Atiku, Fayemi extol late Jason’s virtues

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has described the death of the Vanguard newspaper’s veteran columnist, Pini Jason Onyegbadue, as another “haemorrhage of distinguished professionals that has befallen the country at large and journalism in particular.”
In a statement issued on his behalf by his Media Office in Abuja on Sunday, the former Vice President said the late columnist had distinguished himself as a fearless writer that never hesitated to be on the side of what was right, regardless of whether it was pleasing to the ears of the powers that be or not.
According to Abubakar, whether you agreed with the late Jason or not, you must not fail to respect his courage of conviction and the bluntness with which he expressed those convictions in his servings in his Vanguard column.
The former vice president also commended the extraordinary humility of the late Jason and the passion with which he was committed to his trade.
He recalled that the deceased returned to his column writing after serving in the administration of former Governor Ikedi Ohakim of Imo State, saying that few Nigerians would have demonstrated such humility once they had tasted the aroma of power.
He extended his condolences to the family of the late distinguished columnist and the Vanguard newspapers.
The Ekiti State Governor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, has expressed shock on the death of Jason.
The governor, in a statement on Sunday by his Chief Press Secretary, Olayinka Oyebode, described Jason’s death as “a big blow to the media industry.”
He described the deceased as a “gifted writer who used his pen to reform the society in his lifetime and bared his mind on critical issues affecting the polity.”
Fayemi further described Jason as “one of the greatest exponents of informed political commentary whose incisive write-ups charted a better course for the nation. He spoke truth to power and was quite courageous in his campaign for a better society.”
The governor prayed God to grant the family, associates and colleagues of the deceased the fortitude to bear the loss, urging them to sustain the ideals for which the late Jason lived.