Tributes & Memories

Oga.Your leadership, encouragement, and kindness will always be remembered,You lead by example, encouraged us to do our best, and never hesitated to recognize our efforts. Your ability to listen, guide, and support your team is something that will deeply be missed.

A Great man indeed a much loved inlaw. We will miss you Sir

Engr. Olugbenga Olabenjo was a great, calm and knowledgeable leader with good leadership qualities. His tenure as a leader while l was his treasurer grace me to know him fully. He was pleasant and leader to work with. He inspired and encouraged us to work as a team. His gentle voice and smile in his word was an element of peace. May your departed soul continue to rest in peace in Jesus'name. Adieu my great and adorable leader.

Tribute to Engineer Olugbenga Olatunde Olabenjo 30 January 1951 – 24 June 2026 As the husband to the only daughter of Surv. Daniel and Barrister Grace Omoigui, I was first introduced to Engr. Olugbenga Olatunde Olabenjo (Babaa) as a cherished member of the Omoigui family. Babaa was a constant and active presence at every family meeting. Over time, I developed a close personal relationship with him and drew deeply from his vast reservoir of wisdom. Babaa was exceptionally bright, decent, cosmopolitan, and well-grounded. He held Mummy and Daddy in the highest regard, and Mummy may even have taught his wife during her school days. One aspect of his character that I deeply admired was his profound respect for tradition. He drew heavily from our traditional African ethos; in many ways, he was a true traditionalist. Education was paramount to him. He considered it non-negotiable that all his children attend college and graduate in their chosen disciplines. It is no surprise that he leaves behind a beautiful legacy: a wonderful wife, exceptional children, and adorable grandchildren, all established in their professions or well on the path to success. May Babaa find eternal peace with his Creator, and may the Olabenjo family continue to enjoy the abundant grace of God. Asishana B Okauru

Babaa, We Love You Deeply I cannot think of Engr. Olabenjo (Babaa) without crying. The tears did not begin with his passing. They began when he fell ill and we watched him face increasingly difficult challenges. Yet, in the way that was so characteristic of him, he carried on with courage, discipline and quiet determination. To the very end, he remained the faithful, dependable and devoted man we had always known. Even in his passing, Babaa quietly bade us goodbye from the home he loved. In my heart, I believe that God, in His mercy, called him home to rest in His bosom. His earthly journey was complete. I will miss him. We will all miss him. My entire family—the Omoigui and Okauru families—will miss him deeply. Babaa, as we fondly called him, was a permanent and treasured presence in our lives. He loved my mother, who had taught him in his childhood, as though she were his own mother. There was hardly a matter on which they did not consult each other or a story they did not share. Theirs was a beautiful relationship founded on love, trust and mutual respect. When my parents passed away, Babaa stepped into the role that a devoted son would have played. Throughout his life, he was a senior brother to me in every sense of the word. Babaa was my family, and my family was his. Whenever I needed support, wise counsel, or the reassurance of someone I could trust completely, Babaa was that person. He stood by me at every turn and through every momentous period of my life. He was a devoted brother to me, and a loving son to my parents—always present, wherever they were and whenever he was needed. He was a founding and active Director of ReStraL Limited, contributing his wisdom, commitment and dependable support from the very beginning. He was there when my husband was introduced to the family, at our wedding and throughout our married life. He was there for our children. For all that he was to us, I can never thank him enough. Mama, his beloved wife, remained loving and steadfast through thick and thin, faithfully walking beside him to the very end. She was a remarkable partner. In many ways, there was no Babaa without Mama. May God richly bless her for her love, sacrifice and unwavering partnership. His children—our children—honoured and cared for their father with extraordinary devotion. They are living testimonies to the commandment to honour one’s parents. May their own days be long, blessed and fulfilled. I pray that God will console his dear wife and children in their grief. May they be comforted by the knowledge that they surrounded Babaa with love and did everything within their power to give him the life, dignity and care he desired. Babaa, you were deeply loved. You will be greatly missed, but you will never be forgotten. May your dear and gentle soul rest in perfect peace.

