Soga: A giant in spirit and deed

It is impossible to track the torrents of eulogy and heartfelt testimonies that have trailed his transition since February and not come to one indubitable conclusion: Dr. Olusoga Sofolahan Atibioke lived a life of great impact.

At 56, this illustrious son of Ibaramu (mother hailed from Okeagbe-Akoko) could not, by any stretch of imagination, be said to have attained the ripe age. Even when life expectancy is 53 in contemporary Nigeria, he ended far short of the biblical three scores and ten.

As if he knew his earthly sojourn would be short, he packed a lot into that short time. The monumentality of those feats achieved across varied human endeavours is perhaps only matched by his towering physique.

Boxing immortal, Muhammad Ali, would have captured the possible spirit behind such relentless daring — that quest to always hunt the bigger game — in these words: “Don’t count the days of your life. Make the life in your days count.”

So, even as we mourn this untimely passing, we must draw consolation from Soga’s glittering legacy of impact. In the materialist world, the easy metric is to count brick and mortar. But as Albert Einstein, the immortal physicist, tells us: things that count don’t matter and what matters often don’t count.

The formula for quantifying Soga’s impact would be in fond memories of his countless civic exertions forever etched in our collective subconscious.

For validation, we only need to turn the pages of our minds slowly. Avert our minds to some of the photographs that went viral on social media following the shattering news of his death. Recall the one where his giant frame is squeezed into the Boy Scouts’ iconic regalia of short-sleeved green shirt, khaki shorts, beret and group scarf … In another, he poses with a platoon of younger Boy Scouts at a parade… Yet in another, he toils alongside a group of labourers rehabilitating a building at the VCI campus …

That was the essential Soga.

Among Boy Scouts, the corporate mantra is, “Be Prepared”. It was a message Soga took to heart and carried everywhere from 1974 when he joined the voluntary association under Pa J. O. Ojo (of blessed memories) at Local Authority Primary School, Ilepa, Ikare-Akoko.

Between 1981 and 1983, he became the Troop Leader of the Boy Scouts of Victory College Ikare under the leadership of Okhale Momodu.
He would later lead the Scout Association of Nigeria (formerly known as the Boy Scouts Association of Nigeria).

Like sunshine, some individuals light up a room with their incandescent aura. I count Soga among this unique tribe. To encounter him is to feel the force of passion and a commitment to the public spirit. For him, life was only meaningful when lived for others, and positions were only good when leveraged to help people in need.

In his native of Ibaram town in Ondo State, Oba Mofolorunso Samuel Adegboyega Arasanyin, the Ajana of Afa Okeagbe, described Soga’s passing in the following tearful words: “We’ll deeply miss your invaluable contributions to our community. Your wisdom, expertise, and selfless service have left an indelible mark on our lives. Your absence will be felt in every aspect of our community, and we can only imagine the great things you would have continued to achieve.”

It is a measure of his significant impact in his community, even within a short-lived existence.

Again, it is a measure of his extraordinary networking skill that, despite being of the 1986 set, he had a direct personal relationship with not a few members of our 1988 set of VICOSA.

In a way, with the power of personal example, Soga would challenge us never to be passive wherever we find ourselves. To keep testing the limits and pushing the boundaries. We saw this in the muscular campaign he ran to clinch the national leadership of the Victory College Old Students Association (VICOSA) in 2022.

Of course, VICOSA remains perhaps the most veritable platform for preserving our common heritage — Victory College Ikare. Founded in 1947, its illustrious alumni include late Admiral Mike Akhigbe (aka Fearless), deputy to Head of State, General Abdulsalami Abubakar, between 1998 and 1999; iconic lawyer, Gani Fawehinmi; Olukare of Ikare-Akoko, Oba Akadiri Momoh; Professor Michael Faborede, one-time Vice Chancellor of Obafemi Awolowo University; and Bashorun Seinde Arogbofa, a celebrated author and respected Afenifere leader.

With the energy and creativity Soga brought to bear in 2022, you would think he was gunning for the presidency of Nigeria! Again, following his emphatic victory at the highly competitive polls, we saw a continuation of that commitment in the zeal he brought to office. Determined to make a difference, he tweaked VICOSA’s governance structure. He came out with a new organogram with the infusion of fresh ideas. Yours sincerely was conscripted into one of such agencies. Not surprisingly, it was the unit saddled with publicity.

On a personal note, my last physical contact with Soga was in Lagos in the summer of 2021. It was at the reception to climax the obsequies of Mama Aregbesola, the mother of one of us, Bode Aregbesola (ARESCO BODMAS), then the Managing Director of United Bank of Africa Plc (Senegal branch). Of course, a respectable number from VICOSA 88 graced the marquee, including Abiodun Oloruntoba and Mutiu Mesioye (aka Alhaji).

While the soirée lasted, it was impossible to miss the commanding presence of Soga in his immaculate green Agbada. He mixed freely with everyone. We posed for photographs as well. When told my daughter would be travelling out the next week to the United Kingdom, having just gained a university admission, Bode and Soga felicitated with her with an exhortation to take her studies seriously and forever remember the daughter of whom she is.

Characteristically, on top of the wise counsel, Soga dipped a hand into his pocket and gave her a generous dash.

Good night! Soga is one of our shining stars.