This is just as she enjoined all and sundry to always be mindful of their actions and efforts while alive, stating that everything about life was vanity in itself.

She made the remarks while playing host to journalists who visited the Ajimobi’s Oluyole, Ibadan residence, on a condolence visit.

She said she had learnt very serious lessons from the death of her husband, stating that one of the things that had always made her smile since the death of her husband was seeing those who worked or had any contact with the family in times past coming back to check up on her and the family.

She said, “We are celebrating a man who impacted the lives of everyone he came in contact with. Your being here today, says a lot. Human beings are the most difficult to please in life but when people who have worked with you come back to visit or pay condolence visits it shows that you put that smile on my face. Today has not been a very good day for me, it has been a very turbulent day and emotional one, but thank you for putting smile on my face with your visit.

“Yes daddy has gone but for me it’s not his going we are celebrating. As a man, he came, he saw and he conquered and I know he’s resting at the bosom of God; that is my joy and that is what is giving me peace; he made heavens and that is how we must relate when we are in the world.

“It’s not enough to celebrate or mourn a life, but what lessons are we taking from what happened. Death is a necessary evil and no one knows when it will come, the same way we don’t know when a child will come. They can give you EDD (Expected Delivery Date) but no doctor or soothsayer is going to say this child is going to be born on 25th June at 1pm and the same way, no one can tell you when you are going to die.

“It will come whether you are sleeping, eating, drinking, it has to take something with it. I am ever so proud to be called his wife and all the people, the larger family that we both belong to, let us take lessons and know that life is vanity upon vanity.

“Who knew in December, that in exactly six months and nine days that would be his last birthday. We should just live everyday as if it’s our last and have a very good relationship with God. Our ultimate goal on earth is to make heaven, whether as a Muslim or a Christian, whatever way we pray to God or serve.

“And how do we know we will make heaven? Love one another. As journalists, always do what is right because if we give information that are not right, for me it’s a sin. And do you know if you are going to see tomorrow? So, why do we sin today if we are not sure of tomorrow. Nobody is sure of tomorrow because when we sleep it’s like we are dead.

“Sleep is like practising death.  My husband’s death has given me a new orientation of life that you think you have everything and honestly nobody is anything. In this world all power belongs to God and when we have fear of God it makes us to do what is right. We can always try, we are not saints; we all make mistakes.

“Let me just use this opportunity to enjoin everyone, let us retrace our steps because you are all my children. The same thing I have told my children. Your dad is dead, what lessons have you taken from his death. You spoke with him yesterday, today he is no more. Just try, you can only try.

“Fight with one another but let us as much as possible make peace with everyone. Life is transient and there is nothing in it. It doesn’t matter who we are or think we are, if God says we are nothing, it doesn’t take him one second to make you nothing. My prayer is that you will all succeed and continue to prosper in all your endeavours. Even in the midst of this pandemic you will not partake out of it and God will bring it to an end, in Nigeria and the entire world because it is true. As much as possible, keep safe and stay safe.”

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The widow spoke shortly after he husband was buried at his residence in Ibadan when the deputy governor of the state, Rauf Olaniyan, led a delegation on a condolence visit to the family.

She said throughout the period her husband was in the hospital, Makinde never called her to sympathise.

According to Florence Ajimobi, the governor rather played politics with the health condition of her husband.

Her words: “Life in itself is vanity upon vanity. Either you are PDP or APC, the man is dead and he has been buried.

“But the governor didn’t call me. Even if he had called me and I didn’t pick his calls, I don’t have his number and I have never spoken with him on the phone, he could have sent me a text message for record purposes.

“And then today again, I read in the papers and saw how the Ajimobi’s family were lying about some things.

“Mr deputy, my husband never had anything against the governor or anyone else. We were in different parties but he was an elder statesman and he slept on the ground.

“The Governor of Oyo State never called me nor sent a condolence message, my husband was hospitalised for one month, what politics are we playing, please?”

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The burial was held at his Oluyole, Ibadan residence, on Saturday at about 10.30 a.m. according to Islamic rites.

