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By Samuel Adegoke
A former deputy governor of Oyo State, Chief Iyiola Oladokun; the Alaafin of Oyo Oba Lamidi Olayiwola Adeyemi III and a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state, Dr Sola Ayandele, have mourned the passage of former Governor Abiola Ajimobi.
Oladokun and Ayandele in separate statements on Friday described Ajimobi as a man of vision who knew what he wanted and did his best for Oyo State.
Oladokun, who was deputy governor from 1999 to 2003 said: “Ajimobi came into the political firmament of Oyo, nay Nigeria with a bang and his departure has been no less in effect. He started as a distinguished senator and left as the National Deputy Chairman of our great party APC.
“Ajimobi was a reformer in a hurry as if he knew that there was no much time on his side. He was a purposeful, highly intelligent man and a deep thinker. He always knew what he wanted to achieve and the way to achieve it yet he would still consult widely on any issue before taking a final decision. This made some people misunderstand him to be a person who does not listen to advice when his action or decision does not tally with their own specific advice.
“Ajimobi came and did what he strongly believed to to the best for Oyo State and the people the best way he could. His legacies will continue to speak for themselves long after his departure. On behalf of my wife (his younger sister) and my family I offer my profound condolences to his darling wife, children and the entire Ajimobi family, the great APC family both in Oyo State in particular and Nigeria in general. May the Almighty God grant us all the fortitude and grace to bear the departure of this great son and Aare of Ibadan land. Adieu, Akanji Eru.”
Ayandele in his own message described Ajimobi as one of the best brains Nigeria has ever produced and thrown up to lead and serve his people as well as humanity as a whole. He said his death has robbed Nigeria of one citizen whose service and sacrifice to fatherland and humanity as a whole would remain indelible in the anal of history of mankind.
“Sen. Ajimobi was a rare gem who discovered himself from the beginning of his life and he did not miss any opportunity to demonstrate the stuff he was made of. He inherited the traits of leadership from his parents and uncle who were great individuals in their own respect but the late former governor took some steps further to add more value to himself and this enabled him to cover more grounds and touched more lives locally and internationally.
“A leader in the true sense of it, Sen. Ajimobi came to office as governor of Oyo state fully prepared. With his carefully packaged key agenda of restoration, transformation and repositioning, he was able to change the story of our dear state for the better. He waged a successful war against dirty environment, insecurity, brigandage and bad governance. It was Ajimobi who changed the face of governance away from sloppiness, tardiness, window dressing and self service.
“He left an indelible imprints on the sands of time as a consummate captain of industry, successful manager, seasoned administrator, colorful politician, jinx breaker, proud son of Ibadanland, responsible family man, darling of a multitude and, more importantly, architect of modern Oyo state. Ajimobi left our dear state far better than he met it and we will never forget him in a hurry.”
In his condolence message, Oba Adeyemi described the former governor as “the purveyor of unprecedented achievements that have far-reaching effects on the lives of the people.”
He added that Ajimobi was a leader who demonstrated the rare combination of thinking and doing.
According to him, Ajimobi exhibited the quality of a good leader who had the courage of not only taking actions but being ready to face the consequences of his actions.
In the statement signed by his Chief Press Officer, Bode Durojaiye, Oba Adeyemi said Ajimobi came with a vision, had courage and competence, believed in probity, stressing that it was the reason his party had a smooth primary.
“The late governor was more interested in people who can sustain his institutional reforms and other legacies and not in his own personal preferences.
“Ajimobi was the 20th governor that I have worked with. If you are brilliant, truthful and hardworking, he will work with you. He ran an inclusive government but you can only get something from him if you key into his vision of reformation, transformation and repositioning.”
The monarch pointed out that while institutions are important, a leader cannot be deemed to have succeeded, no matter how much he has achieved infrastructural renewal and in other areas of development until he developed people who could succeed him and nurture the institution that he had built.”