The passage of Prof. Adebowale Ibidapo Adefuye, foremost diplomat and Nigerian Ambassador and Head of Missions in the United States of America, is a great national loss; but it is also an occasion for the country to celebrate a truly great life and a quintessential diplomat who stood to be counted when it mattered. By natural inclination, Prof Ade as he was fondly known, had time for everybody who came his way, status notwithstanding. That was a mark of his modesty and simplicity. A silent gentleman of quiet decency, sardonic wit and great mentoring skills, he was one of that breed of Nigerians, for whom integrity was all. Hence his entire life was a study in selfless patriotism. Nigeria has lost one of her best.
Prof Adefuye died on Thursday in a hospital in Washington, after reportedly suffering a seizure as he was driven by his chauffeur in the US capital. He was 68 years old. The untimely death of Adefuye, being one of Nigeria’s finest, at a time the country is contending with a sharp decline in stock of men of excellent disposition, is a strong decimation of role models. That he would be sorely missed has been captured in the outpouring of eulogies paid to his glowing life by Nigerians across the globe. US President Barack Obama, in a statement by Mark C Toner, Deputy State Department spokesman said: “Over the past five years under Ambassador Adefuye’s leadership, we enjoyed a collaborative and open dialogue that yielded real results such as the U.S.-Nigeria Bi-National Commission, a strategic dialogue that succeeded in expanding mutual cooperation across a broad range of shared interests. Ambassador Adefuye helped build the Commission into a collaborative forum that has resulted in progress on issues critical to Nigeria’s and the United States’ shared future.”
A man of honor; even in death, the seasoned diplomat exhibited urbane, civil and ethical dispositions – never found wanting in his public life. The former History professor was non-tribal in disposition and a man of many worlds; a universe of politics, diplomacy, hearty socialization and community service, all neatly woven by a life of quiet philanthropy. As ambassador to Washington, one of his last major assignments was to receive President Buhari and his delegation during the president’s three-day official visit to the US last July. The success of this visit speaks to Ambassador Adefuye’s skill as a diplomat and overall, his tenure helped significantly strengthen the US-Nigerian partnership. Adefuye was among several other Nigerian envoys recalled las month by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He was expected to handover to the Consular General, pending the appointment of a new ambassador. A sendoff party planned for him next Wednesday will now be turned to a memorial service.
By training and personal comportment, it was as if Adefuye was divinely-chosen for diplomacy. Born in Ijebu-Igbo, Ogun State, in 1947, Adefuye obtained his Bachelor degree in History at the University of Ibadan, Nigeria in 1969, and earned a Ph.D. in History from the same institution four years later in 1973, with a dissertation on “The Political History of the Palwo, 1400-1911.” As a Fulbright scholar he studied at Columbia University, the University of North Florida and the University of Florida in Gainesville. He began his academic career as a lecturer at the University of Lagos, where he rose to the rank of professor, and served as Head of the History Department from 1985 to 1987. He published two books and several articles. Among the books he wrote were: “History of the Peoples of Lagos State” (1987) and “Culture and Foreign Policy: The Nigerian Example” (1993).
In 1987, Adefuye received his first diplomatic posting as Nigeria’s High Commissioner to Jamaica, with accreditation to Haiti and Belize, where he served until 1991. From 1991 to 1994, he was Deputy High Commissioner at the Nigerian High Commission in London, from where he joined the Commonwealth of Nations as Deputy Director of Strategic Planning. After fourteen years with the Commonwealth, he was hired by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), as an Advisor from 2008 to 2010. His long sojourn in the public service, spanning four decades, was spotlighted when he was appointed by former President Goodluck Jonathan as Nigerian ambassador to Washington DC, in March 2010.
As US ambassador, Adefuye was instrumental in persuading the US to remove Nigeria from its “country of interest” terrorism watch list. Nigeria was placed on this list following the December 25, 2009 failed attempt by Nigerian national Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab to blow up a Northwest Airlines flight headed from Amsterdam to Detroit. A transdisciplinary intellectual, who gave his diplomatic portfolio a wide social context through his lifestyle, creative output and socio-political engagements, Adefuye once described US-Nigeria relations as a love-hate relationship.
Although his private life was greatly overshadowed by his public service, Adefuye was a man of urbane carriage, whose mesmerizing eloquence and fiery articulation hid behind his humanist charm. He was noted for his philanthropy and fidelity to the Nigerian community wherever he served. Despite his illustrious career, Adefuye’s latter-day posturing was not without controversy. When he was rumored to be lobbying US government officials to coax President Buhari to retain him as ambassador in Washington, the purported move was greeted with mixed reactions. While some believed his wealth of experience would be invaluable to Nigeria’s renewed quest for strategic relevance as a key player in the US-led global coalition in fighting terrorism, others argued that Adefuye was an old-horse whose continuous stay in office would be characterized by certain diminishing returns.
Adefuye had a keen understanding of the United States and developed strong relationships with his American colleagues. An outspoken, unapologetic and fierce defender of Nigeria, the deceased diplomat missed no opportunity to tackle critics of Nigeria in the USA. Reputed to be a first class technocrat, Adefuye was perhaps one of Nigeria’s finest diplomats and intellectual exports to the global community. Nigeria has lost a quintessential public servant and a distinguished personality. He will be sorely missed.
