Chief Ajibade Fasina-Thomas: Forty-Two Years Later — Standing With “Uncle Jabby” As He Said Farewell to His Beloved Wife

By Paul Lucky Okoku

Sometimes life brings people back together under circumstances none of us would ever have chosen.

On Friday, 𝗡𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝟲, 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲, I attended the funeral service of 𝗖𝗵𝗶𝗲𝗳 (𝗠𝗿𝘀.) 𝗖𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗹𝗶𝗮 𝗔𝗱𝗲𝗯𝗶𝘀𝗶 𝗙𝗮𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗮-𝗧𝗵𝗼𝗺𝗮𝘀 (née Oludaye) at 𝗚𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗙𝗮𝗶𝗿 𝗛𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗕𝗮𝗽𝘁𝗶𝘀𝘁 𝗖𝗵𝘂𝗿𝗰𝗵, 701 Hamilton E. Holmes Drive NW, Atlanta, Georgia.

The service was officiated by 𝗗𝗿. 𝗣𝗮𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗸 𝗞. 𝗟𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲, who also delivered the eulogy.

Chief Mrs. Fasina-Thomas, affectionately remembered by her family as “𝗦𝗮𝘆 𝗠𝗮𝗺𝗮,” passed away at the age of 84. She was remembered as a wife, mother, aunt, grandmother and great-grandmother—a woman whose life could perhaps best be measured by the generations who gathered to say goodbye.

Family members came from different places, including from London, to surround her grieving husband, 𝗖𝗵𝗶𝗲𝗳 𝗔𝗷𝗶𝗯𝗮𝗱𝗲 𝗙𝗮𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗮-𝗧𝗵𝗼𝗺𝗮𝘀—the man many of us from Nigerian sports have affectionately known for decades as “𝗨𝗻𝗰𝗹𝗲 𝗝𝗮𝗯𝗯𝘆.”

𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗠𝗔𝗡 𝗪𝗘 𝗖𝗔𝗟𝗟 “𝗨𝗡𝗖𝗟𝗘 𝗝𝗔𝗕𝗕𝗬”

To younger generations, the name Ajibade Fasina-Thomas may require an introduction.

To those of us who passed through Nigerian sports decades ago, it does not.

Uncle Jabby belongs to the pioneering generation of Nigerian sports journalism and administration. His career took him through the 𝗗𝗮𝗶𝗹𝘆 𝗧𝗶𝗺𝗲𝘀, where he rose from reporter to senior sports reporter and assistant sports editor; the 𝗗𝗮𝗶𝗹𝘆 𝗘𝘅𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀; and ultimately to becoming the first editor of 𝗦𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝗣𝗨𝗡𝗖𝗛.

He was a founding member and the first Publicity Secretary of the 𝗦𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝘀 𝗪𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗔𝘀𝘀𝗼𝗰𝗶𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝗳 𝗡𝗶𝗴𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗮 (𝗦𝗪𝗔𝗡), later serving as its chairman.

He subsequently became Principal Public Relations Officer of the 𝗡𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗦𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝘀 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗶𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 and later its Public Relations Manager. His service to Nigerian sports also included chairmanship of the Nigerian Weightlifting Federation.

Those are impressive titles.

But titles do not explain why generations of athletes and journalists simply call him “Uncle.”

𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗟𝗔𝗦𝗧 𝗧𝗜𝗠𝗘 𝗜 𝗦𝗔𝗪 𝗛𝗜𝗠 𝗪𝗔𝗦 𝟭𝟵𝟴𝟰

The last time I remembered seeing Uncle Jabby was during the 𝟭𝟵𝟴𝟰 𝗔𝗳𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗮 𝗖𝘂𝗽 𝗼𝗳 𝗡𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀.

More than 42 years had passed.

When we met again in Atlanta, he did not immediately recognize me. I cannot blame him—I certainly do not look exactly as I did in 1984 either.

Then recognition came.

And somehow, four decades began disappearing through conversation.

Yes, Uncle Jabby has aged, as all of us have. But standing before me was still unmistakably the man I remembered.

