TOFARATI IGE
Members of the Dolphins Female Basketball Team, founded by the late Chairman of Punch Nigeria Limited, Mr. Gbadebowale Aboderin, said on Saturday that the deceased was like a father to them.
Speaking with our correspondent at the residence of the deceased in Lagos, they recounted in turns how he assisted them in many ways.
The coach of the team, Ochuko Okworogun, described the deceased as a father figure to her.
She said, “I have been the coach of the Dolphins for about six years. Even when I was playing, I also doubled as a coach. The relationship I had with the late Mr. Gbadebowale Aboderin can be described as that of a father and daughter. He wasn’t just my boss; he was more like a father figure in my life. I would miss everything about him. He was jovial and always laughing. He didn’t like to see people sad around him. Even when he was sad or angry, you wouldn’t know because of the way he interacted with people.’’
She added that Aboderin always loved to put smiles on people’s faces.
Okworogun said she had been urging the team members not to cry because Chairman wouldn’t want them to be sad.
She added, “It’s been tough but we have been trying to be strong. I don’t think there would ever be another person like him. He fought for female basketball players as if his life depended on it. He believed that the female players should be treated the same way as their male counterparts.
“The entire basketball industry would not forget his invaluable contributions. He was my best friend and we were always together for at least 18 hours in a day, talking. He really meant a lot to me and I will never forget him.”
The team captain, Bintu Bhadmus, also shared her experience with the late Aboderin.
She said she joined the team in 2000, but left for First Bank’s team in 2004, before returning to Dolphins in 2012.
“Mr. Wale Aboderin was like a father to me. He always encouraged and motivated me and he did a lot of things for my family. I lost my mother when I was a kid but Aboderin raised me like his own child. After God, it’s him in my life.
“He touched many lives and he helped a lot of people to meet their needs. I’m happy to have worked with him in Dolphins. On the basketball court, he always told me that I could do more because he was the one who trained me. He sponsored my education till I graduated from the University of Lagos, where I studied Physical and Health Education. He trained many of us like that.”
In a similar vein, another member of the team, Ulabo Roselyn, recalled how she joined the club.
Roselyn said she joined the team, she used to see Aboderin whenever they went for tournaments.
She added, “I loved the way he related with the girls. He behaved like a father to them, not a boss. They always played like sisters and that got me interested in joining the team. I eventually joined the team in 2017 and he received me with open arms as if he knew me before. He gave me accommodation and there were things he did that most people wouldn’t do for anyone. I would miss everything about him because whenever I was down, he always found a way to cheer me up.”
Other visitors, who came to pay their condolences, included the coach of Nigeria’s women national basketball team, Scott Nnaji; Akinyemi Timothy and Aboderin’s personal assistant of over 26 years, Aderemi Hassan, among others.
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