Home / Arts & Entertainment / Osun, Oyo, Ekiti govs honour Yinka Odumakin at funeral; Ooni of Ife eulogises, names street after him

Osun, Oyo, Ekiti govs honour Yinka Odumakin at funeral; Ooni of Ife eulogises, names street after him

Widow, Dr. Joe Okei-Odumakin leading the pallbearers
L-R; Ekiti State Governor, Dr Kayode Fayemi; Afenifere Leader, Chief Ayo Adebanjo; First Lady Osun State, Alhaja Kafayat Oyetola; Osun State Governor, Alhaji Gboyega Oyetola and Yinka Odumakin’s widow, Dr Joe Okei-Odumakin; during the burial of the late Spokesperson of Afenifere in Moro, Osun State …on Saturday.
Ekiti State Governor, Dr Kayode Fayemi with Yinka Odumakin’s widow, Dr Joe Okei-Odumakin; during the burial of the late Spokesperson of Afenifere in Moro, Osun State..on Saturday.

By Dorcas Elusogbon/Joshua Oladipo

Moro (Osun) April 24, 2021

The governors of Osun, Oyo and Ekiti states, Gboyega Oyetola, Seyi Makinde and Kayode Fayemi respectively, on Saturday said that the legacies left behind by the late Afenifere Spokesperson, Yinka Odumakin, would forever be remembered and cherished.

They made the remarks in their tributes during the funeral of the late Afenifere spokesman in Moro, Osun.

This is as the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, Ojaja 11, said that the late Odumakin would forever be in the hearts of people of Yoruba extraction and proceeded to name the Ife-Moro road after the late Afenifere Spokesperson.

In his tribute, Gov. Oyetola said that the deceased left a legacy to be cherished in his fight for what is right as a visionary and phenomenal leader.

“We are grateful for his life, he came, he saw and he conquered. I never knew he came to make a farewell visit when he came visiting me.

“He did not live a wasted life and was always fighting for what is right.

“We feel the pain of the family and we are with you as a state and may God grant him eternal rest,” Oyetola said.

The Osun governor thanked all the other governors for their tributes toward the deceased and prayed God to grant his family the fortitude to bear the loss.

Also speaking, Gov. Makinde said the people of Oyo state came to honour Odumakin for his integrity, tireless service to humanity and his consistency in speaking truth to power during his lifetime.

“He spoke truth to power; I want to say a life lived with integrity, committed to dignity and ideals will be shining stars to light the path for others coming behind and that was what Yinka did for this generation.

“His struggles will continually be a shining path to light the way for us until we have the Nigeria he dreamt of.

“To the family, I pray God gives you the strength to carry on,” Makinde said.

Earlier, Gov. Fayemi had described the late Odumakin as a patriot who consistently defended the defenceless relentlessly for the growth of the nation, especially in the South-West.

“Odumakin worked relentlessly for my coming to office and when we called on him on the issue of restructuring, he never broke the chord that existed between us.

“As Afenifere spokesperson, he was a democrat to the core, a nationalist without question, not a secessionist.

“He was a man who believes that regional autonomy offers the best route to progress and development in the country.

“He left the legacy of speaking truth to power and was an unrelenting campaigner for the restructuring of this country. He was a fighter for keeping the democracy going.

“He never succumbed to the merchants of division and secession. That is what we can do to keep the memory of our brother alive.

“On behalf of the chairman of South West Governors Forum, Rotimi Akeredolu and other governors, I salute the courage of conviction, pursuit of restructuring and all those issues he took up when alive and we shall continue to pursue them relentlessly until we have that country he dreamt of.

“This is the legacy Yinka is leaving behind and we must all continue to push the agenda forward until we have a new Nigeria we all clamour for,” Fayemi said.

Late Odumakin will forever be in our hearts – Ooni

The Ooni of Ife, said that the late Odumakin would forever be in the hearts of people of Yoruba extraction.

The Ooni, who was represented by Sooko Kemade Olagbaju, said this at Odumakin’s Funeral Service at Origbo Anglican Grammar School, Moro, in Ife North Local Government Area of Osun.

He said that while some had chosen to mourn his passing, the exalted throne of Oduduwa “has opted to celebrate” the late Odumakin.

According to him, in death, as in life, he (Odumakin) remains an unforgettable national personality who is so dear to them.

“You were not only a worthy son of the House of Oduduwa, you lived Oduduwa land. You breathed Oduduwa. You worked tirelessly for Oduduwa.

“Your insightfully penetrative perspective on the Yoruba cause is uncommon, as was your incisively biting criticism of our steps, delivered impassionately,” he stated.

He said Odumakin was a gift to the people of Moro, “the calmly rustic community in the northern fringes of Ile-Ife.”

According to him, people across Oduduwa land cannot appreciate him enough.

He added that as a token from the House of Oduduwa, “an ultra modern garden has been named in your honour in my privately owned Students Village in Obafemi Awolowo University where a dignified bronze bust (a statue of the head and shoulders of a person) will be unveiled in your eternal honor.”

Odumakin died on Friday, April 2, at 54 after battling with respiratory problems.

The remains of the late Afenifere spokesman arrived at his country home, Moro town in Ife North Local Government of Osun State on Friday.

A delegation of Osun State Government, led by the Chief of Staff, Dr. Charles Akinola, received the corpse at Asejire area, the boundary of Osun and Oyo states

Ooni names Ife -Moro road after late Yinka Odumakin

The Ooni of Ife, also on Saturday named Ife-Moro road after the late Afenifere Spokesperson.

The Oba, represented by Mr Kemade Olagbaju, at the funeral service of Odumakin in Moro, described the late Afenifere chieftain as an unforgettable patriotic descendant of Oduduwa and a positive factor in Nigeria’s democracy.

He said: “Odumakin’s death was a rude shock when the Yoruba nation in particular and Nigeria at large needed him.

“The news of his demise was a very bitter pill to swallow for the entire country and to us particularly in the House of Oduduwa.

“He was a disciplined Yoruba leader who has been one of the loudest pro-democracy voices in the country,” he said.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that a short clip of Odumakin’s lifetime and his wife Joe attending a television interview was played in remembrance of the human rights activist at the event.

 

 

 

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