Dean, Faculty of Arts, University of Ibadan, Professor Ademola Dasylva, on Wednesday, gave account of how he could have also flown in the same ill-fated Ethopian aircraft that crashed killing Professor Pius Adesanmi and 156 others.

Dasylva rendered this account during a series of activities like procession, rendition of tributes, readings and holding of candle light held in honour of the late Adesanmi at the University of Ibadan.

Speaking, Dasylva said just like Pius, he was also in Ethiopia to honour an invitation by the African Union Commission.
Noting that he stayed in the same hotel as Adesanmi, Dasylva said the departing point was that while Pius was assigned to Nairobi, Kenya, he was to work in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Describing Adesanmi’s death as most unfortunate, Dasylva praised Adesanmi’s commitment to the cause of humanity especially the eradication of mediocrity in Nigeria’s political scene and the academia.

“I probably would have not been alive today. We could have been on the same plane because we were invited by the same African Union Commission and went together.

“He came through South Africa to Addis Ababa but I came through Lagos to Addis Ababa. His own team was to work in Nairobi, ours was to work in Addis. We stayed in the same hotel and they left the hotel around eight in the morning for the airport.”

ALSO READ: NSCDC officers allegedly torture man to death in Ondo

Within the next ten minutes, all we heard was that there was a loss of signal and the next we heard was that the worst had happened. It is very unfortunate because we have lost a gem,” Dasylva said.

In his tribute, former Dean of UI’s Faculty of Arts, Professor Remi Raji-Oyelade said Adesanmi may have had a premonition of his death, noting that their conversations in the past three weeks centred on death.

He said Adesanmi’s doggedness was seen in the fact that, against his parents’ wish, he secretly registered for literature and vowed to excel in it.

Describing Adesanmi as a sage, gem and man of excellence, Raji-Oyelade called on academia to study the man called Adesanmi, his satires and academic writings.

Beyond mourning, Director, UI Media Centre, Mr Ropo Ewenla said Adesanmi’s writings are best immortalised if Nigeria’s social and economic system becomes more functional and effective.

Legal practitioner, Femi Aborishade also lauded Adesanmi’s passion and intellectual works aimed at a better Nigeria.
He said the death of Adesanmi was a huge loss for the oppressed Nigerian, praying that leaders get committed to engendering a much developed nation.

The post How I missed flying in Pius Adesanmi’s ill-fated plane ― Prof Dasylva appeared first on Tribune Online.