Eulogy For Dr Paul Kehinde Joseph (1951 - 2018)

Eulogy For Dr Paul Kehinde Joseph 1951- 2018

I write as a representative of a Class Set united in grief but determined to celebrate the life of PKJ as we addressed our classmate Paul Kehinde Joseph; a loving father, a remarkable friend, a wonderful brother, a consummate doctor and a universal lover of humanity. I used the word grief advisedly for, at 67, PKJ was in the prime of life and not aged. No one would have minded obliging him a lifespan of 80 years or more in good health but we have to bow gracefully to the wish of God.

After a rigorous qualifying examination, PKJ was one of the youngest and the brightest of the 75 boys admitted to Government College, Ibadan for the secondary education that commenced on 17th January 1963. I joined the Class Set in the third term of form four having been privileged to study Organic Chemistry, prior. Shortly it was taught in class, a sort of revision for me, and a test followed in which I scored 43 out of 50 and PKJ scored 42. He felt stung and challenged in the normal spirit of GCI rivalry. Needless to say, that was the first and last time I beat him in Chemistry. The following year he graduated top of the class.

In his final year at school by sheer academic brilliance he won a full scholarship to study in prestigious University of Navarra, Pamplona, Spain. He opted to study medicine at the Nigeria premier university, at Ibadan. Despite being lackadaisical towards his study, missing lectures and ward rounds and becoming serious three weeks to the final examination, he passed with flying colours. He did postgraduate study at Halifax, Canada in Oncology and became a Professor He was complimented by Queen Elizabeth of United Kingdom during her visit to the QE 2 hospital in Halifax, Canada.

PKJ was not only smart but witty and regularly got on the wrong side of the bigger classmates. But he was wise to secure the services of a bulky classmate Kehinde Amusan (Head of School 1969 now a Gynaecologist) as a protector for a fee- pieces of meat in his food, (residue of the respect we had for Amusan in our youthful days still subsists and prevents me from addressing him as a bouncer.) So witty was PKJ that he told another classmate Anjorin that when he had an accident in 1976 on the Lagos-Ibadan expressway and was bleeding profusely and the only thing he had to curtail the blood was to tear his brand new shirt he took his time in deciding whether to bleed to death or save his shirt! In retrospect, I cannot recall seeing PKJ annoyed or upset. For he was always ebullient and upbeat. This is because his demeanour will charm you, disarm you and put you at ease.

As an Oncologist, PKJ plied his trade in the twilight of life and death as most patients view the diagnosis of cancer as a death sentence. For over three decades, with consummate skill and ingenuity, PKJ gave back life to many and empathized with others. When he was diagnosed with cancer, he accepted his fate with equanimity and bowed to death with grace. We are happy that he made us proud and left indelible footsteps in his field of endeavour. As our classmate, friend and brother we shall continue to miss him. At the rising of the sun we shall remember him and at the setting of the sun, we shall remember him.

To the children, God Almighty will console them like no one else can. To the entire family, I say �Eku ara fera ku. Eku a seinde. Oluwa a dile mu o. Amin o.�

Goodnight PKJ.

Oladisun Delano
Chairman, GCIOBA 63-67/69 Set.