Fountain Court Partners has paid a glowing tribute to its late Principal Partner, Oluwarotimi Oladipupo Edu, describing him as a generous, dependable and deeply humane leader whose impact went beyond law, insurance, family and friendship.
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In a tribute titled “Oluwarotimi Oladipupo Edu: We Part To Meet Again,” the Managing Partner of Fountain Court Partners, Adebola Olarotimi Lema, Esq., said Edu’s relationship with him and his partner, Stephen Obajaja, transcended ordinary partnership and became a bond of family, friendship and lifelong support.
Quoting Mahatma Gandhi’s words, “There are no goodbyes for us. Wherever you are, you will always be in my heart,” Lema said Edu would remain in their hearts for the way he cared for them, their families, friends and associates.
According to the tribute, Lema, Obajaja and Edu first met during their Master’s Degree programme at the University of Lagos, after which they remained close until Edu’s death on Friday, May 15, 2026, eight days before his 69th birthday.
Lema recalled that although Edu was older than them, he never allowed the age difference to affect the way he related with them as partners.
He said he and Obajaja always called him Mr. Rotimi Edu or Mr. Edu, from their days at the University of Lagos until his last day on earth.
Lema said the news of Edu’s passing reached him at about 6:57 a.m. through a WhatsApp message from a mutual friend and client, adding that he initially struggled to believe the message before accepting the reality of death through the words of Job 14:1.
He recalled that from their university days to the establishment of Fountain Court Partners, Edu was always available with his personality and resources.
Lema said Edu stood by him during major personal and professional milestones, including his wedding to Olamojiba Lema on February 14, 2009, the naming of his first child, Omowonuola Lema, on February 3, 2010, his election as Secretary of the NBA Lagos Branch in 2014, and his mother’s 80th birthday on April 4, 2026.
The tribute also reflected on Edu’s personal trials, particularly his long wait for children. Lema said he did not know between 2004 and 2007 that Edu had no biological children because his home at Ogudu, Ori Oke, was always filled with children, later discovered to be his sister’s children.
He said Edu later confided in Stephen Obajaja during a meeting in Mowe over land matters that he had no child of his own and was trusting God for children.
Lema said they joined their faith with Edu’s, and in June 2010, God answered his prayers by blessing him with twins, Taiwo and Kehinde.
He recalled meeting Edu and his wife during her third trimester at St. Nicholas Hospital, when Edu was hospitalised due to a mild illness and could not travel to Enugu for a case. According to him, Edu joyfully told him that “God had done it,” and the pregnancy was later safely delivered.
The tribute also recalled that while waiting for the arrival of his children, Edu travelled to the United Kingdom and suffered a medical emergency that left him in a coma for nearly seven days, a testimony he later shared after returning to Nigeria and during a thanksgiving service at First Baptist Church, Surulere, Lagos.
Lema described Edu as a major figure in Nigeria’s insurance industry, noting that he served as an executive member of the Nigerian Council of Registered Insurance Brokers under the presidency of Mrs. Laide Osijo before rising to become President of the council.
He said Edu turned around the fortunes of NCRIB and was part of the team that helped develop the council’s former secretariat from a bungalow into a four-storey building.
He noted that the insurance industry had many positive testimonies about Edu’s life and leadership.
Lema also recalled Edu’s hospitality, saying his home was like a “Mecca” during his lifetime, whether at Ogudu or later in Lekki.
According to him, Edu’s annual parties, initially held every December 29 at Ogudu and later every January 3 in Lekki, were remarkable because no guest ever arrived to be told that food had finished.
He said he attended the January 3, 2025 edition with his children, Wonu, Fishe and Aanu, adding that Edu created a space in his home where he hosted trusted friends without disturbing his neighbourhood.
The tribute described Edu as a committed Christian of the Baptist faith whose beliefs were reflected in his relationship with people.
Lema recalled that during one of Edu’s birthdays, either his 50th or 60th, he donated two plots of land to the church at Ogudu, Ori Oke, for development into a church building.
