OONI MOURNS DEATHS OF ADELEKE, TWO OTHER YORUBA PROMINENT SONS
Ooni of Ife,Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi,on Sunday commiserated with the entire Yoruba race and members of the House Of Oduduwa all over the world over the sudden deaths of former Osun State Governor, Isiaka Adeleke, and two other prominent Yoruba sons,Dipo Famakinwa and Olumide Bakare.
The deaths of the trio which occurred at different times and locations within a space of three days,the monarch said in a statement made available newsmen on Sunday as a rude shock.
‘To us at the Royal Court of Ife to this morning receive the unpleasant news of the death of Senator Isiaka Adeleke just two days after we lost a very virtuous son, Mr Dipo Famakinwa who had tiredlessly worked very closely with the Ooni’s Palace, the Southwest state governments and other stakeholders for the much desired regional integration and development of Yorubaland through his Development Agenda For Western Nigeria known as DAWN Commission, and a Nigerian Veteran actor, Mr Olumide Bakare popularly called “Oluwalanbe” who had also made collosal contributions to the growth of the globally recognized Nigerian film industry called “Nollywood”. The noble efforts of these gentlemen will continue to rank them among our prides forever,(he statement reads.
The royal father lamented that, It was saddening that while the race was not yet out of the shock of the untimely deaths of Dipo Famakinwa and Olumide Bakare, another big tree fell, ‘our amiable Asiwaju of Ede kingdom, a Senator of the Federal Republic His Excellency Isiaka Adetunji Adeleke who had in the past meritoriously served us as the 1st executive Governor of the State of Osun’,he said.
‘This is indeed a trying period for us to have suddenly lost these three giants who were being greatly enjoyed in their various areas of calling especially at this time when they are needed most. May their souls rest in peace and may the Almighty God give their immediate familes the fortitude to bear the loses as we will all miss and always remember them to have come into this world meaningfully and impactfully’.
In the same vein, Ogun State Governor, Ibikunle Amosun described the news of the death of former Governor of Osun State, Isiaka Adeleke, as “a rude shock.”
The governor, in a statement issued by his Senior Special Assistant on Media, Mr. Adejuwon Soyinka, described the death of Adeleke as “a great loss not just to Osun State but to the entire nation.”
Amosun described the two-time Senator and first elected Governor of Osun State as “an experienced politician and administrator who will be sorely missed by not just his immediate family but also his political family and the nation at large.”
He said the late Senator Adeleke would be remembered for, among other things, his love for education.
Amosun said this was exemplified by Adeleke’s decision, as Governor of Osun State, to establish a Polytechnic at Iree, a College of Technology at Esa Oke as well as award of scholarship to indigent students across the country.
‘The Ogun State Governor therefore commiserated with the government and good people of Osun State over the sudden death of Senator Adeleke. Governor Amosun prayed that God grants his family the fortitude to bear the loss’,statement emphasised.
