We do not come to sing of sorrow’s reign,
Though grief’s cold mist still lingers on the plain
Where FUTA stands, whose very stones did know
The first firm footfall and the youthful glow
Of him who came as Number One, the first,
To quench a thirst for knowledge, deeply nursed.
O Ada-Okungbowa! Noble soul!
Your journey’s end has taken its vast toll,
Yet we, who remain, must celebrate the light
You lit for us, which banished academic night.

You were the pioneer, the living seed,
From which our mighty Alma Mater’s tree
Would spread its roots and grow towards the sun.
You were not just a number, never one
For hollow titles, though you bore them well—
“The 001”—a story time will tell.
You were the architect, the cornerstone,
For a great fellowship, we now call our own.
As the first President of the Alumni’s brand,
You built a house on firm, united sand.
From scattered graduates, you forged a clan,
A worldwide family, with a single plan:
To lift the banner of our school on high,
Beneath the vast and ever-watchful sky.
And later, as the BOT’s guiding hand,
A Chairman wise, you made the house stand
Through every storm, a bastion strong and true,
The elder statesman sees the journey through.

But more than posts, we sing the man we knew:
The bridge-builder, whose heart was deep and true.
You spanned the chasms of dispute and spite
With beams of concord, merging left and right.
Your voice, a calm in every rising fray,
Your laugh, a tonic that could brighten the day.
A jolly good fellow! Yes, that phrase is fit
To capture fully your boundless wit.
The ready handshake, the encompassing smile,
That made a stranger feel at home a while.
You unified not just with rule or law,
But with the genuine kindness that we saw
In every gesture, every word you spoke,
A fellowship you wore, a living cloak.

So let the Akure breeze, which you loved best,
Carry this ode to your eternal rest.
You were our first, our finest, and our friend,
A glorious and most auspicious end
To a life so richly lived, so fully given.
Though you have passed from this world, driven
To realms beyond our grateful, tear-filled sight,
Your legacy remains a burning light.
For every student who now walks that court,
They tread a path that you were first to chart.
O Pathfinder! First Matric! Our Head!
The words we have are poor, our spirits lead
This simple tribute. Sleep, and take your rest.
You were, and are, FUTA’s very best.
Your number stands, eternal, never done,
Our pioneer, our father, Number One.

In loving memory of the late Prof Ada-Okungbowa 001, who joined the ancestors a year ago!

Oseyande IDEDE
Publicity Secretary
FUTA ALUMNI ASSOCIATION WORLDWIDE.