The National leader of the pan-Yoruba socio-political organisation Afenifere, Pa Reuben Fasoranti, has said the late chieftain of the association, Pa Ayo Adebanjo, was a patriot par excellence.
Pa Adebanjo passed away on Friday at his Lekki, Lagos State office at the age of 96.
Fasoranti stated this in a statement personally issued on Friday. He said the contribution of the late Adebanjo to the attainment of Nigerian independence and democracy would not be erased in the history of the country.
The statement read, “It is with great sadness that I received the news of the passing into glory of Chief Samuel Ayodeji Adebanjo, my brother, comrade-in-arms and political associate for upwards of 70 years.
“His contributions during the struggle for Nigeria’s independence as well as during struggles for the restoration and sustenance of democracy in Nigeria shall remain indelible in the annals of Nigeria’s history. He was an unrelenting ideologue who fought for many noble causes under the auspices of Afenifere where he was once the acting leader.”
Fasoranti added that members of the Afenifere family would greatly miss Adebanjo, who according to him, was “a custodian of positive values that define progressive politics in Nigeria.”
“As a disciple of the late sage, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, GCFR, SAN, he was committed to the principles of good governance, rule of law and the protection of fundamental rights of Nigerians.
“His advocacy for the restructuring of Nigeria was borne out of the conviction that only a truly federal Nigeria, where justice and fairness are supreme, could fulfil the aspirations of the people. I pray that God will grant the family the fortitude to bear this great loss,” he concluded.
