PRINCE ADEDOKUN JAMES OLADOJA: Is it truly time up?

By Gbenga Ishola anipr

Life is about memories! It is the only thing we are left with when flesh and spirit departs the earthly plane and we can do no more than remember the life of the departed, through times and memories shared, especially their deeds in their lifetime, and this brings to mind, the death, on Wednesday 11th, March 2026, at officially, 60, of Prince Adedokun James Oladoja, which undoubtedly robbed many of us of a professional and a kindhearted fellow. Not surprisingly, there have been an outpouring of tributes from everywhere just for a man who earned the respect of many. Little wonder, this world is fleeting, ephemeral, will-o’-the-wisp. What is man that thou art mindful of him? Man, whose breath is in his nostrils, the good book says.

For me, I think there are some people who ordinarily should not die, because of their goodness, their humanism, the great impact that they make within the community, family and colleagues. The death of good men or women diminishes us. A part of us leaves with them, but what endures ultimately is the lesson of their example. One of such good persons was Prince Adedokun.

Death is a debt that all living things owe, and which they must pay when called to the Celestial Lodge above. We are told in Psalm 89: 48. “No one can live forever, all will die. No one can escape the power of the grave. ”Ecclesiastes 8:8: says “None of us can hold back our spirit from departing. None of us has the power to prevent the day of death. There is no escaping that obligation, that dark battle.” Knowing this to be true about death, the public’s number one enemy, we must as a people of faith accept the fact of our own mortality, and take solace in the worthy life of impact and illumination that Prince Adedokun lived.

Prince, as some of us loved to call him, was a very pleasant man with whom I related very well for more than a decade. He was also a strong advocate for peace, cooperation, hard work and self-determination at all places. He was a man of positive energy with which he gets things done and achieve results for all. He was until his death, the Development Communication Officer (DCO), for Osun State Rural Access and Agricultural Marketing Project (RAAMP), where he also left his marks on the sands of time.

Certainly, we are as good as that breath in our nostrils. When it ceases, we are done, gone, across the bridge, to eternal life. And that is if only we are conscious of this daily. But as human beings, we often forget, and live as if it would last forever. Therefore, whether it’s long or short, let’s make our life matter. Prince did, and it ended on 11th Wednesday. He now rests, after what Shakespeare calls “life’s fitful fever,” where we are like actors on a stage, and we have our entrances and exits.

Affirming that he was no more after the news of his passage got me was so painful. It was like that, I suppose because we, mortals, are always guilty of thinking we can live forever and thus forgetting that every day is a bonus from God.

Prince Adedokun was a man many of us in RAAMP and beyond placed in a high esteem and now they say he is gone. Gone to where? Just like that? It is painful, shocking and sad. Egbon mi Prince why? What happened? Prince was above anything else experienced and talented in his field of call.

No doubt, death is the most treacherous fact of life. Its finality reminds us of the finiteness of our mortality.

As painful as his demise might seem, I am also glad Prince Adedokun died a modest man and he earned everyone's respect. Albeit rest, they say, is sweet after labor. Adedokun had a lifetime of work. He was poised to have his due rest. But the rest became eternal. He has been laid to rest. He lived a disciplined life as attested to by many, including family, friends and other well-wishers in their tributes. I followed up with the burial programme as shared by someone online and I agreed completely with all the testimonies.

For sure, it is a known fact that people die every day, but all of them affirm for us the goodness in humanity like Prince Adedokun. I am glad our path crossed. Times and circumstance decide who we meet in life. Our hearts decide who we want to retain in our lives, and people's behavior determined whether we want them to remain in our memories or not. Egbon mi Prince! I am glad our paths crossed.

Yes! death may have ended his life at a time we least expect, but not the relationships he had built with many over the years. And because of this alone, a lot of people who knew him are understandably still going through grief, denial, depression and acceptance. He was a man of wisdom. Strength and dignity were his garb. And also, his gift and his legacy. Painful end indeed. His demise remains depressing and shocking, but there's no time for a lengthy farewell.

Pondering on this big blow, I came to a conclusion that, for now, we mourn with the Adedokuns. We weep, we sorrow, but not like those without hope. Our hope is that one day, Prince will rise to life eternal. And Death, the enemy of man, shall die. Death, thou shalt die. It’s not a curse. It’s just your inevitable end. Why was Heaven so much in a hurry to have you?

Looking back, with Prince, we have travelled on several occasions in the course our official assignments. On the air and on the road and he always relate with us as his mate. What a grief, what a tragedy. I saw Prince in November last year, in Lagos which unfortunately, turned out to be our last encounter. Prince died on Wednesday, curiously not in terra incognita, which the sky is. But rather on terra firma, solid ground. 

I feel a deep sense of personal loss, and hereby join others in commiserating with members of his family, his wife, children, the people of Osun State, members of other professional bodies that Prince Adedokun belong, and everyone in the larger Nigerian community who was privileged to have encountered his person, influence, and benefitted from the grace of uncommon measure which the Almighty bestowed upon him and which he used, at various levels for the benefit of mankind and for the elevation of the human spirit. 

Let me also commiserate with our RAAMP National Coordinator, Engr. Aminu Mohammed Bodinga who enjoyed cordial relationship with Prince, all RAAMP DCO family where Prince Adedokun once belong and specifically to our head, the National RAAMP Development Communication Officer, Mrs. Amadi Vivian who was also disturbed by the incident as well as many others.

 

As we therefore, morn the late illustrious son of Iwo in Iwo Local Government of Osun State, let us all reflect on his legacies of professionalism and a form of self-respect that did not at any time seek self-advertisement. Unfortunately, these enduring virtues are conspicuously absent in the official profile of most people today. Egbon Adedokun deserves to be remembered. His example should inspire the living. Thank you, Prince, for your friendship.

Goodbye and goodnight…..

Gbenga Ishola anipr, is the immediate past Chairman, Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR), Kwara State Chapter and currently the Kwara RAAMP Development Communication Officer (DCO).

08038987149/isholagbenga@yahoo.com