BY BOLAJI AFOLABI
Last week, was the 10th week in 2025. That over two months had gone in quick successions is surprising. For the writer, it was not a pleasant week. Characterized by shocking and fearful developments. A family friend survived a sudden health scare. Two other persons were involved in near-death road mishaps. Two painful deaths. In the early hours of Tuesday, a phone call announcing the death of a friend’s elder brother; Reverend Pius Femi Oladele did not only jolt but elicited moody mode. Questions, puzzles, and posers kept running through my heart; begging for responses. Still in a foul state of pain, and confusion, a late-night message woke me up. Professor Tunde Olusunle of the University of Abuja, who was my former boss at the Office of Public Affairs, The Presidency, broke the news of the death of Alhaji Wasiu Adegbenro Anjous.
The writer’s immediate response was that of doubt, disbelief, and disapproval. Within fast and racy minutes, the message was read numerous times. Why do good people die? Why has death taken Anjous? What may have happened? All night, through the early morning of the next day; being Saturday and usually set aside for long hours of jogging, sleep became scarce and scant. Reminiscences of the last phone call, chats, and messages with Anjous kept re-appearing, and re-echoing in one’s consciousness.
Wasiu Adegbenro Anjous, whom many preferred to call Alhaji, having fulfilled one of the foremost Islamic rights by visiting Mecca very early in life, was a perfect example of peoples man. Given his cosmopolitan upbringing; born and raised in Lagos by parents who were exposed and educated, Anjous was very friendly, extremely accessible, and genuinely loving. He was simple, charismatic, and fair-minded in his dealings and interactions with people. He was a likeable personality, very outgoing, and highly sociable. Though extremely knowledgeable and intelligent, he preferred to remain humble, unassuming, and welcoming during discussions, and exchange of ideas. His sense of humor, candour, and laughter were easily noticeable, and often times disarmingly contagious.
Fate and faith brought Anjous, the writer, and few others in our group together. How? When? Where? After his inauguration on May 29, 1999, at the beginning of the Fourth Republic as Nigeria’s President, Olusegun Obasanjo gave approval to initiatives to deepen public affairs management in the new government. Chief Onyema Ugochukwu, and Prof. Tunde Olusunle; who were presidential adviser; and presidential senior assistant respectively, were said to have been the architects of the presidential benevolence. Obviously concerned and worried about how to accommodate professionals who worked in the media and publicity directorate of the Obasanjo presidential campaign organization; by the way, Ugochukwu and Olusunle were the Director, and Press Secretary respectively, and the urgent need to rejig information management, they both met, canvassed their thoughts, and got approvals thereafter. This led to the mass appointments of many people including those from the Obasanjo’s media and publicity team, and others who benefitted from the gesture that was driven by Ugochukwu and Olusunle’s far-thinking attributes and advocacy.
After being deployed to the office of Olusunle, few of the new “government pikins” including Tumo Ojelabi; Vincent Oyefeso; Ebele Aghaonu; Beatrice Edet; Taiwo Akinyemi, and the writer resumed formally on August 21, 2000; a Monday. Barely a week later, precisely August 29, which was a Tuesday, close to lunch time, a tall, handsome, broad-shouldered man clad in sky blue kaftan and trouser, well-embroidery black/white cap, and matching black sandals walked into the well-light, and air-conditioned office. After exchange of pleasantries, like a ready combatant he declared, “I am Anjous. Oga (Olusunle) told me we have new colleagues, and that is why I’m here. To formally meet with you, and introduce myself. I pray that we will enjoy working together as colleagues.”
Impressed by his simplicity and humility, the newbies took turns to appreciate the “august visitor.” Not done, Anjous ordered snacks and drinks to consummate the new relationship. As a passing shot, he said, “today is my birthday. If you don’t mind I’ll come after office hours for us all to mark the day somewhere in town.” A few hours later, we were at the popular “Tiv Joint” behind the National Library around Area 2, Garki District. We all savoured numbers of neatly spiced and fresh-from-oven chicken with “criminally cold” beverages, and other drinks. One recalls with nostalgia that few of us still did “take away” on the promptings of Anjous. The experience became a regular, and timely fixture for about seven years.
Anjous gave true meaning to friendship and relationship. He was the rallying point of his numerous colleagues; former and present; old and young; female and male. It was almost a taboo to see him walking alone. From resumption to the close of work, the office will always have one or more people with him, or waiting to see him. A completely detribalized Nigerian, he had friends that cut across tribes, ethnicity, and geographical locations. For religion, he was totally, thoroughly, and truly tolerant. Even as a practicing Muslim, Anjous, once in a while participates in morning devotions in the office. He was that good, easy-going, simple and calm. Through him, as new intakes, we knew some staff in The Presidency; within a short time. Though one can’t recall their surnames, it includes Alhaji Bashir; Alhaji Balogun; Akpan; Chukwuma; Hajia Khaltume; Toyin aka Gashi; Jaclyn; Andoor; Ijeoma; Abubakar; Rasheed; Shola; Titi; Isong; Adigun; Yusuf; Morgan; Joshua; Kemi; Vivien; Manasseh; Ade, and numerous others.
