Former Ekiti State Governor, Dr Kayode Fayemi, has expressed grief over the deaths of former Delta State Governor, Dr Emmanuel Uduaghan, and elder statesman Ambassador Patrick Dele Cole, describing their passing as a loss to Nigeria.

Fayemi, a former chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, said both men contributed to the country’s political, social and intellectual development through their careers in public service and other fields.

Also read: Adeboye visits Costa Rican president Laura Fernández

In a statement issued on Tuesday by the Head of Fayemi’s Media Office in Abuja, Ahmad Sajoh, the former governor described Uduaghan as a public servant whose administration prioritised healthcare, infrastructure and human capital development in Delta State.

He noted that Uduaghan’s background in medicine and experience in political leadership influenced his approach to governance and public service.

Fayemi said the former governor’s death highlighted the importance of public service and the responsibility of leaders to improve the lives of the people they serve.

Paying tribute to Dele Cole, Fayemi described the late elder statesman as an influential figure whose contributions to diplomacy, journalism and national discourse earned him recognition in Nigeria.

He said Cole belonged to a generation of Nigerians whose professional achievements and involvement in national affairs enriched public debate and contributed to nation-building.

According to Fayemi, the diplomat’s experience and counsel would be missed at a time when Nigeria needs the perspectives of seasoned statesmen.

“Dr Emmanuel Uduaghan and Ambassador Patrick Dele Cole served Nigeria in different capacities, but they shared a commitment to making their contributions to the society in which they lived,” he said.

“Their passing is a painful reminder that the nation continues to lose men whose experience, service and perspectives remain valuable to our collective progress.”

Fayemi added that although their deaths had left painful voids in their families and communities, their contributions would endure through the people they served and the institutions they helped shape.

The former governor extended his condolences to the families, friends, associates and political colleagues of the deceased, as well as the governments and people of Delta and Rivers states.

He urged the bereaved families to draw comfort from the lives the two men lived and the contributions they made to society.

Also read: Adeboye visits Costa Rican president Laura Fernández

“On behalf of my family, I extend my deepest sympathies to the families of Dr Emmanuel Uduaghan and Ambassador Patrick Dele Cole. I pray that God grants them the fortitude to bear these painful losses, comforts all who mourn them and gives those they have left behind the strength and wisdom to carry forward the worthy aspects of their legacies,” Fayemi said.