Tribute to My Beloved Cousin and Brother The news of your passage into the great beyond was both shocking and deeply saddening. I wish you had stayed with us longer, but God knows best and loved you more. Growing up, you imparted invaluable lessons of hard work, dedication, and forthrightness to all the younger members of our family. You were a true beacon of light to us all. Though you are gone, you will never be forgotten and will forever be cherished in our hearts. Thank you, thank you, thank you. Although our contact in recent times was largely limited to phone calls due to distance, it was always a true delight to hear your voice. You were such an amazing person to me. Adieu, adieu, adieu, my brother. Rest peacefully in the bosom of your Lord. Adeleke Fadipe

I knew him as Engr. Olabenjo – and he became my “adopted” uncle I got to know Engr Olabenjo in 1998 when I was posted to Gombe for my NYSC. As the President of the Gombe Chapter of the Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE), he and a few other folks came to welcome Corps members that were Engineers. As it would happen, there were only two female Engineers in the batch – and one of us was a married woman who was going to relocate back to her family immediately after camp. Engr. Olabenjo welcomed me warmly – encouraged me to stay in Gombe, and gave me an open invitation to visit him anytime in his office. He told me he had four daughters and so he knew how I must have felt being alone in a strange town. The encouragement helped, and thankfully, I got posted to Gombe township. As it happened, the assigned house for Corpers was just down the street from Engr. Olabenjo. He invited me to his home, and it became one of my favourite hangouts (when I wasn’t with other Corpers). I can’t count the number of evenings I would be at his place… we’d discuss widely about everything. I got to know he went to school in Sokoto, I remember being in awe that he finished from Imperial College. But I was also astonished about how welcoming and down to earth and homely he was. He introduced my to Nono, the Hausa yoghurt and the secret to getting the healthy batch (go early in the morning before the flies are out). He taught me how to warm frozen boiled rice (yes – I was a lady and he had the trick; he must have applied some engineering perspective to it). Thinking back now, he shaped my thinking that a man should not be too high-minded to do domestic chores at home. My dad was the same, but here was a Federal Controller in the Ministry of Works who didn’t mind serving a small Youth Corper from nowhere. His humility was truly astounding. I got to know Engr. Olabenjo so well that other Corpers thought he was my uncle. When the Nigerian Christian Corpers Federation (NCCF) needed to purchase land in Gombe, they asked me to talk to my “uncle”. Indeed, that was how gracious he was to me … he couldn’t have done more if I was his blood relative. Sometime during my service, I had a kerfuffle at work, that I could neither understand nor handle. I simply went down to his office, explained the issue to him, and pronto, he got up, took me right down to my office, spoke to the manager – and it was resolved right there on the spot. I felt so important, so connected, so empowered. If anything, in today’s parlance, you would call him my destiny helper – and that truly, he was. I believe the biggest gift Engr. Olabenjo gave me was introducing me to his family. I met them 1 or two times when they came to visit him in Gombe. I remember thinking how cool it was that he gave his daughters names from other tribes. Years later, I was reminded that I spoke with one of his daughters, and advised her on her choice of course to study in the university. The most amazing thing is that we lost contact after we both left Gombe and Abuja circa 2000 (remember that phones were not widely available then). But I believe that God ordained it, because to my greatest surprise, one of his daughters cold-called me on LinkedIn in 2018 – in Canada of all places! Almost 20 years later, I got to meet the daughters with their family all over again. I got to reconnect with Babaa and Mamaa (as I now know them) and the warmth with which the family has received me has been nothing short of phenomenal. I wish I had written down everything Engr. Olabenjo taught me at that time. But even though I don’t recall them all clearly, they shaped me into a better woman that I am today. And here are some I recall clearly that I still strive to live by: Have a warm and welcoming attitude with an open heart – with no returns expected. The biggest “thank you” for a favour you receive is to go and do likewise. If your brother offends you, rebuke him. And if he repents, forgive him. He taught me the essence of calling out bad behaviour, not just tolerate or overlook it. I am so glad that I was able to reconnect with Babaa again, even until last year. My life has been so enriched through knowing him and I am blessed that he was a beacon of light in my life. My deepest condolences to Mamaa and the children. I know that you’re taking solace that Babaa has gone to rest, and that he left an amazing legacy for us all.

