Tributes have continued to pour over the death of novelist and playwright Akinwumi Ishola, who died on Saturday at 79.
Early callers to the residence of the deceased included Commissioner for Information, Culture and Tourism in Oyo State, Mr Toye Arulogun; Emeritus Professor of Linguistics at the University of Ibadan, Ayo Bamgbose; and a businessman, Dr Lekan Are.
Two among the children the deceased, Akinjide Ishola, who is a Lagos-based legal practitioner, and Mrs Oluwatoyin Shomefun (nee Ishola), have also arrived Ibadan on Saturday while the remains of the deceased had been taken to the Anatomy Department, University of Ibadan.
Expressing sadness of Isola\’s demise, veteran actor, Lere Paimo, popularly known as Eda, regretted the death of Isola, noting that he would be greatly missed, especially for his immense promotion of Yoruba language and culture.
Paimo said: “He coined my chieftaincy title: Aare Aboba jo, bestowed on me by the Soun of Ogbomoso, when I consulted him, because of his deepness in Yoruba Language.
“He was instrumental during the production of the much-rated movie, Saworo Ide. He is a great man full of wisdom and without doubt, the industry and I personally would miss him. I cherish his philosophy and kind heart. I pray that God will give his entire family fortitude to bear the loss.”
Popular filmmaker, Tunde Kelani, also described the death of Isola as a huge loss and that the great scholar had left a vacuum that would not be filled.
Kelani noted that it was not news that the deceased spent all his life on a scholarly work on Yoruba culture and language and in impacting on people, especially the younger generation through various publications, films and formal and informal teachings.
“I am proud to say that learnt a lot from him and my life experienced a great development since the time I worked with him, especially when we did Kose Gbe, Saworo Ide, Agogo Ewo, among other films. My relationship with him was interesting. His works preach morals, and how to tackle corruption, among other things he did. I pray that God will uphold the foundation he had laid,” he stated.
He, however, lamented the scholar’s unfulfilled dream, revealing that Professor Isola could not accomplish his pending works, entitled: Iyan Esuru. “It is painful that he won’t be able to do this, because he is no more,” he lamented.
The president of Theatre Arts and Movies Practitioners Association of Nigeria (TAMPAN), Dele Odule, described the deceased as a great scholar, who impacted many people and was passionate about Yoruba culture and that despite his professional status, he advocated and defended Yoruba culture until his death.
He told Sunday Tribune that one of the major things people would miss about the erudite scholar was his sense of humour, particularly when the duo of uncle Larinde Akinleye and Pa Adebayo Faleti were still alive, adding that, “they were just like a trio of the jesters international of the 80s. He would be greatly missed. Though, I thank God for the exemplary life he lived and if there is life after death, I believe he would surely join his close associates (Akinleye and Faleti) to continue where they stopped.”
Isola, an icon, had been sick for more than over two years due to old age, a factor which limited his public appearance during the time.
He was born in Ibadan in 1939 and attended Labode Methodist School and Wesley College for his primary and secondary education.
He studied at the University of Ibadan, earning a B. A. in French.
