By; BAYO AKAMO, Ibadan.
Governor Abiola Ajimobi has described the later former Military Governor of the old Western State, General Robert Adeyinka Adebayo (rtd) as a bridge builder and patriot who dedicated his entire life to the unity of the country.
The governor stated this in a statement made available to newsmen in Ibadan by his Special Adviser on Communication and Strategy, Mr Yomi Layinka.
He declared that the death of the late former Military Governor of the old Western state was a monumental loss, not only to the Yoruba nation but to Nigeria as a whole.
“As the President of Yoruba Council of Elders, the late General rallied his fellow elders to ensure the emancipation of Yoruba land and that the Yoruba nation was given its pride of place in the scheme of things in Nigeria. Even though Gen. Adebayo departed this world at the ripe age of 89, his exit has created a vacuum which will be very difficult to fulfill”he said.
Governor Ajimobi added that the late former Military Governor of the old Western state “lived and breathed his last for the unity and indivisibility of Nigeria”.
“Papa Adebayo was a father of all, particularly those of us who have the opportunity of presiding over the affairs of the states created out of the old Western Region. We have all drank from his fountain of knowledge while his wise counsel has been of great benefit to us”.
The governor stressed that the family of General Adebayo “should be proud of its illustrious patriarch whose children have also taken to a life of public service, citing a former Governor of Ekiti State, Otunba Niyi Adebayo, as a quintessential chip off the old block”.
