The men of Baluba Kingdom, both present and of the 1980s, on Sunday, 2nd of July, 2023, gathered for a March and tribute night of former hall chairman and hall warden, Prof Opeyemi Isaac Ajewole.
The march started on two fronts, from both Zik hall and the deceased’s faculty. The separate party met at the SUB, from where they proceeded to UI GATE, after which they returned to Trenchard Hall.
The Zik procession wore custom Black shirts and bore candles as they marched through the school before heading to Trenchard where the event was held. The procession had in attendance Zikites who stayed in the hall with the deceased. They sang mournful songs denoting the Zik tradition.
The chairman of Nnamdi Azikiwe hall , Moriselade Soladoye-Adewole spoke on behalf of the Baluba forces. He spoke of the first time and the last time he met the deceased which was to seek support for the Zik Tradition week and the Hall Week. He spoke of how he (Prof Ajewole) had pledged his financial support both times. The second time they met, which was three weeks before his demise, the deceased had promised to support whenever he was needed.
The tribute night was attended by a representative of the Vice chancellor, Professor Kayode Adebowale and his predecessor Professor Abel Olayinka alongside other distinguished school staff and faculty and departmental heads notably the faculty of agriculture and faculty of renewable natural resources and also the department of the deceased, Social and Environmental Forestry. They all extolled his wonderful qualities.
Prof Ajewole passed away earlier in the month of June, having been murdered by unknown assailants, moments after he was kidnapped on the 5th of June 2023. The funeral activities of Prof Ajewole continue till Tuesday, 4th July, 2023.
