Ajimobi Extols Late Olubadan

Governor Abiola Ajimobi of Oyo State has hailed the late Olubadan, Oba Samuel Odulana, who joined his ancestors on Tuesday at his palace in Ibadan, the state capital. He promised to give the late monarch a befitting burial.

Ajimobi, during the official notification of the passage of late Odulana, described him as an accomplished all-rounder who left an indelible footprint in the sands of time. He said the late Oba lived an exemplary life.

The governor further said even if the 101-year-old traditional ruler had lived for another 100 years, his demise would still have been painful to him and indeed, the sons and daughters of Ibadanland.

“Kabiyesi was an accomplished man in all ramifications. He left an indelible footprint in the sands of times, having served this country in different capacities as a teacher, civil servants, a Second World War veteran, a minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and a parliamentarian of note,” Ajimobi said.

The governor stated further that the deceased was “an irrepressible patriot, an Ibadan irredentist, a disciplinarian, a good father and an unstoppable democrat. He sees to the success of anything to which he was committed. He won an election as an independent candidate even when independent candidacy was not popular.”

“A man of stoic character, consistent and Godly, he was a firm believer in the rule of law. If Baba had been in the saddle for another 10 years, he would have contributed to the campaign for cleanliness of Ibadan. He would never play the ostrich.

“Kabiyesi was a nationalist and I am promising before you today that the state government under my leadership will give him a burial befitting of heroes and statesmen. On behalf of the government and the good people of Oyo State, I pray for the repose of Baba’s soul,” he said.

The Balogun of Ibadanland, High Chief Saliu Adetunji led members of the council, the leadership of the Central Council of Ibadan Indigenes (CCII) as well as princes and princesses of the late monarch to the Governor’s Office to formally inform him of Odulana’s death.