He was a friend who was more brotherly than many brothers could be. Always plain speaking. Ever passionate about how the world should be ordered and uncompromisingly ethical.
Tunde Akinleye, great citizen, patriots patriot and superchampion of worthy causes has found a cause in heaven and earth has a huge void to fill. With all that energy in a frame far from stocky like Power Mike, he could walk in protest, think on his feet and motivate others at the same time. What shall we do without him.

Never walk alone, I said often to myself, growing up. So I often walked in crowds, with lots of people. But very often, even with the crowds, you were nearly alone because not many can be relied on beyond the show of the crowd, and the feeling of safety in mobs. So I became actually aware of how lonely the journey can be. Tunde Akinleye would become one of those I met on the way who got close enough to bring real company to my walk.

He was so different from the other one that was company that was true substitute for a brother. That other one walked on several years ago. Ike and I met in the university. He was a thoroughbred professional. Changing the world was good for him but he would rather change it through one on one engagements and quality of his professional work. When he took ill about a decade ago and then passed on, the walk got lonelier. The sky began to get darker, very slowly. Apologies to Zhou Daxin for borrowing from his book on aging.

Tunde and I met on the streets of protest. He was an engineer and entrepreneur who joined many professionals in response to my call for citizen action when the elections of 1993 were annulled.

He was one of the live-wires of the Concerned Professionals Steering Committee. He would be there with me on every effort to “save Nigeria” or change the world. To my children, he was Uncle Tunde. From wherever in the world they went to school they would not fail to ask after Uncle Tunde. And he would call to check on them.

Broadminded and well purged of the parochialism that many of our leaders are soaked in, he continually sought to improve himself and grow. When the British brought a few of us so-called experts together in Benoni, in South Africa in 2004 to design a programme for leadership development in Africa, little did I know Tunde would be on the Inter-Action programme years later. It was again as pleasant a surprise as seeing him in the Chief Executive programme of LBS.

When he became Chairman of Ikoyi Club 1938 he did so well I could not be more proud.

Like Ike, he took a bow and made his exit too early. Leaves the road for my own walk much too lonely. Thank God I can rent some Angels to walk with me. But it’s not the same without Tunde coming by on Sunday evening to complain about how things are not going right in Nigeria.
When a few months ago I called to check on him as I did to encourage friends to stay safe in the COVID-19 era he broke the bad news of the two CCs, Cancer and Chemotherapy. It hit me like thunderbolt from space. I told him he had the courage to beat it. But evidently heaven was in search of angels.

If I walk unsure of my foot stepping because both Ike and Tunde have gone ahead what should Fowoke, Tunde’s spouse, soulmate, and backbone do. To her and the children our prayers for fortitude and grace that only God can give. Farewell Tunde.

Our group of Concerned Professionals is thinning out. The roll call ticks on… Ladi Cole… Tunde Akinleye… yet the things we risked it all for… a better society, still has a big question mark? around it.

I lift their souls to heaven to rouse the spirits of the triumphant to give teeth to the militant suffering down here. May immortality be your portion… we mourn… we are pained… but we hope.

Prof. Patrick Okedinachi Utomi
Centre for Values in Leadership