Former Governor of Anambra State, Sen. Chris Ngige, has mourned the death of elder statesman and Afenifere leader, Pa Ayo Adebanjo, describing his exit at 96 years as an irreplaceable and monumental loss to the nation.
Ngige, a two-time Minister of Labour and Employment in a statement issued on Sunday said Pa Adebanjo was a man of many parts who lived and died an unapologetic and unrepentant Awoist and social crusader, as a firm believer in the progressive social welfarist ideas of the sage, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, targeted at producing practical social progress for the people and the society at large.
According to him, the late Pa Adebanjo was a high-calibre nationalist, politician, activist, federalist, defender of democracy, social crusader and patriot, who devoted his lifetime to promoting a peaceful, united and progressive Nigeria, built on fairness, justice and equity.
Ngige recalled that Pa Adebanjo started political activism as a member of the Zikist movement before aligning with Chief Obafemi Awolowo in the Action Group (AG), which dominated the politics of the Western Region in the First Republic, and hence, Adebanjo mixed some aspects of Zikism with a very large dose of Awoism in his politics.
He said: “Pa Adebanjo chose to live an honourable and incorruptible life and was not moved by material acquisitions, just like many other politicians of that era, unlike what is obtainable today in the country.
“Alongside Chief Awolowo, he suffered serious political persecution in the First Republic, which made him go on exile to Ghana with late S.G. Ikoku, but was not cowed. Rather, the ordeal toughened him and strengthened his resolve to fight for whatever he believed in, the topmost of which is a peaceful, prosperous, and united Nigeria based on federalism, where no one, group or section of the country is oppressed, suppressed or marginalised.
He maintained that the demise of Pa Adebanjo has created a great depletion, creating a vacuum in the class of truthful and courageous politicians and statesmen in the Nigerian political landscape that would be very difficult to fill.
Ngige who gave a detailed recount of his first personal encounter with Pa Adebanjo, further narrated some of the several strategic meetings he had with Pa Adebanjo whom he described as a heavyweight political gladiator borne out of his belief that for peace and unity to thrive in Nigeria, there must be equity, fairness and justice, which is the skeleton of the body of Afenifere
He consoled all those the late elder statesman left behind, including members of his immediate family, Afenifere, the Ogun State Government, and the entire Yoruba nation, noting that Nigeria would miss Adebanjo sorely.
