Former President Olusegun Obasanjo, immediate-past Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, governors Lagos and Oyo States; Babajide Sanwo-Olu and Engr. Seyi Makinde were among the eminent Nigerians that joined the Ogun State governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun to bid the elder statesman, Pa Ayo Adebanjo, farewell on Saturday.
The 2023 presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Mr. Peter Obi; the General Secretary of the National Democratic Coalition (NADECO), Chief Ayo Opadokun, as well as former deputy governor of Lagos State, Senator Kofoworola Bucknor Akerele joined other eminent Nigerians to give the late leader of the Pan-Yoruba sociocultural organisation, Afenifere, a befitting burial.
The remains of the elder statesman was interred at around 1:50p.m. on Saturday at his house in Isanya-Ogbo, Ijebu in Odogbolu local government area of Ogun State.
Speaking at the event which held at St. Philip’s Anglican Church, Isanya-Ogbo, Ijebu, Governor Abiodun described late Pa. Adebanjo as a “dogged crusader of true federalism”, whose legacies will continue to shape Nigeria’s democratic evolution and federalist ideals.
“This statesman, politician remained an unwavering opponent of military dictatorship, a staunch supporter of the National Coalition (NADECO), a vocal advocate for the return to civilian rule, particularly when democracy hung in the balance after the annulment of June 12.
“His role in defending the socio-political right of Yoruba people earned him reverence across traditional and contemporary institutions as BBC news reported. He stood as a symbol of Yoruba resistance to marginalisation and cultural erosion”.
Governor Abiodun added that the late Pa Adebanjo’s advocacy transcended ethnic boundaries, “reflecting the ethos of Dr. Martin Luther King (Jr), whose word he embodied and I quote, “injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.
“He denounced corruption, nepotism and humility wherever they showed their head, becoming a moral compass in Nigeria’s turbulent political landscape.
“Chief Adebanjo was a good man who did everything in his power to ensure the triumph of justice, fairness and progress.”
Earlier in his sermon, the Archbishop of the Ecclesiastical Province of Lagos, The Most Rev’d Dr Olusina Fape described the late leader of Afenifere as a politician who laboured for the unity and progress of Nigeria throughout his lifetime through his advocacies for a true federal state built on equity, fairness and justice.
Fape, who also serves as the Bishop of the Diocese of Remo, particularly emphasised that late Pa. Adebanjo led “a life of purpose and integrity, fearlessly championing the course of true democracy and seeking the best for Nigeria.
The cleric, who quoted from John Chapter 18; verses 37 and 38 of the Holy Bible, noted that the deceased was never a fair-weather politician, unlike many of today’s politicians who, he said, frequently “jump” from one political party to another.
In his sermon was themed: “The Glory of a Purposeful Life”, Fape lamented that the passing of ideological political figures like Chief Awolowo and Adebanjo could further accelerate the proliferation of political parties in Nigeria without any defined ideological structure.
“As we celebrate the purposeful life of Chief Ayo Adebanjo today, a progressive democrat par excellence, it is very sad that his exit, in addition to the earlier exit of Chief Obafemi Awolowo, would further increase the emergence of political parties in our nation without proper political ideological configuration.
In his condolence message sent and read at the funeral service, former military Head of State, Gen. Abdul-Salam Abubakar (retd) described late Pa. Adebanjo as a great federalist, a reliable and consistent fighter for democracy whose loyalty and religious devotions are worth emulating by all Nigerians.
Emphasising that the vacuum created by his transition would be difficult to fill, Gen. Abubakar urged his family members to take solace in the memories of the principles and ideals which he stood and died for.
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