Alhaji Ibrahim Ademola Fashola
Prominent Nigerians have sent their
Condolence messages to the Fashola family
following the passage of the patriarch of the
family, Alhaji Ibrahim Ademola Fashola, father
of the Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babatunde
Fashola (SAN), who passed away Monday at the age of 79.
The president, in a statement by his
spokesman, Dr Reuben Abati, on behalf of
himself, his family, the federal government
and Nigerians, expressed his sincere
condolences to the governor over the passage of his father. In his condolence message to the Fashola
family, President Jonathan urged the family to
take heart and be comforted by the
knowledge that Pa Fashola died a fulfilled
man who lived to see his son become a two-
term governor of one of Nigeria’s most populous and vibrant states. “As they mourn Pa Fashola, President
Jonathan urges Governor Fashola, his family
and people of Lagos State to give thanks to
God Almighty for the octogenarian’s very
exemplary and accomplished life,” he said. Also condoling the Fasholas, Senator David
Mark said the family should take joy in the fact
that the deceased lived an eventful and
accomplished life worthy of emulation. The Senate president in a statement by his
Chief Press Secretary, Paul Mumeh, urged the
governor to bear his loss with fortitude as he
was consoled by the fact that his father lived
an exemplary life and left a legacy of selfless
service to the community. “Your track record of achievements, especially
your excellent performance as the governor of
Lagos State, bears eloquent testimony that
your father left a legacy of integrity and
excellence,” he said. On his part, Ekiti State Governor, Dr Kayode
Fayemi commiserated with his colleague on
the death of his father. Fayemi, in a statement Monday, said he could
feel the pains of his colleague, having lost his
own father four years ago. But he urged him to be consoled by the fact
that the deceased lived a fulfilled life and to a
ripe old age. According to him, the deceased will be
remembered for being a disciplinarian and a
personality who pursued any cause he
believed in. In his condolence message, Fayemi’s
counterpart in Oyo State, Ajimobi, described
the death of the elder Fashola as a great loss
to the family. Ajimobi, in a statement by his Special Adviser
on Media, Dr. Festus Adedayo, said: “Papa was
a devout Muslim, community leader and a
shining example of humility and philanthropy,
as he shared virtually everything he had with
the needy, irrespective of where they came from.’’ The Osun State governor, Rauf Aregbesola in a
condolence message, by the state’s Director,
Bureau of Communications and Strategy, Mr.
Semiu Okanlawon, said the death of the elder
Fashola would leave a huge vacuum in the
extended Fashola family as well as in Lagos social and political circles. Aregbesola noted that the death of Fashola
would deny him and some of his colleagues
the elderly counsel and wisdom they had
enjoyed. “The sudden exit of Papa Ademola Fashola
invoked a mixed feelings in me, one of costly
loss of a redoubtable father and leader and
the other of a glorious exit of papa after a well
led life on earth,” he added. The Ogun State governor, Ibikunle Amosun
also mourned the death of the father of his
Lagos State counterpart. In a statement by his spokesman, Mrs. Funmi
Wakama, Amosun said he was shocked by the
news of the death and described the deceased
as a model of industry, discipline and
integrity. “He was a dedicated family man and devout
Muslim, who trained his children in the way of
Allah. It is not surprising that one of his
children, Mr Raji Fashola, later rose to become
the governor of Lagos, where he has recorded
outstanding successes,” the governor said. Former Lagos State governor Bola Tinubu also
expressed sadness at the death of the father
of his successor. Speaking from the United States, Tinubu said
the death of the elder Fashola was shocking
and saddening irrespective of the fact that he
died at a ripe age. “His demise even at the ripe age of 79 years is
a hurtful one and we have indeed lost a true,
honest, steadfast and dependable father. Pa
Ademola Fashola, a man of integrity was a
father no one would want to lose at a time
like this. “There is no greater testimony to this than his
son, Babatunde Fashola, the governor of
Lagos, who has given a new meaning to good
governance and purposeful leadership.” The late Fashola, a former employee of Daily
Times Plc, died at his 31, Oladipo Labinjo
Crescent, Surulere residence while Governor
Fashola was on a religious pilgrimage to Saudi
Arabia along with some top officials of the
state. The governor is expected back in the country
Tuesday for his father’s burial. A statement Monday by the state government,
signed by the Chief of Staff to the governor,
Mr. Olanrewaju Babalola, confirmed the
passage of Pa Fashola, whom it said died after
a brief illness. The three-paragraph statement said the body
of Pa Fashola, who was survived by wives,
children, grandchildren and great
grandchildren, would be buried today
according to Muslim rites at the Vaults and
Gardens, Ikoyi by 1 p.m.
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