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Published 27 December 2020
Death is the ultimate of all the gloomy things to write about in life. It is the cessation of all possibilities. And this is why it always leaves a bitter taste in the memory, whether it is the death of a person in a distant place or a loved one close by. And when we lose dear and loved ones, there is no consolation to be found in Horace’s words that “Pale death beats equally at the poor man’s gate and at the palaces of kings.” Nobody wants to write a eulogy of a friend, a colleague, a relative or any loved one. Having to pen this tribute to my boss, colleague, brother and friend Professor Habu Galadima is one of the most harrowing experiences I have ever gone through. How could we be talking of a eulogy to someone who was still with us a few days ago? How could I even make sense of speaking about him in the past tense?
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By Tunji Olaopa
Death is the ultimate of all the gloomy things to write about in life. It is the cessation of all possibilities. And this is why it always leaves a bitter taste in the memory, whether it is the death of a person in a distant place or a loved one close by. And when we lose dear and loved ones, there is no consolation to be found in Horace’s words that “Pale death beats equally at the poor man’s gate and at the palaces of kings.” Nobody wants to write a eulogy of a friend, a colleague, a relative or any loved one. Having to pen this tribute to my boss, colleague, brother and friend Professor Habu Galadima is one of the most harrowing experience I have ever gone through. How could we be talking of a eulogy to someone who was still with us a few days ago? How could I even make sense of speaking about him in the past tense?
(Retired From Sri Lanka Navy)
Former Chief of Defence Staff
I was watching NDTV news on my cable TV recently. One news item shocked and saddened me beyond measure. It said Vice Admiral Srikant, of the Indian Navy, had died of COVID-19 complications at the Delhi Army Cantonment base hospital.
Srikant was a dear friend of mine. An outstanding Officer from his batch at the National Defence Academy, Kurukshetra, Pune, India, he joined the Indian Navy Submarine Arm more than 38 years ago. He was due to retire on 31st Dec 2020, on reaching the age of 60.
He and I underwent a one-and-a-half month-long Senior Executive Course at Near East Asia Centre (NEA Centre) at the National Defence University, Washington DC.
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The entire National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS) has been thrown into mourning following the sudden demise of the Director-General of the Institution, Professor Habu Habu Galadima, who died, on Sunday, after a brief illness.
A source close to the National Institution revealed that Professor Galadima who presided over the graduation of Senior Executive Course SEC 42 last week did not show any sign of illness throughout of the week-long event that marked the graduation.
The source further revealed that the late Director-General took a week break after the graduation and travelled to Abuja where he fell sick and was admitted at a private hospital where he died in the early hour of Sunday.