Ogun State Governor, Dapo Abiodun, has mourned the passing of Ayo Adebanjo, a foremost nationalist, elder statesman, and leader of the Pan-Yoruba socio-cultural group, Afenifere.
Pa Adebanjo died on Friday morning at his residence in Lekki, Lagos State at age 96.
The governor, in a statement issued on Friday, in Abeokuta, the state capital, described his passing as the end of a glorious era.
He stated that the late Adebanjo was a man of principle and one of the most prominent and unwavering disciples of the sage, Obafemi Awolowo.
Abiodun, stressed that the death is a profound loss to Nigeria, adding 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, who 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 said, “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, and never once hid his identity as a passionate defender of the Yoruba nation and its interests, regardless of whose horse was gored.
“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 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.
“We are still coming to terms with the reality of his passing, but 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 added.