Even more remarkable was his memory.

Names. People. Events. Stories from Nigerian sports. Little details buried more than four decades in the past.

They were still there.

We laughed.

We reminisced.

And we tried repeatedly to finish a conversation.

I say “tried” because every few minutes somebody would come for him.

Someone needed to greet him. Someone wanted a photograph. Someone wanted a word. He would disappear and eventually come back. We would begin talking again, only for someone else to pull him away.

After a while, I stopped seeing those interruptions as interruptions.

𝗧𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝘄𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗮 𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗯𝘂𝘁𝗲.

They showed how many people wanted a moment with this man and how many lives he had touched.

Veteran sports journalist 𝗚𝗯𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗮 𝗕𝗮𝗸𝗮𝗿𝗲 was also there, and Uncle Jabby enthusiastically revisited memories of their relationship and experiences going back to Nigeria.

For someone who had not seen him in 42 years, I found myself simply enjoying the history flowing from him.

𝗪𝗛𝗘𝗡 𝗛𝗜𝗦𝗧𝗢𝗥𝗬 𝗕𝗘𝗖𝗔𝗠𝗘 𝗣𝗘𝗥𝗦𝗢𝗡𝗔𝗟

There was another moment that made me smile.

One of Uncle Jabby’s sons, who had come from London for his mother’s funeral, was listening as his father and I talked about how long it had been since we had last seen each other.

When we mentioned that the last time was during the 1984 Africa Cup of Nations, he became curious.

He began asking me about that period and some of the players from that generation. I mentioned a few of my teammates and contemporaries.

“Have you heard of Stephen Keshi?”

Of course he had.

“Rashidi Yekini? Peter Rufai? Muda Lawal? Henry Nwosu?”

The names immediately meant something to him, and I could see his excitement growing as our conversation continued.

I enjoyed the moment, perhaps because it illustrated something about the passage of time.

To me, these were teammates and fellow footballers—people with whom I had shared dressing rooms, training grounds, matches, victories, disappointments and a particular chapter of my life.

To him, they were names from Nigerian football history.

And suddenly, through a conversation at his mother’s funeral, a piece of that history was sitting in front of him—not in a newspaper, an old photograph or an archive, but in a simple conversation between his father and someone he had not seen for more than four decades.

There was nothing more to make of it.

I simply enjoyed his questions and the genuine excitement of a younger Nigerian discovering that some of the stories he knew from another era were connected to his own father’s journey as well.

𝗧𝗵𝗮𝘁, 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗵𝗮𝗽𝘀, 𝗶𝘀 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝗮𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗳𝘂𝗹 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗵𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆: 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗲𝘀 𝗶𝘁, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗮𝗻𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗰𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗶𝘁.

𝗕𝗨𝗧 𝗧𝗛𝗜𝗦 𝗗𝗔𝗬 𝗕𝗘𝗟𝗢𝗡𝗚𝗘𝗗 𝗧𝗢 “𝗦𝗔𝗬 𝗠𝗔𝗠𝗔”

For all the stories, history and distinguished people gathered around Uncle Jabby, I never forgot why we were there.

We were there because a family had lost its matriarch.

Chief Mrs. Cecilia Adebisi Fasina-Thomas was a wife, mother, aunt, grandmother and great-grandmother.

The funeral program described the occasion with a simple phrase:

“𝗪𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗚𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘁𝘂𝗱𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗚𝗼𝗱 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗮 𝗟𝗶𝗳𝗲 𝘄𝗲𝗹𝗹 𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗻𝘁.”

Perhaps the most powerful testimony to that life was standing right there in the church—the family she left behind.

Children and grandchildren surrounded their father and grandfather. Relatives travelled from far away, including from London, to be there.

Sometimes that tells us more about a person’s life than any biography ever could.

