The immediate-past Registrar of the Nigeria Maritime University (NMU) Okerenkoko in the ancient Gbaramatu Kingdom, Dr. Alfred Mulade, joined members of the Mulade Dynasty and sympathisers to bid final farewell to his departed brother, Roland "Rolly" Mulade, whose burial ceremony held in Benikrukru Community on Wednesday, December 10, 2025.

The NMU Registrar, pained by the loss which has left him as the only man standing being his other siblings are both females, penned a touching tributes where he poured out his heart, as well as use the occasion to reminisce on their childhood while growing up with his departed brother. Excerpts:

It's been extremely difficult for me to do a tribute on my beloved Rolly at such an awkward and difficult moment since that dark Monday morning of November 10 when you took your final bow. It's still like a dream to me. How I wish it was nightmare!

I haven't been able to add up to the fact you have signed out of this mortal plane onto the inevitable abode of all mortals. Your exit has proven that there is a limit to human effort and that when the ultimate bell tolls, every mortal effort comes to naught. What a fate! What a destiny!

When that day you passed and after depositing your earthly remains in the morgue, and got back home, I felt a deep sense of emptiness, hollow and defeat; that you defeated all the medical teams that were on hand to save your life. When you lost someone, you lost a piece of yourself. So, in you, I lost a piece of myself. Because the piece is bigger, the loss is also huge. On that day a dull ache settled into my system and has remained there to date as my mind and emotions simply do as it pleases, when it pleases. In a moment, is walking and talking, in another minute you are gasping for air and sadness, watching.

Growing up, ours was a big, closely knitted, blended family structure, of Aroh and Orighomisans, drawing a source from the ZEFIE stock of the lot, a swathe of sons and daughters. I am the remainder of the sons, now with your two sisters, to look after the family, within the larger Mulade DYNASTY, the last man standing in some social palace.

When you took ill, the broader Mulade fold supported and prayed that you survived, and provided all the companion that human effort could provide. It did appear eventually, however, that you had a better companion and comfort, and that your time was up in fulfillment of the Holy Book, "A time for everything under the sun, a time to be born and a time to die..." Ecclesiastes 3 verse 2.

You were deeply loved, I must say. The outpouring of grief since you departed shows how much you were loved. Your departure has further reconfigured the dynamics, reassigned roles, redistributed responsibilities and set new expectations.

In death, you truly came alive. You were a people's person, with robust network of friends who genuinely loved you and demonstrated genuine concern for your wellbeing. As you transitioned beyond the encumbrances set by the inevitable earthly boundaries, we must now galvanise our energies and confront the resulting vicissitudes of life.

For your children: Morris, Gloria, Flora, Mary and Princess, together with the blended Mulade family, will continue to demonstrate the institutional legacy of parenthood for societal transformation. You may no longer be with us on this plane, but we have a clear direction for the children. The Maker that has received you unto His Bosom will also provide.

I can still reminisce how growing up in Benin River many a man would ask mama whether we were twins; we shared fond memories as would be expected, anyway. You were a man of contagious humility, sometimes to a fault. You were never abrasive, but lovable and jovial. Like every humble and loyal people who have their complexes and vulnerabilities as humans, you also had yours. You had a quiet mien, never courting argument or contestation. You will withdraw when environment become contentious. No wonder you quietly slipped off our caring hands when the battle to save your life became intense and no stone was to be left unturned.

Our lives were intertwined in so many ways, sharing confidences, pains, and pleasures. Like a substance and its shadow, we remain inseparable. As little children growing up, we had our attractions playing in the sand, swimming in the river, displaying acrobatics, collecting fruits in the bush, setting goals, sharing similar dreams and aspirations.

We were defined by our environment. The rivers, the mangrove rainforest, the fishing occupation that we grew up to inherit without formal training, the African traditional religious setting that dominated the entire social setting and the immunity that goes with childhood pranks and exuberance, the bond of love and innocence. Those were the good days of yore. We would sit outside in the moonlight among other children at the feet of the elders and listen to stories configured and transmitted from the dim past. Such stories mostly originated from 'Adotun', bank of the ancient Benin forest as would be traditionally referred to in ancient folklore.

'Adotun' was reputed to boast of an evergreen rainforest, different species of trees such as iroko mahogany, obeche, Walnut and wild animals such as lions tigers, leopards, chimpanzees elephants and numerous reptiles. Adotun was the end of the world where the sky touched the ground with pillars.

We were also told that there exists in Adotun a boa that measures about three kilometers and about 500 years old. And that the 500 years old reptile domiciled in Adotun could hear the noise made by children in the bushes far away by Gbaramatu and Benin river especially, if such children disobeyed their parents' or elders' instructions. The only safety measure, therefore, was to inform your parents and seek their approval before venturing into the nearby bush for games and hunting expeditions. We have to live with these fables for a very long time. It no doubt restrains our carefree tendencies at that tender age.

You came to this world and left at God's time. It is very hard and stubborn fact that we are not called by our Maker when it is convenient for us. We are called when the good Lord so decides. Death knocks unexpectedly. It's a reality that funeral arrangements surrounding the departed are usually done by people who are grieving, and emotions and relationships can be tested.

I want to use this opportunity to appreciate the Mulade Dynasty, I have been made to understand, have traveled from far and near to take part in preparations.

I have not lost sight of so many who work with you. They mourn you because they loved you. So many more have also gone beyond the call of duty to provide care and concern.

Rolly! May your soul rest in peace.

View photos of the funeral here: https://www.facebook.com/share/p/17eGvtU3Gu/

#penglobalsocial #funeral #tribute #LateRolandMulade #Benikrukru #Gbaramatu #Delta