society, age or rank.
I miss and love you my forever valentine. My friend. My ‘You Them They Us Kabiesi Daddy.’
Princess Bukola Balogun
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