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Oluseye Ojo, Ibadan
Former Minister of Petroleum and Energy, Tam David-West, who died on November 11, 2019 at a private suite of University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan, after sojourning for 83 years on earth has begun a final journey home.
The final journey began with a commendation service at the Chapel of Resurrection, University of Ibadan (UI), yesterday, which was attended by a delegation of members of the Federal Executive Council that represented President Muhammadu Buhari on the occasion, and paid glowing tributes to the late professor of virology.
The delegation included his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, and Minister of State for Petroleum, Timipre Sylva. Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki, also attended the commendation service personally. The service was conducted by the Chaplain of the chapel, Very Rev. Olufikayo Oyelade.
The University of Ibadan community was represented by dignitaries that included Deputy Vice Chancellor (Academics), Adebola Ekanola, and Provost, College of Medicine, Olubunmi Olapade-Olaopa, as well as a renowned virologist, David Olaleye, who represented the Virology Department.
Daily Sun gathered that the remains of David-West would be taken to his hometown in Buguma, the capital of Kalabari Kingdom, Rivers State, where he was born on August 26, 1936, for funeral rites. His remains would also be taken back to the University of Ibadan for burial in a week’s time. As gathered, his last wish is that he should be buried in UI. The remains were earlier preserved at the morgue of UCH.
Speaking on behalf of President Buhari, Adesina said David-West was someone that the president has high regards for and one who related well with people regardless of their class, saying: “So, when David-West passed on, the president was genuinely grieved. They had a lot of things in common; integrity, incorruptibility, accountability and so many other attributes.”
Adesina recounted how the deceased believed in Buhari and how he used his personal resources to get many of his articles in favour of Buhari published in some national dailies, adding that David-West worked assiduously to get Buhari back to power.
He noted that the deceased was a patriotic and detribalised Nigerian, who stood for the truth during his lifetime, saying he also defended Buhari against religious bigotry in about four to five pages of newspaper, which he procured as an advertorial to disabuse the minds of Nigerians not to buy into the campaign of calumny that Buhari wanted to Islamise the country.
Adesina, who noted that David-West had zero tolerance for corruption, and was a stickler to time, betrayed emotion when he presented the tributes, saying David-West was very close to the Adesina family.
Minister of State for Petroleum, Sylva, in his tributes, said: “Nigerians should learn how to be straight forward, how to have zero tolerance for corruption, that is what he stood for. And that is the kind of attitude we need from Nigerians. If all of us should imbibe what David-West believed in, Nigeria will make more progress.”
He also described David-West as an icon that was looked up to for advice by many young people, saying: “For me, it was a departure of a titian. He was in the Ministry of Petroleum, I am now following in his footsteps in the ministry.
“This is the time I had thought we really needed him. I personally needed him at this time to guide me in the discharge of my duty as a Minister of State for Petroleum. Unfortunately, he is gone but the Lord knows best.”
Governor Obaseki, described David-West as a nationalist, “you could describe him as freedom fighter, who believed in the course of Nigeria. He was a very principled man, a democrat almost an idealist. He had no tolerance for corruption and spoke his mind when it mattered most.”
Obaseki, however, said he would support the endowment fund that the family of the deceased wanted to set up for best student in virology at the University of Ibadan.
Also, David Olaleye of the Department of Virology, UI said of David-West: “He was one of the pioneers of virology in Nigeria. He came at the early days of virology study and contributed so much in training, mentoring, research and particularly in building up virology study.
Oyelade, in his sermon charged everyone to live with eternity in view by discovering their God-given purposes in life and stay through to them, adding that they should maintain holy living and known that death is inevitable.
First son of David-West, Benibo, in his vote of thanks, said the family in honour of the deceased would start an endowment fund for best student in virology department of UI.
He also thanked the president and other stakeholders who have showered the family with love since the death of their father.
