Hmmm the news of your demise came to me as a very rude shock. You were one of the most brilliant & hard-working person I've ever heard of or come across in my entire life, no wonder you married another intelligent champ Aunty Yinka. Though I'm not close to you but I relate with your wife and I believe she has a great, peace loving and supportive man as her husband.

Aunty Yinka I know this is one of the most difficult moments but I'm trusting that God Almighty will comfort you specially and give you the grace to go on strong.

To Seun & sisters, losing every girl's first love is usually hard to bear but keep looking on to God and you will find all the answers to whatever Dad didn't answer.

May God grant Uncle FAB eternal rest in the bosom of Jesus Christ, Amen

I was deeply shocked to learn of the demise of my friend Mr. Olufemi Abegunde, whose funeral proceedings commenced today.

Mr. Abegunde was a thoroughbred professional who led a distinguished career with over 30 years experience in the energy and resources industry. He was head of energy and resources in Deloitte West Africa at the time I was the Minister of Mines and Steel Development, during which period he supported us extensively and was instrumental to the successes of our reforms.

He rose to become the Deloitte West Africa Deputy Chairman and was undeniably one of our finest minds who had such a warm and affable personality, and a patriotic disposition on any matter.

My thoughts and prayers are with his wife and children, and the professional family he left behind.

May his soul rest in peace.

Dr. Kayode Fayemi

Governor, Ekiti State, Nigeria

Oga Feemo, it is still very surreal and unbelievable. You were a big brother and a mentor. Always willing to pick my calls and have very sincere discussions. With you I am certain you will say it as it is. You will nudge me after church service - it was your signal that I should come along we have somethings to say. Your care and passion for the younger ones are legendary. Thanks for the opportunity to be your friend, though you were my Manager years ago. 

I can only say, rest in the wings of your Lord and Saviour. The Lord will console your family. It is well. Rest In Peace Oga Femoo!!!

• Boss, when I heard of your death, I couldn't bear the huge shock, you really left a huge vacuum. Thanks so much for your impactful  training. Rest in peace Boss.

Epitome of Clear Thought Process. Forever detailed. Conservative. Brilliant. Teacher.

Egbon mi, if only you could come back to say goodbye. Your demise is unbelievable. And the vacuum too big to fill. 

REST ON BRO. FEMI

My Mentor! I have been avoiding writing this because some part of my head said if I avoid it, then it didn’t happen. I wanted to hold on to it all. I wanted to hold on to around this time 15years ago when you pushed a small NYSC girl to join a high-level meeting at Energy Institute UK…all in the name of “I refuse for you to be just an ordinary corper/intern!!”. I wanted to hold on to how you encouraged me to serve voluntarily with that same organization saying “one day this thing will make sense!”. I wanted to hold on to how you will silently fight anyone that tried to intimate my professional turf saying “please just leave her, not this one!”. I wanted to hold on to how you made fun of me the last time I saw you saying “Now that you are MD Energy Institute Africa…I will chop anything I want in this restaurant!” 

My dearest personal supporter, my life’s journey would have been a classic mess if I didn’t meet you when I did. I decided to summon the strength to write this because I believe your legacy  in my small life story is going to live long and strong; meaning you will always be here for me. You are kind, funny, dependable yet firm, hardworking and full of life. You believe everyone should be given a chance; man, woman, young, old. You love your family and always felt the need to insert them in all our success story gist….Ah! these words are starting to fail to express how pained I am. I should have called to give you the good news. I should have called to tell you…yet again “you were right!” MR Abegunde, I will miss you. 

Oh Lord! wrap my Mentor in your never ending love and give his family strength in this season.

Dear F-AB,

It was  a difficult effort to pen this farewell message...

You were nice to me. I probably thought you loved me more and was just partial towards me but reading all the tributes on your funeral site confirms otherwise. You were nice to everybody.

I miss you sir. It pains me most because my last conversation with you was inconclusive. We were talking on phone, just before your trip but I was in a poor network zone, and I promised to call back. I didn’t… I missed that last message from you…those last mentoring words, those last brotherly pieces of advice…

You were my teacher, my boss, my friend, my playmate, my mentor… The memories linger…

I just think you ran your race on earth so swiftly… and you achieved in 53 odd years what should be normally achieved in 83 years… No wonder they called you Baba at AA. Is it the network you built? Is it making Partnership at Arthur Anderson at a very young age? Is it joining Akintola Williams Deloitte as a Partner at a time it looked very odd? Is it what you did with Deloitte, rising to headship in Nigeria and West Africa? Is it your impact in the Accounting Profession, notably the Oil & Gas Accounting and taxation…What a vacuum!