COVID-19 guidelines were strictly adhered to.

The burial rites were performed by the Chief Imam of Ibadanland, Sheikh AbdulGaniy Abubakry.

He was supported by popular Islamic preacher, Sheikh Muyideen Bello, and the chairman of Muslim Community of Oyo State, Alhaji Kunle Sanni.

Present at the occasion were the All Progressives Congress, APC, governorship candidate in the 2019 election, Adebayo Adelabu; Senator Teslim Folarin;  Minister of Youth and Sports, Mr Sunday Dare; Member, House of Representatives, Shina Peller and Chief Kola Daisi.

Others include Kemi Alao-Akala, wife of former Oyo State governor, Adebayo Alao-Akala; Senator Abdulfatai Buhari and Prince Ayodeji Abass-Aleshinloye, Mr Olamiju Alao-Akala.

Aged 70, Abiola Ajimobi was the Deputy National Chairman (South) of the APC.

He served as governor of Oyo State from 2011 to 2019.

He died on Thursday, June 25, at First Cardiologist Consultant, Hospital in Lagos, where he was being treated for coronavirus.

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It was just like yesterday. He had received a call to come to Abuja. It was to discuss party matters. He was not sure of who would follow him. Because it was a private flight, he had limited options. He only went with his security aide.

He had told us earlier in our office in his Oluyole home that we would talk about the movement to Abuja since he had become the Deputy National Chairman. Our office had to shift to Abuja. He was in his usual caftan and cap, always impeccably dressed even at home except when he does his exercise every morning in his blue track down and blue stripe Tee-shirt and branded cap. With his earpiece and phone in hand, he would walk round the building several times to exercise.

“We will leave by 2.00pm,”  he said that fateful day. A special private flight had been arranged for him.

He radiated good health and we still marvelled that he still looked so good for his 70 years. Being 70 meant a lot to him and would jokingly call himself Baba 70. As he left our wing of the house to the other side, a few of us in our usual manner trailed him. He spoke with a few people in the courtyard before he left to prepare for that trip. I never knew it was going to be the last time I would see him.

He never wanted anything else after the general election. He only wanted to take a long, due rest after serving for 8 years without break.

But in his usual organised manner, there was no pending issue. He had taken care of everything. He had signed all the letters of appointment for the peace and reconciliation committee.

I still can’t wrap my head round what happened. He was so healthy, he was neat, he took all the necessary precautions even while he sat with us in our open office he was always with his face mask, we always observe social distancing. We were always quick to give him hands sanitizer any time he touched something. We were conscious of his age and did all we could to ensure safety. We had three spots where you had to wash hands before entering the premises. One at each of the main entrance gates and another by the entrance to our office. We observed all due protocols. So what happened? How did it happen? None of us was sick. So where did this come from? I am still trying to find answers.

He never wanted anything else after the general election. He only wanted to take a long, due rest after serving for 8 years without break. But another position was thrust on him. He never solicited for us and he did not want. But they convinced him to accept. I know because in his usual forthrightness, he narrated how it happened. He took the positions because he felt it would benefit his people. ‘I have done my bit. There is nothing I set out to achieve that I did not, I cannot be governor again, but I cannot leave you people,’ he would say.

But what went wrong? I am at a loss. I was so sure he would get up the sick bed. I was so sure because there were unfinished businesses. There were so many tasks that he had planned ahead to better the lot of the people. So I was convinced he would come to complete those tasks, those plans. I never knew it would end this way.

I have learnt so much from you. You were a willing teacher. You would deliberately sit with us and tell us about life experiences. The idea was to learn from you. And we learnt.

A legend is born with the death of a hero. You will forever remain in my heart, in our heart. I have learnt so much from you. You were a willing teacher. You would deliberately sit with us and tell us about life experiences. The idea was to learn from you. And we learnt. You would have been surprised if we had not learnt. As you were quick to point out, you never had an academic Ph.D, but you had Ph.D in experiences and what life had to teach.

I can go on and on reminiscing about you. About that other side that people never saw. That soft part of you that people never knew existed.

This is cathartic for me because I am still in shock. I’m at a loss. Everything within a month.

