Hearts were broken all over again on Monday as Muyiwa, wife of late Prof Pius Adesanmi, had to break the news of his death to their daughter, Tise.
Recall before his passing, Pius Adesanmi had penned an open letter to his daughter which read thus;
Here is an open letter of a conversation Professor Pius Adesanmi had with his daughter, Tiese some time ago when she conversed him on why he is always away.
“The toughest part? The tears heralding every departure. The accusations. The tantrums. You are going again!!!
The pleading. The cajoling. The explanations. These trips, they are Daddy’s work. Your own trip with Daddy is in August. That is when the family vacation comes.
But I’ve been to your work. Your office is not on an airplane. Every time you go to the airplane without me you say it is work.
Another round of coaxing, sweet talking, pleading. You try to explain this kind of work that takes you to the airplane. And away. From her. You are struggling. Then she breaks it down brilliantly the way nature has wired toddlers to be far beyond us.
Daddy is this also like the hard work that you say they give you money at the end of the month when you do it? Toddler-speak and syntax for salary.
Yes, Tise, when you work hard you make money to buy things.
So when you leave on the airplane, you make money to buy me happy meals?
Yes.
Lots of happy meals?
Yes.
At the new McDonalds?
Yes.
Her face dissolves into happinness. She is dancing now and running around the house and helping me pack. And we dance like best friends all the way to the airport.
And she waves me bye and tells me to remember my promise of happy meals from the money I make on this trip.
I suppress a tear and walk to check in, afraid to look back and catch her gaze…”
Adesanmi was one of the two Nigerians who died in the crash that claimed 157 lives on Sunday.
Adesanmi, who was a professor at Carleton University in Ottawa, Canada, had boarded the fight to attend a meeting of the African Union’s Economic, Social, and Cultural Council in Nairobi.
Akintunde Akinleye, a Nigerian academia and journalist in Canada has now taken to Facebook to share the moment Muyiwa, his wife, had to break the news of Adesanmi’s passing to their daughter.
In his words;
“When Tise wished you an angelic goodbye, Prof… A courageous woman, your friend, your wife held back all her pains…to break this news to Tise! I am so humbled by this courage!!!!” Akinleye wrote in a Facebook post.