”WHEN beggars die, there are no comets heard, the heavens themselves blaze forth the death of princes”. This quote from William Shakespeare aptly captures the reaction of many of those who knew Rasheed Gbadamosi in his lifetime. He was a great man, an achiever par excellence, humble in character, very unassuming and received both the rich, mighty and the poor to his abode. Still in the words of Shakespeare, “some are born great, some achieve greatness and some have greatness thrust upon them”. Gbadamosi, in rare human attribute combined these three attributes, as the son of a great merchant and businessman, an achiever in his own right and always called upon by governments at the state and federal levels to serve, even when it was physically traumatic for him to do so.

The qualities that defined Alhaji Gbadamosi are captured and encapsulated in the motto of his secondary school, “Non Sibi Sed Alis” (Not For Us But For Others). Selfless Service. He attended the prestigious Methodist Boys’ High School, Lagos, which was one of the oldest secondary schools established by the Christian missionaries in Nigeria.

This school is famous for producing bureaucrats, professionals and gentlemen. The Hon. Sir. Nnamdi Azikiwe, the Owelle of Onitsha,  the first President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria attended this famous school; Brig. General Mobolaji Johnson (Rtd.) the first Governor of Lagos State was a student of this school and the roll call will include, Chief Jimi Oduba QC, SAN, His Royal Majesty, Late Oba Sonariwo, Erinjugbo 1, the Akarigbo of Remo Kingdom, Olusegun Osoba, famous Journalist and later Executive Governor of Ogun State, Apini Gbolahan Odeinde, a business magnate and many others. These persons set the bar and Rasheed knew that in following the steps of some of these achievers he must work hard to make his own mark.

It would be repetitive to delve extensively into the various offices in the public service and private sector held by Chief Gbadamosi. He towered above his peers. The youngest Commissioner ever in the history of Lagos State, a former Minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Chairman of several multi- national companies, founder of Ragolis Water (The first water bottling company in Nigeria) and Co-Chair of Lagos @ 50, an appointment by the present Lagos State Government.

Despite these several hectic and time consuming responsibilities, he created time to make his mark in the arts, music, culture and socials. He was a regular patron of the Shrine of the Abami Eda, Fela Anikulapo Kuti and initiated the immortalisation of the music of that music icon and the great son of Africa. He was visionary in the establishment of the Music Society of Nigeria (MUSON) and he wrote several plays that earned him respect, recognition and awe in the global arts scene. His collection of the paintings of famous Nigerian artists, sculptures and arts literature in celluloid is second to none in Africa. He owns the Grillo Gallery of Arts, established in  his Ikorodu residence  where famous artists from all over the world flock regularly to interface with his collection and do research work.

Alhaji Gbadamosi was a socialite. He was the cynosure of all eyes at many  artistic events, public and social functions and he made his mark therein. He once told me that his strength  derived from the peace and tranquility of his home and the love showered on him by his wife (Mummy) and the children. He met the then Ms. Tinu Adedoyin when she was a student of the Methodist Girls’ High School, Lagos  then located in the same vicinity and compound of the boys school, and it was love at first sight. Any effort that he married a  girl from Ikorodu, Lagos State or Ijebuland was resisted. Love truly has no bounds. Mummy is from Offa in Kwara State but being transfixed by “cupid’s arrow” and he, the Shakespeare “Romeo” saw his “Juliet”. A tribal war (if at all between the Ijebus and the Offas) would not have dissuaded him. He married his heartthrob and was a doting father and great husband.

When he was appointed the Co-Chairman of Lagos @ 50, several prominent Lagos State indigenes and organisations felt that he ought to have been the substantive Chairman in his own right and ought to refuse that appointment. But for him, what was important was service to his people in whatever capacity. At this point he was frail and he needed to rest properly, (a fact attested to in the tribute by the Nobel Laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka). He trudged on and served creditably to the very end. This attitudinal conduct was resplendent of the protagonist in William Hendley’s famous poem, “Invictus”, which stated thus:  “It matters not how strait the gate, how charged with punishment the scroll, I am the Master of my faith, I am the Captain of my soul.” Rasheed Gbadamosi loved the indigenous people of Lagos State and for all intent and purposes was an “Omo Eko Pataki”, who served his people till he breathed his last.

He was a mentor to many of us and he served as an inspiration, because he raised the bar set by our seniors in secondary school and his own father. His diminutive stature belied his cerebral endowment from his creator and humanity has been further enriched by his 72 year sojourn on earth. He was a great man and a Quintessential Lagosian. He believed that inherent in every human person is goodness and talent and abhorred tribalism or religious bigotry. He actively participated in religious ceremonies in churches or mosques. A traditionalist who also supported the cause of the black race and could properly be described as “a good man par excellence.”

Adieu Chief Rasheed Gbadamosi. You left your footprint in the sands of time and future generations will follow in your footsteps. But you did not write your life in your own words. What and who are the people that inspired you? Any mentors? Where did you derive your strength and energy ? What was the source of your large heartedness and good naturedness? These you have left to the chronologies of history and historians. You were to me a big brother, a mentor, a friend whose houses were also mine. Mummy was my Chemistry teacher at the Methodist Boys’ High School, Lagos and a mother in all forms. Rasheed and Tinu Gbadamosi opitomised the true essence of marriage. May Almighty God grant you eternal rest; may he forgive your sins and may your good works and exemplary life earn you a place in Paradise. Goodnight. O D’aro. Adieu.

Chief  ‘Kunle  Uthman, (Jagunmolu Of Ibesheland). MBHS, Lagos, Class of ’73/’78.