𝗦𝗢𝗠𝗘𝗧𝗜𝗠𝗘𝗦, 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗚𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗧𝗘𝗦𝗧 𝗧𝗥𝗜𝗕𝗨𝗧𝗘 𝗜𝗦 𝗧𝗢 𝗦𝗛𝗢𝗪 𝗨𝗣

I went to honor the life of 𝗖𝗵𝗶𝗲𝗳 (𝗠𝗿𝘀.) 𝗖𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗹𝗶𝗮 𝗔𝗱𝗲𝗯𝗶𝘀𝗶 𝗙𝗮𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗮-𝗧𝗵𝗼𝗺𝗮𝘀 and to stand, however briefly, with a man who had been part of our journey so many years ago.

More than 𝟰𝟮 𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘀 had passed since Uncle Jabby and I last saw each other. Yet as we sat together, remembered old times, laughed and talked about people and moments from another era, those four decades somehow seemed to disappear.

The gathering also reminded me that a funeral is not only about saying goodbye. It is about the people who remain—the family that gathers, the memories that are exchanged, the stories that are passed from one generation to another, and the simple reassurance of knowing that others cared enough to be present.

That was what I witnessed around Uncle Jabby.

Family members had come from near and far to surround him. Friends and well-wishers continually approached him. Conversations were interrupted because another person wanted to greet him, embrace him or share a word.

After a while, I realized that those moments were telling their own story.

𝗧𝗛𝗘𝗬 𝗪𝗘𝗥𝗘 𝗔 𝗧𝗥𝗜𝗕𝗨𝗧𝗘.

A tribute to relationships built over a lifetime. A tribute to lives touched. And above all, a reflection of the family and legacy that he and his beloved wife built together.

That day reminded me of something simple:

𝗦𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗴𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗯𝘂𝘁𝗲 𝘄𝗲 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗴𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝘀𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗹𝘆 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝘂𝗽.

To Uncle Jabby and the entire 𝗙𝗮𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗮-𝗧𝗵𝗼𝗺𝗮𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗢𝗹𝘂𝗱𝗮𝘆𝗲 𝗳𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗹𝗶𝗲𝘀, please accept my heartfelt condolences.

And to 𝗖𝗵𝗶𝗲𝗳 (𝗠𝗿𝘀.) 𝗖𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗹𝗶𝗮 𝗔𝗱𝗲𝗯𝗶𝘀𝗶 𝗙𝗮𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗮-𝗧𝗵𝗼𝗺𝗮𝘀:

May the love you gave continue to live through the generations you left behind.

𝗠𝗮𝘆 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗿𝗲𝗻 𝘁𝗲𝗹𝗹 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀.

𝗠𝗮𝘆 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗿𝗲𝗻 𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗿𝘆 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗺𝗲𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀.

𝗠𝗮𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘀𝗲 𝘄𝗵𝗼𝘀𝗲 𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗲𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘁𝗼𝘂𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗱 𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗱𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀.

And may the family you spent a lifetime nurturing remain part of your enduring legacy.

𝗔 𝗹𝗶𝗳𝗲 𝗱𝗼𝗲𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗲𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗹𝘆 𝗯𝗲𝗰𝗮𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝗮 𝘃𝗼𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝗵𝗮𝘀 𝗴𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝘀𝗶𝗹𝗲𝗻𝘁. 𝗜𝘁 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗻𝘂𝗲𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿, 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝗹𝗼𝘃𝗲, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗿𝘆 𝗶𝘁 𝗳𝗼𝗿𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗱.

𝗠𝗔𝗬 𝗬𝗢𝗨𝗥 𝗚𝗘𝗡𝗧𝗟𝗘 𝗦𝗢𝗨𝗟 𝗥𝗘𝗦𝗧 𝗜𝗡 𝗣𝗘𝗥𝗙𝗘𝗖𝗧 𝗣𝗘𝗔𝗖𝗘. 🕯️🙏🏽

𝐏𝐚𝐮𝐥 𝐋𝐮𝐜𝐤𝐲 𝐎𝐤𝐨𝐤𝐮

FIFA Legend | Former Nigeria Flying Eagles Vice-Captain | Former Super Eagles International | AFCON Silver Medalist | Football Historian | Football Analyst | Investigative Football Writer | Journalist-at-Large | Founder & CEO, Greater Tomorrow Children’s Fund (GTCF)

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