I became acquainted with this great Nigerian patriot over 30 years ago when I met him through my younger brother who was his school mate. Through all those years we met only a few times and it was not until 2013 when a chance meeting brought us together again.

At that time he was the Director-General of the DAWN ( Development Agenda for Western Nigeria)Commission (I did not know this at the time) and I had just been appointed the Director of Sports for Lagos State. I was directed by my then Commissioner of Sports Wahid Enitan Oshodi to represent the State at the DAWN Commission meeting on Sports.
On getting to Cocoa House in Ibadan for the meeting, I was ushered into the office of the DG and lo and behold, it was Dipo sitting at the desk!

Of course I was pleasantly surprised to see him but he was not. Apparently when he had been informed that the new Director of Sports would represent Lagos State at the meeting, in his usual thoroughness, he had found out the name of that Director and realizing that he was me, decided not to call me but to wait until I get to the meeting so I could be surprised to see him.

We had a great meeting on sports development agenda for the South West states and the fallout of that meeting was the 1st DAWN Games (South West States Secondary Schools Games) that Lagos State hosted in May 2014.
Dipo was passionate for South West integration and development in every sector. He talked it, he lived it, he worked hard at it and gave his all for it.

He was always willing to learn and engage people in every area. After the success of the DAWN Games, Dipo set up a Sports Think-Tank made up of eminent sports administrators to draw up a Road Map for Sports Development in the South West Region. We did this work quietly and unobtrusively and submitted a detailed report to the DAWN Commission and I recall that Dipo promised to sell this Road Map to all the Governors in the Region.

Dipo was never afraid to ask questions, even as DG. He would always say “Egbon, you know I’m no expert in sports so I need you to work with me in this area”. He was also always interested in capacity building for his officers at the DAWN Commission.
I recall that after our 1st meeting at Ibadan, he decided to set up a Sports Desk at the Commission and assigned a couple of his officers to that desk. A few days later, he called me and said that I was going to help him with his Sports Desk officers. He requested that I inform him of every program, seminar, workshop and sports events that are coming up in Lagos and that he would send his Sports Desk officers to Lagos to attend as observers so they could learn. So each time we had a sports program in Lagos, we would always include a DAWN Commission officer in the Organising Committee. In no time, these officers became well grounded in sports issues.
I am quite sure that Dipo did the same in other sectors as well. He exhibited the same passion and commitment, be it in agriculture, sports, solid minerals, education, economics etc.

Over time I realized that Dipo my aburo that I can call my brother was a man full of compassion and empathy for others. He would make your problems and challenges his own and will not rest until he helps in one way or the other.

Looking back now, it would seem that Dipo was in a hurry. In a hurry to put down a framework for South West integration, in a hurry to do his best to ensure the South West becomes a beacon and template for national integration and development. Perhaps this was why he could work so closely and be loved by all the South West States’ Governors, irrespective of their political party affiliations. Dipo also said and maintained that the Region will always be one, no matter which parties the Governors come from, so whether APC or PDP or Labour, he had a close working relationship with all of them.

I will miss my aburo, my friend, my brother. I will miss him because this is so sudden, so shocking, so sad.
Dipo has left a great legacy behind and in his honour, I call on all of us that have a role to play to ensure that we carry on with that legacy so that the labour of Oladipo Famakinwa will not be in vain.

Adieu my friend and my brother.