President Muhammadu Buhari has condoled with the government and people of Oyo State over the passing of a former Governor, Isiaka Abiola Ajimobi, whose contributions to the development of the state and the nation he said will always be remembered.
The President said this in a statement signed by his spokesman, Femi Adesina, on Thursday.
The statement said: “The President commiserates with the family of the former governor, who served the country as a Senator, 2003, before winning the governorship election in 2011, remaining steadfast and consistent in his progressive views, and working assiduously for the creation of the All Progressives Congress.
“As the party chieftain bows out, President Buhari believes he left the world at a crucial moment when the party and the country needed his counsels to heal, and grow, noting that his absence will be sorely felt by all associates, particularly in the APC.
“The President prays that the Almighty God will comfort the family of the former governor, and grant him a peaceful rest.”
The Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, described the death Ajimobi as a great loss to his family, the people of the Oyo State and the country as a whole.
The Governor added that he is saddened by the loss.
Sanwo-Olu, in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Gboyega Akosile, said Ajimobi’s shocking demise, after all efforts by medical professionals to stabilize him, when he took ill, has opened a deep sore in the hearts of millions of Nigerians, who looked up to him as a rallying point and a political stabilizer.
He said: “The passage of Senator Ajimobi hurt me. My heart was filled with grief when I was informed that I had lost another political icon our battle against the coronavirus.
“Senator Ajimobi was more than a politician, he was a man of many parts, whose managerial skills and experience are required at this critical period in our national life.
“Senator Ajimobi was a distinguished Nigerian, who bestrode the economic and political space of the country like a colossus. He made his mark in the corporate world before venturing into politics.
“As first elected Governor to serve two terms in Oyo State, his achievements will remain indelible in the annals of political history of that State and Nigeria as a whole.”
While commiserating with the deceased’s family, Sanwo-Olu urged them to take heart, saying: “The death of loved ones is usually one of the most painful episodes in peoples’ lives but we must realize that death is inevitable. We all will die someday. Therefore we must gather enough strength to carry on.
“It is with heavy heart that I commiserate with his beloved wife, Mrs Florence Ajimobi, the children and other family members he left behind. My heart and prayers are with you all at this period of your grief. May God comfort you.
“May Allah grant the soul of late Isiaka Ajimobi eternal rest and preserve a place for him in Aljanah firdaus.”
In a tribute he personally signed, the National Leader of the All Progressives Congress, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, eulogised Ajimobi.
Titled: “Tribute to A Great Man: Senator Abiola Ajimobi. We Shall Always Remember You,” Tinubu wrote: “Former Governor of Oyo State, Senator Abiola Ajimobi, passed away today. With his departure, Nigeria has lost an outstanding statesman and one of its most able politicians. Our party, the All Progressives Congress, has lost one of its leading lights. The Yoruba race and Oyo State have lost a favourite son. I have lost a dedicated friend, brother and ally.
“The pain we feel at his passing is beyond what words can describe. This good and excellent man has left us but his energy, activism and commitment to Nigeria and its people shall always be with us.
“He was reputed to be the best and most productive governor Oyo State has had. In this assessment, I concur as do so many others. The numerous infrastructural and public works projects he initiated literally changed the face of Oyo for the better. His legacy as a governor will be an enduring and positive one. The first governor to serve two consecutive terms in Oyo, he broke a political jinx that many said could not be broken.
“The people of Oyo were wise and very well served to have elected him their governor for eight years. I also shall always remember and hold dear the vital contributions he made to the establishment of our party and how he worked with great commitment and sagacity to enshrine progressive governance in the party, Oyo and Nigeria itself.
“His recent emergence as Deputy National Chairman of our party was in affirmation of his many years of service and devotion to the pursuit of democratic governance. The history of the APC cannot be squarely written without him.
“Ajimobi was my friend and brother. He was honest and forthright. He had the interest of the people at heart. We shared a common progressive vision for our country and how to bring prosperity, justice and hope to its people. I had hoped that we could achieve more together but the ultimate wisdom and all our fates rest in the hands of Almighty Allah who knows best.
“At his core, Senator Ajimobi was a family man. He was a loving husband and father. My heart grieves for his wife, Florence, and their children. May they find the comfort that only Almighty Allah can provide at this moment.
“Ajimobi’s death hurts. Yet, we must all find strength in the good way he lived his life and in the fine and good ideals for which he fought. We must carry on with the important task ahead because that is what my dear friend and brother would expect of us.
“My prayer is that the Munificent Allah shower mercy upon him, reward his good deeds, and admit him to Aljanna Firdaus.”
The Postmaster General of the Federation and Chief Executive Officer, Nigeria Postal Service, Dr. Ismail adewusi, also said in a statement he personally signed: “The news of the passing of our former Governor, Alhaji Isiaka Abiola Ajimobi came to me as a rude shock.
“We had prayed fervently last week when the news went viral of his demise with very high expectations that he would live much longer especially with our conviction he still had more to offer for the growth and development of our state in particular and Nigeria in general.
“Death, however, is a necessary end and must come when it must come. We are only consoled by fact that he lived a fulfilled life.
“He was a successful personality in the corporate world and he made his indelible marks within the political firmament of our dear country.
“On behalf of myself and my family, I commiserate with the entire Ajimobi family, the All Progressive Congress at all levels; his political associates and the entire people of our dear state on the passing of this great man.
“We shall all miss him.”