By Kemi Olaitan
Prominent Nigerians, including governors, federal and state lawmakers as well as captains of industries Sunday thronged Ibadan for the burial of the immediate past governor of Oyo State, Senator Abiola Ajimobi, who died last Thursday.
The burial rites of the late Deputy National Chairman (South) of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) held in Sunday morning were performed by Sheikh AbdulGaniy Abubakry Agbotomokekere, the Chief Imam of Ibadanland, with the support of the renowned Islamic preacher, Sheikh Muyideen Bello, and Alhaji Kunle Sanni, the Chairman, Muslim Community of Oyo State.
Among the dignitaries at his residence were Governor Umar Ganduje of Kano State, Governor Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti State, Lagos State deputy governor, Mr. Obafemi Hamzat, Oyo State deputy governor, Mr. Rauf Olaniyan; Sen. Teslim Folarin, Mr Sunday Dare, Minister of Youth and Sports as well as Chief Adebayo Adelabu, the APC governorship candidate in the 2019 general election.
Others include Chief Kola Daisi, Mrs. Kemi Alao-Akala, wife of former Gov. Adebayo Alao-Akala; Sen. Abdulfatai Buhari, Rep. Shina Peller, Prince Ayodeji Abass-Aleshinloye, Olamiju Alao-Akala and some former members of the Ajimobi cabinet.
Speaking on behalf of the governors, the chairman of the Nigeria Governors Forum, Fayemi, said Ajimobi was a rallying point and pillar in APC.
According to him, “He governed this state for eight years and in this sense, you can call him the architect of modern Oyo state. I am not only the chairman of Governors’ Forum here with my colleagues but I am also an Ibadan resident, so I know this state. I can tell you without any shadow of doubt that he was the best governor of this state.
“But that was not what sold him to the generality of his brothers, it was his unique character. He was ultimate bridge builder. He was a connector at all times. He was an advisor to us all. He was always seeking away to pull people together to organise a better country and build bridge across divides.
“As a delegation of Governors that have come to honor him, and honor his family, we know that it would be very difficult to fill the gap that he occupied in our party as somebody that we could always call upon to help build a more peaceful and more purposeful, a more result-oriented party. He excelled in private sector and also excelled in public sector. He was one of the people that successfully demystified the notion that technocrats are not good in politics. He was a technocrat.”
