THE death of the Funeral Director of Magbamowo Industrial Company (MIC), Lagos, Mr Tunji Okusanya and his son, Olatunji Okusanya fondly called Junior in the crashed plane that was conveying the remains of the former Governor of Ondo State, Dr Olusegun Agagu on Thursday, was the climax of the calamity that befell some of the people and companies that were involved in organizing a befitting burial for the late governor. The Ember 120 aircraft with registration number SCD 361 belonging to Associated Aviation Limited was heading for Akure but crashed less than two minutes after take-off from the local wing of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos killing 13 of its 20 passengers and crew. MIC is undoubtedly one of the leading funeral and casket making companies in Nigeria for over half a century. With unusual enthusiasm, Okusanya prepared to give Agagu a memorable burial. As a result, he chose the best of his over 100 workers to be involved in the funeral that he didn’t know he would never be alive to undertake. On Tuesday, October 1, he spoke to this reporter on phone and narrated how his company was preparing for the burial because he had a close relationship with some of the friends of the deceased. He said: “I can’t observe this holiday at home. I have to be in the office to prepare for the burial. You know, it is a state burial and nothing should go wrong. In fact, we are going there with more equipment than they booked for because of the large crowd and personalities that will attend the burial. I hope to see you in Akure on Thursday”. But unknown to him that Thursday will never see him alive because death was already lurking at the corner. It snatched him and cut short the life of his son, Olatunji who he has introduced to the business with the hope that the young man will succeed him. After all, he succeeded his father, Chief Okusanya who died about eight years ago. His father started the business as a furniture making company but with requests for caskets by the people, he joined that to the business but Tunji Okusanya introduced the aspect of funeral services and registered that as MIC Royale. As if he had a premonition, young Olatunji who graduated from the Estate Management Department of the University of Lagos, on that fateful day changed the picture on his Wattsapp to one of the philosophical words of his father: “You really never lived until you have done something forsomeone who can never repay you”. He did not only share the same philosophy with his father but shared the same manner of death and date with him. He died with the dream of impacting on his society. The Managing Director of Lagos based DAV Music and Multimedia Consult, Mr Femi Adeyemi also had a sore story to tell about his company’s involvement in the burial ceremony that many would not forget in a hurry. His company was contacted by Ondo State chapter of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) to supply the sound system, multimedia, interlock stage and top roof for the service of songs organized by the party scheduled to hold on Wednesday. Adeyemi and his partner Ayo Akinyemi had left Lagos last Saturday for the preparation but the truck that was to carry the equipment for the Wednesday event was still at Ilesha, Osun State as at press time. His words: “We never experienced what happened and we suspected a lot of spiritual undertones to the crises associated with this event. The truck left Lagos on Tuesday morning and was supposed to be in Akure by afternoon but between Ibadan and Ile Ife, three of its tyres bursted one after the other. But for the grace of God, all the crew would have perished in Asejire River where the first tyre bursted. “After changing all these tyres, we thought we could still make it but on getting to Ilesha, the radiator exploded in mysterious circumstances and affected many things in the engine. The mechanics were still battling with it as at Friday evening. We had no choice but to go and meet those that gave us the contract on Thursday morning to explain why we disappointed them. “Although some of them did not want to reason with us that what happened was beyond the ordinary, while trying to convince them, the phone call of the crash came and changed the topic and entire atmosphere. Although we are working on