Bola Adesola, the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Standard Chartered Bank Nigeria, and her elder sister, Rosa Vera Cruz, celebrate the 10th year memorial of their father, Harry Afolabi Lardner, who died on 13 September, 2007.

In this article below, Rosa Vera-Cruz pays a most glowing tribute, highlighting the virtues and great characters that her father personified.

Today, I’ll tell the story.
Ten years ago, this day 13th September the first shock of my life shook me. One never prepares for the passing on of a beloved one. More so, one who meant so many things to different people. More so my father, Harry Afolabi Lardner S.A.N.
I had gone to the UK to bring my youngest son home from the summer break. It was a Friday, and we were to be on the Virgin Atlantic flight that night- Lon-Los.
That morning just before 8am, a text sound woke me up. I stretched, picked up my phone, read the text, and was confused- it was a message along the lines of- We loved Papa. You and Bola have loyal friends who will stand by you etc.
Waz dat? Immediately, I woke my eldest son, and showed him, he was even more confused. Apparently my good friend (she knows herself) did not know I was out of town, and believed I already knew.
I called my husband expecting him to be in Abuja ( where he was based then), but it turned out he was in Lagos. I asked for my Dad. He told me Dad was in his room ( he actually wasn’t lying, because my dad had passed on but hadn’t been taken to the morgue)😭. I asked for my Mum. I told my husband about the message, and that was when he told me, no one had the courage to call me, so they had called my nephew ( husbands nephew) in London, and he was on the way to break the news to me.
Well, I can tell you this much, we were in an apartment block, and the neighbours sure knew something happened that day. I was like a zombie all the way to Heathrow until I got home. The shock lingered for over a year.
Dad was ill for some years, but nothing prepared any of us for the finality of his ailment. When I tell people my Dad practically taught Bola and I all we know and are today, or that we could call him by his first name ( 🤗 you had to watch the mood though) they ask, how come. We were like his, ‘ handbags’, through the corridors of the many courts in Lagos, people knew him and his two girls. After school, we would go to his chambers, Mum would have sent lunch for all of us. We would do our homework, he would check it, and we would go home together in the evening. Through the many travels, east west, north and south, we went with him. A small family of 4- we were a team.
When the family grew and the grandchildren came, he doted on them. As busy as he was, he would make my mums bath water, bathe his grandchildren, make their morning beverage and sometimes breakfast. Dad’s Jollof rice was typical Saro, and was to die for. This was a Sunday treat when he would ask my Mum to rest, and he would cook. Dad would also do a good Sunday roast, and original Saro ginger beer.

Dad was a gentleman to the core. You could not have passed through Kings College and Cambridge University and not have certain traits. He was very proud of his heritage. He was fond of his extended family.
He was humble, a silent philanthropist. He would raise funds for sickle cell patients, the blind etc. Silently paying for treatment, surgeries, and even fees and housing.
He was also very old school. He would open doors for us, get up when we entered a room, give up his seat for a lady, etc.
He was Senior Prefect at Kings College. He was asked to stay on to teach for two years, then doing his matric to go to the UK. I remember him mentioning some of his students- Former Gov. Jakande, Odumegwu Ojukwu, Alhaji Femi Okunnu.
In his chosen profession, he was highly respected. Taking the silk in 1979. At some point, President NBA, Lagos branch and Chairman-Lagos State Judicial Service Commission. Dad mentored many acclaimed lawyers and judges ( some passed through his chambers), including Justice Segun, ( former Chief Judge, Lagos State), Prince Bola Ajibola ( also happens to be my mums cousin), the current ( outgoing) CJ Sis Funmi Atilade, Justice Tony Akpovi, a large number of SAN’s including -Mike Igbokwe, Tony Idigbe, Jimoh Lasisi, Tunde Fashanu, Dorothy Ufot, the late Obi Okusogwu ( he was dad’s God son) , lawyers- Tunde Coker, the late Lateef Dosunmu……..too many names to mention. We thank most of them, that even in these 10 years, they have made us proud.
It is still often told in the corridors of the courts, even until today, that HAL was the only lawyer who had the guts to bend one leg on the bench when addressing the Bench. He had pain in his knees, and would stand on one foot, and bend the other on the bench, and no judge could ask him to stand on both feet to address the Bench.
So many treasured memories. Well, Dad, your love is still our guide. Sleep on beloved.
Today, as we remember Papa, as he became called in his latter years, I particularly remember him with deep love. I thank God for the legacy he left, and for upholding the family these past years.