Segun Odegbami, who used to play professional soccer for Nigeria, has experienced the death of his son, Oluwagbeminiyi, after a short illness, according to The Eagle Online on Tuesday.
Oluwagbeminiyi passed away early in the morning on March 29, 2024, which was Good Friday.
Odegbami, known for his role in the Green Eagles team that won the 1980 African Cup of Nations, wrote a touching tribute to his son, describing him as a very talented young man with many abilities.
The former soccer player mentioned that he and Oluwagbeminiyi were collaborating on a documentary project when he got a phone call from his son in Ghana, asking for his thoughts on the project.
He stated, “It is completely impossible to think that I am writing about Oluwagbeminiyi Omo Odegbami in the past tense.
“One day before Good Friday, his message woke me up while I was in Accra, Ghana. He wanted my summary of the synopsis of the documentary project we were working on.
“I told him not to wait for me but to go ahead and apply his abundant creativity to the project. I was not exaggerating. Gbemi was an unknown and unappreciated talent. He was a highly gifted, multi-talented young man. His writing skills, poetic literature in musical lyrics, rapping, elocution when he reads, and unique culinary skills, were all in this laid back young man whose life is simple, spartan and secluded, with no intention whatsoever to disturb the equilibrium of the chaotic world around him.
“Four hours after our exchange, I receive the first of endless phone calls that eventful day, last Thursday: Gbemi is not feeling well; Gbemi is being taken to a hospital; the hospital has referred Gbemi to another hospital.”
Odegbami added that he directed that Oluwagbeminiyi “be taken to a specialist hospital. His situation is critical. The hospital works on him for hours. Twelve hours after our first communication, and exactly five minutes past midnight, at the birth of Good Friday (a significant day in Christendom), the doctors call me for the umpteenth time that day to break my heart with the news that haunts me till now – Gbemi has passed on!”
“Would it have happened had I not travelled? Would I have handled his situation better? It was a shocking, devastating, painful and incomprehensible news. Good people should not die! Why should this young man, at the start of a new exciting chapter of his life, die so suddenly?” the bereaved father queried.
Odegbami added, “Except, of course, (and I now believe so) that it is part of a divine plot that his spirit catches up with that of the ‘dead’ on Good Friday, his sins and transgressions wiped away on the cross of Calvary through Grace at Easter. His soul must be resting peacefully now with the Creator of the Universe.
“This ‘sermon’ has become my consolation. This kind, gentle and simple heart, must no longer be tortured by the difficult challenges of his life in his world over which he had little control.
“Gbemi, until his death, was unfamiliar with the world’s complex ways. His easy going life was totally harmless to anyone. His love riveted on his little son, his mother, his sisters, his music, his cooking, his song-writing, his friends and his current work in the radio station – probably in that order.
He finally found peace, and the space and chance to show his many talents without being judged by others, enjoying his creations in sights, performances, and sounds.
The tribute continued, “Then death comes like a thief in the night to take all of that, take him away and leave us with a big gap in the puzzle of life. Personally, this hurts real bad.
“I miss Oluwagbeminiyi Omo Odegbami, a truly brilliant mind trapped in the weak body of a humble and kind traveler. He came to the world, played his part quietly amidst incredible challenges, and now leaves behind a legacy of love and kindness to all those he met on his journey.
“Some weeks ago, he told me that the things he missed most in his life were the love, guidance, and friendship of a father, but that he was happy to have finally found them in a relationship with me.
“Goodbye son, as you return (on the 4th day) to our Creator this morning!”
