By Adeola Aderounmu

In 2010, 9 years ago Pius wrote to me never to give up writing.

 

So l am going to do just that. l will continue to write especially about Nigeria.

Pius left this world very untimely along with all the other flyers on that ill-fated Ethiopian Airline flight from Addis Ababa that crashed 6 minutes after take off whilst on the way to Nairobi.

It was a very unfortunate incident that will cost Africa several years to recover from. Many people on that flight were giants in their respective fields and you just need to look at the list to appreciate and understand the magnitude of the global loss. Children were on the flight too and it was a very sad day for the world.

l lost my friend Pius. Pius Adesanmi’s profile is too big to be encapsulated on my tiny blog and so l beg you to do an internet search to find out about him.

He was the director of studies at the Institute of Africa Studies, Carleton University in Canada.

Pius was an award winning author, a writer, a columnist and a rare gem in all ramifications.

He wrote to me first about 10 years ago encouraging me to keep writing and telling me that my content were powerful and impactful. At that time, the name Pius Adesanmi did not mean anything to me. But gradually, with time l began to realise how BIG and IMPORTANT Pius was in the academic world and the impact of his message sank in.

We chatted a few times and he even wanted to meet up when he came to Denmark at some point. But poor me, l was at the countryside and didn’t bother about my mails at that time. We missed each other and never met.

I was in Nigeria in 2018 at about the same time as he was. But when l travelled back to Sweden, he was in Nigeria and l got to know about it because he had an accident that was in the news. It was a fatal accident but he survived.

8 months later, and this!

We have lost a true son of Africa. The world had lost a global citizen. Please find time to read more about Pius, he was a jolly good fellow and l will misss him for as long as l live. I will miss our sincere chats and common views about creating a Nigeria devoid of mediocrity, corruption, intellectual laziness and ineptitude.

He wrote to me: DON’T GIVE UP!

I will never give up.

aderounmu@gmail.com