Badagry, Lagos state – President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Thursday, January 16, expressed his “deepest sympathy and condolences” to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Lagos state government over the death of Pa Akinsanya Sunny Ajose.
Legit.ng reports that Pa Ajose is a prominent member of the Governance Advisory Council (GAC), the highest decision-making body of the APC in Lagos, and a one-time head of service of Lagos state.
Ajose died early on Thursday, January 16, 2025, aged 78.
According to a statement released by Bayo Onanuga, President Tinubu’s spokesperson, the Nigerian leader commiserated particularly with the people of Badagry.
Tinubu pays tribute to late Sunny Ajose
Reacting to Ajose’s exit, Tinubu described his late ally as a party loyalist and committed APC apex leader in Badagry ‘who was also a unifying force in Lagos state’.
Recalling his relationship with Ajose as the head of service during his time as governor of Lagos state, President Tinubu underscored Ajose’s ‘commitment to reforming the service’.
Tinubu said:
“He was an astute administrator and dogged civil servant. When I appointed him the head of service, he became a rallying point. He had a considerable influence on the workers. He was pivotal in getting the civil service behind our policies and initiatives.
“Even after his tenure as head of service, we remained very close because of his leadership qualities and because he was an important partner in development.”
Furthermore, the president stated that Pa Ajose made immense contributions to developing not only his Badagry constituency but also Lagos state in general, adding that it was a mark of recognition of his important role that he was the sole representative from Badagry in the Lagos State Governance Advisory Council.
While commiserating with Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, the government, and the people of the state, the president prayed for strength and support for Ajose’s family and eternal rest for Pa Ajose’s soul.
Brief profile of Pa Sunny Ajose
Sunny Ajose was born on February 10, 1946, in Badagry. After his primary and secondary education in Nigeria, he went to the United States (US) for tertiary education. He obtained a bachelor’s degree in Liberal Arts and Science from the University of Illinois, Chicago, in 1973.
In 1974, he received an M.A. in Social Science from Governors State University, also in the US.
He joined the Lagos Civil Service in 1979 and became head of service in 2004.
Tinubu mourns Justice Emmanuel Ogwuegbu
Earlier, Legit.ng reported that President Tinubu sent his condolences to the family of Emmanuel Ogwuegbu, a former justice of the Supreme Court, on the legal luminary’s death.
Apart from being a former justice of the Supreme Court, Ogwuegbu also served as the president of the Nigerian Institute of Advanced Legal Studies.