Gov. Dapo Abiodun, has described the passing of the foremost nationalist, elder statesman, and leader of the Pan-Yoruba socio-cultural group, Afenifere, Pa Ayo Adebanjo, as the end of a glorious era.
In a statement issued in Abeokuta on Friday, Abiodun described Adebanjo as a man of principle and one of the most prominent and unwavering disciples of the late sage, Chief Obafemi Awolowo.
Abiodun said that Adebanjo’s death was a profound loss to Nigeria.
The governor noted that the government and people of Ogun State could not have wished for a more glorious end for the unblemished apostle of federalism, good governance, and the defense of Yoruba interests
He stated that late Adebanjo stood head and shoulders above many of his contemporaries and set the pace in the critical appraisal of governments and governance as vehicles of social engineering.
He described the late legal and political icon as one of the few Nigerians whose life embodied the story of Nigeria, from the struggle for independence to the post-independence era, straddling military rule and the return to democratic rule.
“To all intents and purposes, Chief Ayo Adebanjo represented the finest of Ogun State and Nigeria as a whole, and his ideals will never be forgotten.
“It does not matter where you stand in the political terrain: Adebanjo was a man whose integrity you could not question.
” He lived through the finest and ugliest moments of Nigerian history, was hounded by the Establishment for his beliefs, and was even exiled for resisting autocracy and the suppression of the masses.
” He never once hid his identity as a passionate defender of the Yoruba nation and its interests.
“From his activist beginnings in 1943 as a follower of Dr Nnamdi Azikwe to his activities as a member of the youth wing of the Action Group in 1951, right into the early ’60s, where the sage and his lieutenants stood trial for treason.
” And right into the heady days of the military and the return to civil rule when he actively engaged governments and participated in constitutional conferences to remake the structure, character, and temper of Nigerian federalism.
” Adebanjo never once refrained from being a voice of courage and a force for good. In particular, his strident advocacy for federalism was unmatched,” he said.
The governor noted that the state was still coming to terms with the reality of his passing.
” Let us just note that we are profoundly grateful to the Almighty God for giving us such a gem in Ogun State. He will be sorely missed,” Abiodun said.
The late Adebanjo died on Friday at his Lekki Lagos home at the age of 96.
