The Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Olayiwola Adeyemi 111, has described mother of the Oyo State Governor, Mrs Abigail Makinde as ‘’a great person and a fantastic human being, well-known for her charitable works’’.
Alaafin stated this in a condolence message made available to the media by his Chief Press Officer, Bode Durojaiye.
According to him, ‘’death is not a counterpoint or contradiction to
life, but a profound teacher about the meaning of human existence.
Great spiritual teachers of the 20th century argued that facing death
gives life meaning; that life and death are both part of a greater
mystery; that by virtue of being created in no less than God’s image,
we can imagine an after life for humanity.
‘’ Yet at the same time death itself is an antidote to human
arrogance; and that in death we pay gratitude for the wonder and gift
of our existence. We tend to see death as an ending; a moment where everything is lost, but it can be more than that. There are tears to shed in death, lessons to be learnt, humour to be found, and solace to seek’’.
The condolence message reads in parts:
It was so disheartening to know the sudden death of your mother. It is, undoubtedly, a dreadful shock to all who knew her.
You lost your father, Olatunbosun Makinde, a few years ago, while your mother, Mrs Abigail Makinde died in the early hours of Thursday at the age of 80 when she was preparing for her 81nd birthday.
Presently you must be embittered by her loss. She was a great person
and a fantastic human being, well-known for her charitable work.
I know words are a poor comfort at a time like this. But I cannot but
use these very words to express my grief and sorrow at the death of
your dear mother. I know how you loved and cared for her. Without her
life would not remain meaningful any longer.
Please bear the shock manly. With deep sympathy to you and your family”
Meanwhile, the Alaafin also expressed shock over the death of the Chairman of African Newspapers of Nigeria PLC, publishers of Tribune titles, late Mrs Tola Oyediran,
describing it as a devastating blow to the Awolowo family,
Yorubaland and the nation as a whole.
The only living direct child and daughter of the Premier of the
defunct Western Region, late Chief Obafemi Awolowo, the wife of Professor Kayode Oyediran, former Vice-Chancellor of University of Ibadan and an old boy of King’s College, Lagos died on Saturday without showing any symptoms of illness.
In a condolence message through his Chief Press Officer, Bode Durojaiye, Alaafin, who noted that Mrs. Oyediran’s humble, resilient, amiable and graceful disposition endeared her to many notable personalities, added that her exemplary moral conduct was an
embodiment of the Awolowo family, and her father’s welfarist
political philosophy.
Oba Adeyemi pointed out that while she was the Chairman of the Board
of Directors of Tribune Newspapers, Tola Oyediran strove hard to elevate titles of the newspaper to a new height through her un-relent
advocacy on professionalism and integrity in all their editorial
offerings.
According to the Royal Father, late Mrs Tola Oyediran was “”a dynamic,
intelligent, patriotic and lovely person who radiated warmth and love
to all in her lifetime. Her death was indeed a devastating and
irreparable loss to the family, Yoruba land and the nation as a whole.
‘’Our dead are never dead to us, until we have forgotten them. Death
is a challenge. It tells us not to waste time… It tells us to tell
each other right now that we love each other. What we have once
enjoyed deeply we can never lose. All that we love deeply becomes a
part of us. A normal human being does not want the Kingdom of Heaven:
he wants life on earth to continue.
‘’They say you die twice. One time when you stop breathing and a
second time, a bit later on, when somebody says your name for the last
time. Man cannot possess anything as long as he fears death. But to
him who does not fear it, everything belongs. As a well spent day
brings happy sleep. So life well used brings happy death’’.
The Paramount Ruler however prayed God to grant the family fortitude
to bear the colossal loss.
