Life And People
Remembering My Dad And My Hero: Samuel Atoyebi Tinuoye -By Adekunle Theophilius Tinuoye
He was a model of tenacity and persistence, He was a firm believer in hard work, efforts and toiling and he attributed success to consistent trials. He offered no excuses for his failures, believed that trials strengthens and that even if efforts will not always yield positive outcomes, he often relished the exertion and toil in the first place.
Time flies, events pass, but memories never fade. When loved ones pass away, it is usually soul- wrenching, heart-touching and a subtle reminder of the power of death, (the ultimate leveler) over people – small and great, young and old, rich and poor and that it is an inevitable debt that we must all pay someday. Yesterday, made it two years since my dad, Wing Commander Samuel Atoyebi Tinuoye died ,but it still seems so surreal and unbelievable that he is gone. Every passing day, I keep thinking about him even as I penned this piece, tears cascaded down my cheek and splattered the tab as i recounted the lessons he taught me, recollected the good times we shared and remembered how we bonded in the last ten years of his life.
He directly and indirectly taught me so much about life, the ups and downs, the gloom and boom, the paean and pain and the defeats and victories. He educated me about the richness of human existence, adversity, vicissitudes, prosperity and struggles. I learnt about tenacity early in life from him and he was an epitome of perseverance and determination. From childhood, i imbibed the ethos of struggling, striving, persevering and assiduousness.
He taught me the essence of altruism, sacrifice and selflessness which was evocative of his life and times. He was an ensample of care, compassion, concern and love. His gift was empathy and he sowed this relentlessly. He was always willing, able and eager to help others. There was nothing too little or too much that he couldn’t part with or do for the sake of others either familiar or unknown.
SAT was a widely travelled , detribalized and modest Nigerian who was at home with people regardless of age, creed, culture, race, ethnicity, gender and social status. He was an optimist who was always willing to help, inspire, and stand up for and by the helpless and disadvantaged. Throughout his life, he strived and tried to impact and invest in people even to the detriment of members of his immediate family and that was the essential SAT for you.
He was a model of tenacity and persistence, He was a firm believer in hard work, efforts and toiling and he attributed success to consistent trials. He offered no excuses for his failures, believed that trials strengthens and that even if efforts will not always yield positive outcomes, he often relished the exertion and toil in the first place.
To a great extent, he was always cheerful, upbeat and in high spirits. He never let the downside of life sap his morale and drain his chutzpah regardless of life circumstances and being disappointed by people he worked with and devoted the greater part of his life to. He was self-efficacious to a fault. He was a do it yourself person that even at the age of 82, he was still washing and straightening his clothes. A realistic man who was true to himself and his fellow men and women and whose life was like an open book
History will always remember my dad as a simple, unassuming and humanist with substantially indelibly invaluable and invaluably indelibly substantial contributions to humanity. As a reminder and demonstration of his utility and value to the Nigerian Air force in those golden halcyon days when Nigeria was still fairly a country with a soul and conscience, he has the distinction of being among the first sets of pilots in the air force in 1965,first sets of administrative officers in the air force in 1970, the first adjutant of the NAF station, Kano in 1971, a member of the first NAF team to the first ever Lagos International trade fair in 1977 and member of the board of trustees of the first ever NAF benevolent fund established in 1982!
Regardless of our differences over the early years, which is inevitable in any family or relationship, my dad was the better man that circumstances would neither dampen norobscure. It was much later in life that I both acknowledged and valued the love, discipline, ideals and sacrifice he had exhibited to me over the years.Samuel iam so grateful and appreciative for all you did for me, ill never forget you and i hope I can just be one quarter as better a man like you were. Iamhappy he ended up well, thankful for his life and legacies and comforted that he is in a better place and at peace with himself.
Adekunle Theophilius Tinuoye is a labor educator with MINILS, Nigeria .
