President Muhammadu Buhari has placed a personal call to the family of the Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, to commiserate with them over the death of matriarch of the Awolowo family, Hannah Idowu Dideolu Awolowo.
This is contained in a statement issued in Abuja on Sunday by the president’s Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Mallam Garba Shehu.
The late Awolowo is the grand mother of Dolapo, the wife of the Vice President.
The statement quoted the president as describing the deceased as “an institution in her own right, and a model of motherhood’’.
President Buhari said that the late Awolowo was one of the greatest female political icons in Africa who was deservingly revered for her remarkable virtues.
Buhari noted that her shining virtues as a great mother, wife and motivator, would live after her.
According to the statement, Buhari has equally dispatched a powerful federal government delegation to condole with the Awolowo family at Ikenne, Ogun.
The delegation, which met the Vice President and other members of the Awolowo family, was led by Malal Abba Kyari, the Chief of Staff to the president.
He was accompanied by the Secretary to the Federal Government (SGF), Babachir David Lawal, the Chief of Defence Staff, Lt. Gen. Abayomi Olanishakin and other government functionaries.
The delegation extended Buhari’s condolences to the family, the government and people of Ogun over the death of H.I.D. Awolowo.
Receiving the guests on Sunday at the Awolowo’s residence in Ikenne-Remo, Ogun Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo who is a son-in-law eulogised the late Chief Hannah Awolowo, saying she always stood for the unity of the nation all her life.
The vice-president expressed regret that the matriarch, who died at the age of 99, did not live long enough to witness her centennial birthday celebration scheduled for Nov. 25.
He told the gathering that the deceased was a repository of knowledge and a custodian of information who was always concerned about the well being of her loved ones.
“We are in mourning and at the same time in celebration of the life of a woman who stood all her life for the unity of this nation. I think that one of the great things that has been said about her was her great love for people.
“She had a personal relationship with practically everybody, those who were her family members and those who were not. Mama was always a very caring, devoted and loving mother. She was a woman with so much fortitude, such strength of character and everything that you know about her.
“I pray that with her passage, all will be well with each and every one of us,” Osinbajo said.
The vice-president said Awolowo envisaged a Nigeria where people would not be defined by their tribe but by their interests in seeing the nation prosper without prejudice.
“She lived for this nation, everyday of her life, she wanted to see a great nation and I know that she had begun to see that great nation. The evolution of this nation in the past years had shown that we were on the right path and would get to our deserved destination.
“I believe that her memory would best be served by the kind of nation we would want to see – a united nation,’’ he said.
(NAN)