Rest well Babaa

A TRIBUTE TO A GOOD MAN Babaa, Thank you. Thank you for your life. Thank you for that beautiful, generous life. When I look back at my journey, when I look at the seasons that almost broke me, the times I honestly thought my life was going to come apart in my hands, your name is written in gold in that story. Not written lightly. Written in gold. You were father to my friend, Nkechi. That was all you were supposed to be. But your large heart could not stop at that, it needed to take on more children beyond biological. I was blessed to be one of those you included in your father-love. You decided I was yours too, and you became my daddy too. Not in title. In deed. You stood by me when many people stood away. You took a risk on me when it was not convenient, when there was nothing in it for you, when the safer thing was to look away like everybody else did. You stuck out your neck for me. Do you know how rare that is? Do you know how few people in this world will put their own name on the line for someone else's child? You did. You did it without noise and without asking me for anything in return. You also housed me in Abuja when I needed a father to house me in Abuja. I will never forget that. Your home was home to me. I never felt like a stranger in there. When they told me you were ill, something in me refused to accept it. I could not reconcile it. Not you. Good fathers are not supposed to ever be down. But you weren't down, no you weren't, you were only bowing out gracefully. After you have done the world a lot of good. I salute you now and forever. But this is what I have come to understand. True living is not measured by how long a man stays. It is measured by the footprints he leaves, and not just footprints in time, footprints in the hearts of men. You left yours in mine. Deep ones. Permanent ones. I told everybody who would listen how great you were while you were still here to hear it, and I am grateful I did not wait until today to say it. Your wisdom was deep. Your life was an epistle, read and known of all men. And beyond what you were to me, more importantly, look at what you were to your own direct crew. A father your children could be proud of. A grandfather whose presence was felt close. That kind of legacy is not built by ordinary men, and it is not built by accident. You built it with intention and it worked so good. So sleep well, Babaa. Sleep well. God bless your children. God will keep blessing them, and He will keep Mama, and He will honour every seed of kindness you sowed in people like me who had no way of paying you back. Little wonder your children have all turned out so well. That was the inevitable outcome of the generous life you lived. Babaa, you have left these shores, but you have not left my heart. You live there. You will keep living there. Every stride I take has your name etched in my success history. Thank you for being a daddy indeed. I love you. Rest, sir. You have done well. Ibukun Thomas

A TRIBUTE From CODISA Foundation In Loving Memory of Engr. Olugbenga Olabenjo FNSE. C.Eng. JP. FICE CODISA Leader, 2016 - 2020 Called to Glory: 24th June 2026 The Board of Trustees, Management Team, and members of CODISA Foundation received with deep sadness the news of the passing of Engr. Olugbenga Olabenjo on 24th June 2026. We have lost a visionary, a builder, and a man who gave generously of himself to the cause of persons with disabilities. Engr. Olabenjo served CODISA with distinction over many years, holding various positions including Secretary and Deputy Leader, before ascending to the role of Leader from 2016 to 2020. He was not a man who sought titles - he was a man who sought impact, and impact is precisely what he left behind. It was during his leadership that the vision for CODISA Foundation as a formally registered NGO was conceived. He dared to imagine that what had begun as a small committee in a chapel could become a recognised institution with the structure, credibility, and reach to serve persons with disabilities far beyond what had been possible before. That vision did not die with his tenure. His successor took it forward, and today CODISA Foundation stands as a growing organisation with expanding resources, deepening partnerships, and an ever-widening circle of impact. Every milestone we celebrate as a Foundation carries the fingerprints of Engr. Olabenjo's foresight. He was a man of structure and discipline. He established the cadence of our Executive Committee meetings, setting a rhythm of accountability and engagement that continues to guide our work to this day. Even during the disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, when many organizations scaled back their activities or suspended operations altogether, Engr. Olabenjo ensured that CODISA remained active and committed to its mission. Under his leadership, meetings continued, projects were closely monitored, and with the support of friends and partners of CODISA, food relief items were distributed to homes during the lockdown period. Despite the challenges of the pandemic, he transformed our annual workshop by embracing innovation. For the first time in CODISA's history, the program was held virtually, bringing together both local and international speakers through a webinar series.Engr. Olabenjo refused to allow a global crisis to become an excuse for abandoning the children, families, and communities that CODISA had committed to serve. Those who knew him will never forget the warmth he carried so naturally. He had a nickname for almost everyone and made everyone feel seen, known, and valued. He did not manage a community; he cultivated one. He was also a man who matched his words with action. Long after the meetings ended, Engr. Olabenjo could be found personally supervising construction and renovation projects across the homes CODISA supported, spending his own time and his own resources to ensure that the work was done well. He cared not just about what CODISA said it would do, but about what was actually delivered to the children who needed it most. As his tenure drew to a close, with succession planning in mind and a desire to encourage the younger members of CODISA, he chose to express his gratitude in a thoughtful and uncommon way. He presented medals to every member of the Executive Committee and all Committee Heads who had served with him throughout his tenure. By honoring the contributions of his team, he reinforced the values of service, commitment, and teamwork that had defined his leadership. We are grateful beyond measure for the years he gave to this Foundation. The institution he helped shape, the culture he helped build, and the vision he dared to dream will continue to bear fruit long into the future. That is the mark of a life truly well lived. We extend our deepest condolences to his family, friends, and all who loved him. May God grant them comfort in the days ahead and may Engr Olugbenga Olabenjo rest in the peace he so richly deserves. Prince Olaoluwa Awojoodu For: CODISA