Anjous was an experienced civil servant, very versatile with a rich knowledge and understanding of the rules, regulations, ethos, and nuances of the bureaucracy. Described as an encyclopedia of information about the service, he was the go-to person by colleagues and friends who desire to find solutions, and responses to knotty issues, and challenges in their various beats. Given his long years of experiences, and mobility in the civil service, with a massive network of friends across MDAs, Anjous, within the snap of fingers knows who to call for any inquiry, request, and information. For his reliability, delivery, and problem-solving skills, he was an unofficial advisor to some presidential appointees, colleagues, and friends. Having worked in various sensitive and powerful MDAs, and offices; particularly during the IBB and Abacha regimes where he was one of the aides to the late Alhaji Aliyu Mohammed, who was the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, his data base of institutional memories, sequence of events, and other necessary details did not come as a surprise.
One of the major attributes of Anjous is building and nurturing friendship. His guiding principle was, “your friend is my friend.” It is always almost possible to see him in one part of the country or the other; mostly weekends for one social event or other related functions. Given this rare, and enviable attribute, aside Yoruba and English, he could fairly speak or have passing understanding of Hausa, Igbo, and few other languages. One recalls his persistence that “we have to be there for our colleague, and show love to her,” during the traditional wedding ceremony of Ebele; whom he called EB, which took place in Ozobulu, Anambra state, in the last few days of 2002. He did not only attend but dragged two other friends to attend the traditional and marriage solemnization of my friend, and brother, DCM (then SRC) Oladele Femi, in Ilorin sometime in 2001. The writer cannot forget his solidarity, love, and gesture at the wedding ceremonies of two siblings in Kaduna, at different years. How about the writer’s wedding in Lagos, where Anjous did not only attend but also mobilized some of his friends in Abuja and Lagos.
Arguably, the writer was the closest of the “class 2000” to Anjous. Realizing that both shared few attributes; in some ways, it was naturally easy to flow together. That he was interested in anything about the writer was not an over-statement. Unknown to many people, in 2008, he was one of the first-three individuals who broached the idea of publishing to the writer. He was full of ecstasy, and excitement when “Rethinking Nigeria” was formally presented to the public in June 2015. Indeed, in the past four years, as late as January 2025, aware the writer was working on three books, Anjous always sought to know the launch-dates. Back in August 2004, at the Holiday Inn, on the outskirts of Athens, Greece; as part of the Federal Government delegation to the Olympics, facilitated by Olusunle, while savouring lunch, Anjous spoke gently; “Mr. B (his moniker for the writer), I advise you not to stay long in civil service. Your potential and gifting can find better fulfillment outside government bureaucracy.” Years later, after exiting civil service, the writer and Anjous had breakfast together somewhere in Garki, and he stretched his hands, saying, “I congratulate you for the wise, and bold decision.” That is vintage Anjous; no inhibitions, straight from the heart.
Reactions and comments about the sudden and shocking demise of Anjous have been tearful, encouraging, and inspiring. Chief Onyema Ugochukwu, pioneer Chairman, Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) said, “it is unbelievable that we have lost a man that was so committed in all he was doing. He was such a hardworking and dedicated staff member who contributed his quota while at The Presidency.” Olusunle wondered why, “Anjous died at this period of time. He was a very reliable, dutiful, and multi-tasking staff whose knowledge of the civil service proved very useful.” For Chief Dickie Ulu, “what a shame! Anjous dead? Why? What is this? I’m lost for words.” DCM Oladele Femi of the Federal Roads Safety Corps, (FRSC) described him as, “a very friendly, helpful, and humble person. He was very open, and a peaceful man.” Ojelabi, a retired Director in the federal civil service, and one of the “class 2000” reasoned that, “only God gives and takes when He wills. Anjous touched many lives, he positively impacted on the lives of people. He was a friend to all, with no form or shade of discrimination.” Ebele, a serving Federal Director, and former colleague of Alhaji quipped, “it is unbelievable that he is dead. Somebody who was always full of life, accessible, and committed to friendship….it is a sad development.” Yes, we are hurting and grieving. Perhaps, the timeless words of departed legends may be trite at this moment. Abraham Lincoln said, “in the end, it’s not the years in your life that count…it’s the life in your years,” and Irving Berlin added that, “the song is ended, but the melody lingers on.”
Indeed, Anjous’ life was a gift to us; his family, friends, and colleagues and we all will not only carry his sweet memories with us forever but ensuring that we sustain his service to mankind wherever we are, and in any way possible. Though we weep, we wail, we mourn but we cannot forget his good virtues, and death may have taken his body, but the love we all shared with him remains paramount.
Adieu, man of the people!
Adieu, the original “Omo Isale Eko!!!!
BOLAJI AFOLABI, a Development Communications specialist was with the Office of Public Affairs, The Presidency, Abuja.
