Governors, National and state Assembly leaders and members as well as top politicians were among the dignitaries that gathered in Agege, Lagos on Tuesday for the eighth day Fidau prayer of Alhaji Sulaiman Atanda Obasa, father of Lagos State House of Assembly Speaker, Rt. Hon. Mudashiru Ajayi Obasa.
Those who attended the prayer session included Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State, his Delta State counterpart, Rt. Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori, Governor Dapo Abiodun of Ogun State, the Deputy Governor of Lagos, Dr. Obafemi Hamzat, and his Ogun counterpart, Noimot Salako-Oyedele.
Other dignitaries at the event included Speakers of Oyo, Osun and Delta states Houses of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Adebo Ogundoyin, Prince Adewale Egbedun, and Emomotimi Guwor respectively; the Lagos State Chief Judge, Hon. Justice Kazeem Alogba, members of the Lagos State cabinet, the Governance Advisory Council (GAC), religious leaders among others.
Speaking at the event, the guests praised the exemplariness of the Speaker’s father urging the children and grandchildren of the deceased to emulate the worthy life of the late Atanda Obasa.
Governor Sanwo-Olu prayed that God would give Speaker Obasa the strength and enablement to galvanise his siblings and further unite the family.
Sanwo-Olu said: “The gathering here shows that the Speaker has built bridges across the Niger and all around the country.
“I greet all those that have come to identify with the Obasa family and I thank you very much, our party faithful.
“Mudashiru Obasa is one of our best and I thank all that have come to honour him. We are thanking God for being with him and sustaining his family to give their father a befitting burial.”
On his part, Governor Abiodun said the Speaker’s late father “lived a life of giving.
“Three or four years after this event, nobody will know what happened here. What people will remember is the legacy that Baba left behind.”
Abiodun tasked public office holders to follow the path of honour and service to humanity at all times.
Governor Oborevwori described the demise of the Speaker’s father as shocking adding that despite differences in party affiliations, he remains close to Rt. Hon. Mudashiru Obasa.
“I could remember when Obasa told me that even though I belong to another party, his boss was contesting as President,” Oborevwori said calling the Speaker a loyal political leader.
Speaker Ogundoyin, who doubles as chairman of the Conference of Speakers, appreciated Dr. Mudashiru Obasa for setting the standard upon which the association now thrives.
“All the Speakers in the country commiserate with you. God will be with you and your family, support you, comfort you and show you directions. We at the conference of Speakers will always be there and make sure that your legacies continue,” he said.
A grandchild of the deceased, Abdul-Ganiyu Obasa, announced that the grandchildren will embark on water projects across locations in the State in honour of their grandfather.
Thanking the guests, Speaker Obasa recalled how his father constantly guided him and his siblings throughout his lifetime.
“My father lived his life well and he was in charge of his home,” he said.
Quadri Olaitan is a journalist and contributor to Freelanews.com, covering news, public affairs, and human-interest stories.
