Governor Dapo Abiodun of Ogun State has described the death of Pa Ayo Adebanjo, an elder statesman and leader of the Pan-Yoruba socio-cultural group Afenifere, as the end of a glorious era.
Abiodun, in a statement in Abeokuta on Friday, also described Adebanjo as a man of principle and one of the most prominent and unwavering disciples of the late Chief Obafemi Awolowo.
He said Adebanjo’s death was a profound loss to Nigeria.
“The government and people of Ogun could not have wished for a more glorious end for the unblemished apostle of federalism, good governance and the defence of Yoruba interests,” the governor stated.
He said the 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.
“The late legal and political icon was 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 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 Azikiwe to his activities as a member of the youth wing of the Action Group (AG) in 1951, right into the early 60s.
“This was when Awolowo 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,” Gov. Abiodun said.
He noted that while Ogun was still going to come to terms with the reality of his passing, it was profoundly grateful to God for giving it such a gem.
“He will be sorely missed,” Abiodun said.
Adebanjo died on Friday at his Lekki home in Lagos at the age of 96.
