Pan Yoruba socio-cultural organisation, Afenifere, has commiserated with the family of late Yoruba sage, Chief Obafemi Awolowo over the demise of his wife, Chief (Mrs.) HID Awolowo.
The group while describing Mrs. Awolowo’s demise as sad and painful, said the deceased would have a lot to tell her husband about “the desecration of Awo legacies within the Yorubaland.”
A statement by the National Publicity Secretary of Afenifere, Mr. Yinka Odumakin, said the death of Chief HID Awolowo, 67 days to the celebration of her centenary birthday, had denied the Yoruba nation the opportunity of celebrating Mama at 100.
He said, “Death came knocking at the Ikenne residence of the sage on Saturday plucking the ‘Jewel of inestimable value.’ Although every death is painful, our consolation lies in the fact that Mama lived life to the fullest and has now exited at a very ripe age. Rather than mourning her, we shall celebrate her good life to the fullest.
“Mama will forever be remembered for standing solidly behind our eternal leader, Oloye Obafemi Awolowo, throughout his political ordeals in the web of intrigues and contradictions called Nigeria. She was there for Papa in all the persecutions, orchestrated trials, unjust imprisonments and internal exiling by feudal forces who resented the federalist principles Awolowo espoused, which Nigeria rejected at its peril, and which has turned it to a shell 28 years after Papa’s transition.”
Odumakin said, “Now she goes to meet her earthly love, unfortunately with unpalatable tales of situation of things in Yorubaland in particular and Nigeria in general. She will have a lot to tell about the desecration of Awo legacies within the Yoruba nation and the retardation of Nigeria as it runs daily from the ideas and ideals of progress he espoused while here.
“But as if nature has a way of mitigating this type of saga, it has dispatched, ahead of Mama, some good disciples of Papa like the Ooni of Ife, Olu of Warri and Ambassador Deinde Fernandez as advanced party to put the sage in the mood to absorb the unsavory situation reports of Nigeria.
“Our condolences go to the Awolowo biological and political family as well as the entire Yoruba nation over the death of our beloved Mama.
“May her gentle soul rest in perfect peace.” .
Comments