TRIBUTE: Remembering My Wife, Janet Kikelomo Gbadebo One Year After

BY BODE GBADEBO

It is exactly one year today that the cold hands of death snatched my beloved friend, wife and sister, Janet Kikelomo Gbadebo, from me.

Jane’s sudden death on Friday, May 11, 2018 is still not only very fresh in my heart but every time the thought of her demise flashes through my mind, it comes with indescribable piercing pain and soreness.

It is still very difficult to believe that she is no more and that it is now 365 days.

Her death left a huge vacuum in my life. She meant so much to me and my extended family. Jane was a virtuous woman, a friend who stayed closer than a wife.

A woman of peace, kind-hearted and an excellent manager of human and material resources.

Jane was born on December 23, 1977 in Paiko, Niger State – just two months after I was born – to the family of late Mr. Michael Adebayo and Mama Abigail Adawa.

She stayed with her paternal grandparents in Minna, Niger State during her formative years. The grandparents were late Chief Samuel Oladipo Adawa and Mrs Alice Oyeladun Adawa.

Baba Adawa as he was fondly called was a popular businessman, community leader and Oba Yoruba of Minna from November 11,1989 to 2008, when he passed away.

Beyond marrying Jane, we shared some things in common – we were both born in the same year, first-borns to our respective families and of the same Ogbomoso extraction in Oyo State.

Courageous, honest, hardworking and prayerful, with her words of encouragement, she changed me, organised me and pushed me to where I’m today.

She preached peace, lived peace and departed in peace. Many saw her as an introvert but she was not one, Jane was just an easy-going, sociable person who minded her business.

For all the years I knew and lived with her, she never went under the weather, even for a day, and so when in late January, 2018 she complained of fatigue and was subsequently admitted at the National Hospital in Abuja for 11 days, not a few were surprised about of the subsequent turn of events.

While on hospital bed in Abuja, she was apparently okay before complications set in and complicated things for us without our knowledge.

She left the hospital and was at home for a couple of months or so but precisely on Tuesday, May 1, 2018 she left for Lagos to see her mother and siblings – a journey I delayed in order not to lose sight of her but I later caved in to pressure to approve the journey.

We woke up as early as 4am and prepared her luggage. We left home around 5am and we drove to Jabi terminal of ‘God Is Good’ transport services in company with a family friend, where she boarded a bus to Lagos.

We were talking throughout the trip until she arrived her destination late evening of that day. I had no premonition that it was a last journey.

The next day Wednesday, May 2, 2018, we talked on some issues particularly she asked me about the condition of Senator Dino Melaye, who was in police detention at the National Hospital at that time, and I assured her all was well.

Jane did not meet Senator Melaye face to face, however, they saw each other via video calls because whenever I was at home and the senator called, he would ask after my wife and I most times handed over the phone to her so that they could exchange pleasantries.

“Thank you for being patient with Bode, it will soon be time to enjoy,” Senator Melaye would always say to end his conversation with her.

Unfortunately, on the same second day of her arrival in Lagos, she relapsed in the night and was eventually admitted at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH) in Ikeja for days until Thursday, May 10, 2018 when health workers on the auspices of JOHESU embarked on a strike to demand for better working conditions.

Although by Monday, May 7, 2018 I had joined her at LASUTH as she was being taken care of by her family members. We were together until Thursday, May 10, 2018 when the JOHESU action left us with no option than to move her to a private health facility in Oshodi.

I left Lagos for Abuja same Thursday evening aboard PeaceAir in order to quickly re-equip myself financially but hours later the story changed.

In the wee hours of Friday, May 11, 2018, my beloved wife passed on to glory. I got a call from her younger brother, Shola, to return to Lagos immediately.

Initially I thought may be he forgot that I just left Lagos to get more money hours earlier but by the time the call ended, it dawned on me that I had been dealt with severely – my backbone, prayer warrior and encourager was gone.

Indeed, Jane left a huge vacuum in the lives of many of us – myself, my extended family, Mummy Adawa and her siblings. She was my friend, wife and closest confidant.

We first knew each other in 1989 as members of the Junior Choir at First Baptist Church Funtua in Katsina State.

Our paths crossed again in 2004 when I had a fatal accident. Jane alongside her kid sister, Nike, who is now a deaconess in RCCG Lagos, visited me.

Jane’s subsequent visits to check on me became the foundation of our love, whose building started in 2005.

On Saturday, April 3, 2010 we became husband and wife at the same age of 32 and some months after being formally joined at the First Baptist Church Gusau, Zamfara State.

She trained as a teacher having studied Electrical/Electronics at the Federal College Education (Technical) Gusau. She was at various times classroom teacher at Government Secondary School (Pilot), Focus International School, Hauwa Memorial College, all in Funtua and Federal Science and Technical College (FSTC) Dayi, Katsina state until February, 2015 when she left and joined me in Abuja.

We had our drama sessions. Whenever she was not in the mood to discuss political happenings or when we disagreed over our TV remote control on which channel to watch between Africa Magic stations/ZeeWorld and news channels, she would tease me by saying “Your own too much sef! What do you get from listening to news, is it not lies?” in order to silence me.

Whenever I reminded her that I’m a journalist, I’m a media practitioner and I make money from my wages, Jane would respond “And so what?….All I know is that you are my husband.” But the truth is that she was my biggest cheer leader, admirer and account officer.

Jane means a lot to me even now in death and these are words. I’m missing the beautiful moments we shared and savoured together despite our challenge.

Consequently, tomorrow Sunday, May 12, 2019, our family members, friends, colleagues, associates and well-wishers will gather at the Gloryland Baptist Church, Lugbe, Abuja for a special prayer and thanksgiving slated for 10am in remembrance of Janet Kikelomo Gbadebo.

May her gentle soul continue to rest in perfect peace, amen.

Gbadebo is an editorial staff of LEADERSHIP Newspapers Group.