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Shettima, Ganduje, Makinde, others honour Ajimobi at posthumous birthday
Notable Nigerians led by Vice President Kashim Shettima and the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Dr. Abdullahi Ganduje, on Saturday, converged in Ibadan, for the 6th Annual Senator Abiola Ajimobi Roundtable and 74th post humous birthday of the late former Oyo State governor, with the theme, “Re-Engineering Nigeria for Sustainable Development, Options, Costs and Prospects.”
Shettima who was represented by his Senior Special Assistant on Legal Matters, Mr. Bashir Maidugu was the Chairman of the occasion while Ganduje was the Special Guest of Honour.
Also present at the event include Governor Seyi Makinde, who was represented by his deputy, Barrister Bayo Lawal; Governor Dapo Abiodun of Ogun State; Minister of Power, Chief Adebayo Adelabu; Chairman, Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) Dr. Zacheus Adedeji; former Minister for Trade, Mrs. Onikepo Akande; former Minister for Finance, Mrs. Kemi Adeosun; and the wife of the deceased, Florence Ajimobi.
Others are the senator representing Oyo North, Dr. Abdulfatai Buhari; Oyo State Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, Prof. Saliu Adelabu; Vice Chancellor, University of Ibadan, Prof. Kayode Adebowale; former Chairman, Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) Prof. Adeolu Akande; former Oyo APC Chairman, Chief Akin Oke; Prof. Tunji Olaopa and Prof. Tajudeen Akanji.
Also at the event are former Assistant Inspector General of Police, Leye Oyebade; former ALGON Chairman in Oyo State, Prince Ayodeji Abass-Aleshinloye, friends, family members and associates of the former governor.
Ajimobi, who died in 2020, ruled Oyo State as governor between 2011 and 2019.
A Professor of African History, Peace and Conflict Studies at the University of Ibadan, Isaac Olawale Albert, while delivering the lead paper at the event, appealed to Nigerians to be mindful of the criticism of the policies of President Bola Tinubu so as not to discourage him from reaching the full potentials of his vision.
The don who was the Pioneer Dean, Faculty of Multidisciplinary Studies, said the recent creation of some new ministries by the President, particularly the ministry of Marine and Blue Economy as well as that Art, Culture and Creative Economy among others, are indications that that the President saw several things that could take the country forward, lauding President Tinubu for the initiative on diversification of the economy saying the people are expectant on the administration.
According to him, “The President has created some new ministries and one of the most interesting of them is the Blue Economy. The Blue Economy in Nigeria is rich. With oil not properly exploited, divesting into the sea suggested to me that the man saw several things and we should allow him to come up with all that he is looking at that will take this country forward.
“Criticism of the President might prevent him from telling us all that he saw or that he is seeing and therefore, we should encourage him.
“And the next one also is the Ministry of creative industry. Anywhere I go in the world, people talk about Nollywood than any other thing.”
He recounted an experience in one of his foreign trips when he approached an hotel and people started coming out to see him and look at him thinking that he was a Nollywood actor from Nigeria, stating that the foreigners were dissapointed when he corrected them that he was a teacher and not an actor or movie star from Nigeria as speculated.
“Now, If we have that type of reputation outside as a result of Nollywood, I was asking myself why is it that government cannot see it, invest in it and use it to the advantage of the country. And that we are just seeing”, he added.
The Minister of Power, Chief Adebayo Adelabu, in his remarks, appealed to the leadership of the APC to put mechanisms in place to address the grievances of members of the party in Oyo State.
Noting that the party does not have a unifying leader in the state at the moment, he described Ajimobi as his great benefactor who persuaded him to contest the governorship election in 2019.
He added that Ajimobi encouraged him to resign as Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, to contest the governorship election in 2019.
Also in a goodwill message, the Vice Chancellor, UI, Prof. Kayode Adebowale, described the deceased as one of the most highly revered personalities Nigeria has produced.
He added that the former governor introduced some initiatives which helped to ensure the security of lives and property in the state during his tenure.
Adebowale said, “Today, we are here gathered again to honour posthumously one of the most highly revered personalities that this country has produced; an illustrious son of Ibadan, a former Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, and the first two-term Governor of Oyo State who served from 2011-2019 and thereafter served as the Deputy National Chairman, South of the All Progressive Congress (APC) – the Late Senator Abiola Ajimobi.
“Everyone who knew Oyo State and especially Ibadan before his reign can attest to the high level of crime and insecurity in the state, such as armed robbery, including banks in front of
University; the NURTW perennial crisis in the state, and all manners and forms of insecurity.
“The establishment and equipping of the ‘Operation Burst’ took care of the problems of insecurity in the state. With regards to the NURTW menace, some people went to prison and that brought about peace in the state throughout his eight-year tenure”.