On his professional journey, Lema said Edu established Quicklink Insurance Brokers Limited after working with Mulumba Insurance Limited and Industrial and General Insurance Plc, where the late Remi Olowude served as his boss and mentor.
He said Edu always remembered Olowude as his teacher and boss.
According to the tribute, Quicklink Insurance Brokers Limited began operations at Block D, Flat 21, Eko Court, Kofo Abayomi, Victoria Island, Lagos, and grew through Edu’s commitment, confidence, smartness, street wisdom and dedication to become a household name in Nigeria’s insurance industry.
Lema also recalled that around 2007, the National Insurance Commission commissioned Edu and Chief Yemi Soladoye, Chief Executive of Riskguard Africa Nigeria Limited, to work on the Market Development and Restructure Initiative, which he said helped deepen the insurance market and increase premium income in Nigeria.
At Fountain Court Partners, Lema said Edu allowed him to manage the firm, even though Edu housed the firm for its first 10 years.
He described Edu as “generous to a fault,” recalling how he became the pillar on which the law firm’s early years stood.
Lema said Edu was present in Ilutitun, Ondo State, in February 2009 when he celebrated his marriage, and also released his choice vehicle with a chauffeur for Stephen Obajaja’s wedding in Igarra, Edo State, in 2010.
He added that Edu provided a Nissan Primera for the firm in 2006 at a time many young lawyers in Lagos had no vehicles, and later provided a Kia Rio, bought by Quicklink Limited, for him to use as his official car.
He said the early years of Fountain Court Partners in Lagos would not have been easy without Edu’s assistance.
Lema also paid tribute to Edu’s leadership at the Lagos Lawn Tennis Club, where he served as President.
He said Edu’s relationship with the club opened doors for him and Obajaja, allowing them to enjoy the status of friends of the club and to use the club’s facilities for NBA Lagos Branch and NBA national campaign meetings, sometimes at discounted rates or even free of charge.
He said many of Edu’s friends became friends of Fountain Court Partners because of Edu’s warm disposition towards him and Obajaja, mentioning DIG Taiwo Lakanu (rtd.), Mr. Adewunmi Adisa, Mr. Kolade Olutekunbi, Mr. Bonojo, also known as Boney, Mr. Ladi Oki, and Mr. Gbolahan Oki, formerly of LABSCA and now Ogboni Iduntafa of Lagos.
In the Nigerian Bar Association, Lema said many colleagues knew Fountain Court Partners had a partner who gave the firm everything it needed.
He said Edu supported his election as Secretary of the NBA Lagos Branch in 2014, supported Stephen Obajaja when he sought to succeed him as Secretary, and also supported him when he contested for Chairman of the Premier Bar in 2019 and 2023.
The tribute also commended Edu’s wife, Mrs. Olayemi Edu, also known as “Mummy Y,” describing her as a dutiful wife, committed woman of God, mother and strong ally.
Lema thanked her for supporting Edu during his lifetime and for remaining strong in caring for the family, businesses, investments and children he left behind.
He said Edu fed widows, cared for the fatherless and assisted many people whose own fathers were alive but unable to help them, adding that such service represented the essence of living.
Lema also condoled with Quicklink Insurance Brokers Limited, its directors, company secretary and staff over the death of the company’s Executive Vice Chairman, describing Edu as a “sure banker” who never refused assistance whenever he was called upon.
He also addressed partners and associates at Fountain Court Partners, saying Edu always accepted explanations on the affairs of the firm whenever issues were brought before him, even when he initially had misgivings.
Lema said the firm took solace in the years spent with Edu and in the many contributions he made to their lives as partners, younger brothers, their wives and their children.
He noted that the NBA Lagos Branch lost three members known to him between May and June 2026: Rotimi Edu, who died at nearly 69; Chief Adewale Adeniji, who died at 62; and Mrs. Marian Jones, who died at 59.
The tribute ended with prayers for Edu’s eternal rest, describing him as Sir Rotimi, Mr. Edu, Baba Edu, Baba Rote and Sir Rote, and asking God to bring him to His place of eternal rest.
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