29th March, 2014
It was a solemn but emotion-laden funeral service for Femi Enitan Segun held on Friday at the Cathedral of the House on the Rock Church, Lekki. The ceremony was presided over by the senior pastor of the church, Paul Adefarasin, assisted by more than a dozen other pastors.
Femi Segun, a polyglot, a former diplomat, a compere, a television presenter and a church deacon, born in May 1958, died on March 21 following an accident on his power bike in Lagos.
His wife, Bisi, his ex-wife, Yeni Kuti, and his two daughters were present at the ceremony, also attended by hundreds of relations, friends, sympathisers, artistes, academics, former school mates at the Igbobi College Lagos and University of Ife , now Obafemi Awolowo University.
Femi Segun married Bisi, a judge, in 1998.
“Femi Was an incredible man. He was not a perfect man but he was a devoted worshipper. We have lost a warrior, a good soul, a man who brought so many colours to our lives in different ways. This great man truly walked in faith,” Pastor Adefarasin said during his sermon.
He said that Femi Segun founded and headed the protocol department of his church for several years.
He also delved into Femi Segun’s life when he was a student at the Igbobi College, where the pastor was his junior in the school in the 1970s.
A representative of the school old students, Mr. Femi Banwo, his classmate, paid a glowing tribute to the fallen Femi Segun.
“He had made escapades and adventures. There was no mischief he did not take part in the school,” he said to the laughter of grieving audience in the church. He narrated some of these “escapades” .
“He was a national officer of the school several times. He was also MC of choice for Igbobi college events. His life and carriage appealed to many youths,” Mr. Banwo said.
He described him as one of the most prolific writers and story tellers the school ever produced.
“He had an encyclopaedic memory of all things Igbobi College,” he said
Dozens of ex-students of Igbobi College, including Afro-beat maestro, Femi Kuti, sang the school’s anthem in the church during the service which lasted about two hours.
Femi Segun won one of the most prestigious national awards in Brazil when he served as Portuguese language interpreter to former President Shehu Shagari, added Mr Banwo.
Mrs Kemi Balogun and Mr Bola Segun also paid glowing tributes to the deceased, who once anchored NTA’s flagship matinee programme, Morning Ride.
His classmates in the university where he read French and Portuguese languages called him “oracle”, a nickname given to him by one of their lecturers.
The remains of Femi Segun were later committed to mother earth at the Ikoyi Vaults and Garden cemetery.