Boss, you ran a 100-year race in 53 years… And I am consoled that you lived a good life of impact that truly matters… As painful as I feel, I say…FARE THEE WELL.

My condolences to your wife, daughters, other members of your family and the loved ones who are mourning your death round the globe. 

Egbon mi Atata; my special Big Brother. Femi Abegunde, affectionately called ‘Feme,’ was the only person to whom I ever ascribed that greeting.

Feme came into our lives via his sister Bukky, who met and dated my brother Bayo in OAU Ife. From the moment Bukky decided that my brother was the man for her, Feme was a constant welcome presence in all our lives. And so it was that upon Bayo & Bukky’s wedding, he inherited 3 additional younger sisters, all of whom he ‘adopted’ without question.

When I was in my final year in OAU Ife (his Alma Mater), Femi came with Arthur Andersen Executives to speak to the prospective graduating students about a career at AA and to administer to Aptitude Test to shortlist the most intelligent. He was the assigned speaker and was at the podium giving a brilliant speech to the 100 or so shortlisted students. I was one of those who had qualified, and I didn’t want to distract him by waving, yet he somehow caught my eye and without breaking stride, gave me a subtle nod of acknowledgement from the lectern, and continued delivering his speech. After the test I went round to greet him, and he welcomed me with his Trademark Big Hug. He congratulated me for making the shortlist, and in typical Egbon fashion, handed me a small settlement. “Take this for minerals,” he said. Pretty sure I could have bought a whole crate of soft drinks with the amount I was handed!

Femi had the biggest heart of anyone I know. I would constantly harass him for selfies whenever he was in London, and he always obliged. He looked after my Mum as tenderly as he did his own, and she loved him like a son. His love for Yinka and his girls was legendary. He celebrated each of them uniquely and was so proud of them and their academic achievements. His Epic Daddy-Daughter Dance Battle with Olamide at her graduation party is cemented in my mind as one of the best dance challenges ever.

It was also heart-warming to see the close relationship he had with his sister Bukky, which was evident to all at her 50th birthday party where he flew in her cousins from all corners of the world to celebrate with her. Family was everything to him. I guess that’s why it was easy for him to graft me and my sisters into his family as his own, because he was more than just my brother’s brother in-law; he was my brother. And I miss him.

Sometimes when people pass away, it feels acceptable to submit to the will of God and accept their demise. With Femi, I’m still asking God why and how. It still feels unreal, like this was not his time. He had so much more to do on this earth; in his family, his work, and the wider community. It will take a long time for me to fully accept this but accept it I must, simply because there is no way I can bring him back. Everyone who knows him is united in grief, and we all feel the loss very keenly.

To Yinka, I offer my most sincere condolences on the loss of your dear husband. Femi was a true Legend, and it truly feels like a light has gone out in the world. To his daughters Seun, Temitope, Olamide & Omowunmi, I hold you close in my heart, and trust that you will honour his great legacy and continue to do him proud, as you have always done. To Bukky & Bunmi, you have lost the dear brother who has been ever-present for all your lives, but I hope you can take solace in the knowledge that he is with Jesus, and is being thoroughly pampered by your Mum, my Mum and Yinka’s Mum in Heaven. I pray for God to comfort you all at this very challenging time.

I’m so thankful to have been a part of Femi’s life, and a part of his family.

Egbon mi Atata; Rest in Power. You will forever be remembered. 

I was in my office when I heard from my MD that Femi had passed on. This was shortly after Femi communicated us from the UK about his support for an impending service of his firm to our company. I knew Femi as a brilliant and vocal  undergraduate, a professional accountant and a big 4 Senior Audit Partner whose services contributed toward resolution of issues with the Partners of my Company.  Femi's passing was too soon but thanks be to God  for the  good influence of his life.

While wishing the departed soul eternal rest in heaven, May God grant his family and each of the persons left behind the grit to bear the loss as well as  a peaceful and prosperous long life in the most precious Name of  Loving Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.

Cheers to All.

Gbenga Adeyemo