News - Ajimobi, Tinubu, others extol Okunnu’s virtues

[TGD]

 IT was a day of glory Wednesday for legal luminary and former Federal Commissioner for Works, Alhaji Lateef Okunnu as eminent Nigerians took turns to extol his virtues.

The personalities, who spoke in Lagos at the launch of two books written by Okunnu, included the former Governor of Lagos State and National Leader of Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the Governor of Oyo State, Abiola Ajimobi.

Others were former World Court Judge, Prince Bola Ajibola, former Governor of old Western State, Gen.  Adeyinka Adebayo (rtd.), former Commonwealth Secretary-General, Chief Emeka Anyaoku and the Deputy Governor of Lagos State, Mrs. Adejoke Oorelope-Adefulire.

Tinubu, in his address read by Ajimobi, said that Okunnu had shown zeal and dedication that underscored a life fully committed to God and the teachings of Holy Prophet.

"Okunnu is a devout Muslim who is faithful to religious harmony and peaceful co-existence. I consider him a worthy giant on whose should we will do well to stand, see further, reach higher and do more for the promotion of Islam and service to humanity," he remarked.

In his remarks, Governor Ajimobi described Okunnu as one of the first generation of Nigeria's public servants who exhibited high level integrity, incorruptibility, dedication and commitment to service.

"In a Nigeria where many of the actors of yesterday have had their ranks depleted, Chief Okunnu serves as one of the greatest surviving links between the Nigeria of old which, regrettably, because of the slide of affairs today, we still hold dear as the barometer with which to measure a great period of our nation's existence," he said.

The governor, who pointed out that Okunnu was a man he had always followed his "unassuming yet immeasurable personality" with admiration, said that he had had cause to read a few lines of his life history and picked major elements there to structure his own life.

He also acknowledged his passion for Lagos and the influence that the city had on him, stressing "it is so great that he has a symbolic wish for us all – government and the governed – through these books, that we should mould our country and indeed our environment positively so that the children of today could develop into enviable sources of pride of a greater tomorrow."

Governor Ajimobi described the two books  – Actors and Institutions in the Development of Islam in Lagos and Muslim Personalities in the History of Islam in Lagos State, as both a historical recapture of the Lagos that the Senior Advocate of Nigeria lived.

While commending the tenacity of mind and spirit, as well as the consciousness of impacting on the rest of society, he said that all these had given birth to the great historical accounts of his growing up and especially, the influence of Islam on his life.

Also, Ajibola, General Adeyinka Adebayo and Chief Emeka Anyaoku, who all spoke at the occasion, commended Okunnu for taking time off to put his thoughts together in form of books, saying that his life was worthy of emulation.



The Guardian