Did we see this coming? No. Not this. Not that you would go so soon.

Were there signs? Yes. From the most unlikeliest of sources. But not like this. Not to death. Though the music stopped, the melody continues. You will forever be remembered . Good nite Sir. Just the way I always text you.

*TUNJI is the media aide to the late Abiola Ajimobi, former governor of Oyo State.

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Reports of his death became rife on Thursday.

Efforts to reach his media aide, Mr. Bolaji Tunji, for confirmation on phone was unsuccessful.

The former governor was said to have died at the age of 70 at the intensive care unit of First Cardiologist and Cardiovascular Consultants Hospital, Lagos where he was said to be receiving treatment for coronavirus.

He was admitted at the hospital on June 2.

It would be recalled that there were reports last week of his death, but his media aide, Mr. Bolaji Tunji, denied it.

Tunji who reacted to the reports on Facebook said: “My attention has been drawn to the rumours circulating on the social media about my principal. Kindly disregard. We however continue to pray for him. Thank you all for the show of concern.”

Abiola Ajimobi was Oyo State governor from 2011 to 2019.

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They were found culpable for violating environmental laws of the state, before a Magistrate court sitting in Ibadan.

This was revealed by the Commissioner for Environment and Natural Resources, Rt. Hon. Kehinde Ayoola, today, after an environmental sanitation exercise, led by the state governor, Seyi Makinde at Ojoo interchange, at Akinyele local government in Ibadan.

Ayoola revealed that the violators were arrested by officers of the ministry at different locations in Ibadan for indiscriminate dumping of refuse at unauthorized places within Ibadan metropolis and were arraigned before a magistrate for committing punishable offences which were contrary to the Environmental Laws of the State.

The magistrate ruled that the offenders be imprisoned for six months or pay a fine of N12,500 each, out of which twenty-one of the offenders fulfilled their bail terms, while ten persons who failed to meet the terms were forced to do community services.

Ayoola buttressed that the arraignment was a further proof of Oyo State government’s determination to end the menace caused by unlawful disposal of refuse.

“When we said we would fight this menace to a stop, and put saboteurs to a halt, we meant business, this is why the state government, under the leadership of His Excellency, Governor Seyi Makinde has deployed its whole apparatus to enforce the law on environmental sanitation in the state.

“We believe this will serve as deterrent to other violators of the State Environmental Laws that it will not be business as usual, we have to change our orientation as regards good environment for the sake of ourselves and our neighbors,” he said.

Commenting further, Ayoola said “Governor Seyi Makinde is so passionate about the cleanliness of our environment, this is why our officers would not hesitate to clampdown on all violators of environmental laws.”

The commissioner therefore urged members of the public to desist from unlawful disposal of refuse, saying that the state government had deployed its officers in strategic places in the state to apprehend offenders.

In a related development, a middle-aged man, identified as Mutiu Odeniran who was caught offloading his van full of refuse by the roadside has been fined with the sum of N42,500 for violating the environmental laws of the state.

Odeniran was apprehended at Molete axis of the state capital by environmental health officers on Wednesday last week and prosecuted before a magistrate on Thursday.

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The party in a statement by the State’s Publicity Secretary, Engr. Akeem Olatunji, said that the name of APC in Oyo could conveniently be replaced with hunger, oppression and deception.

“That the rule of the APC between 2011 and 2019 was lacklustre would be stating the obvious but the party also signifies deception at its height,” the statement reads, adding that the people of Oyo State were trying hard to erase the sad memories foisted on them by the APC.

“Instead of being sober and coming out to profusely apologise for their failings, the APC is showcasing a sort of repulsive audacity, that is only drawing the people to anger.

“We are, however, happy that the government of Engineer Seyi Makinde is striving hard s cushion the sad effects of the mindless rule to heal the emotional and psychological trauma the APC government plunged the state into in the last eight years,” the PDP said.

The PDP said its call on APC to bury itself in shame was in response to the lingering arguments about the reconstruction works on Iwo Road interchange planned by Governor Makinde.

Olatunji also described as a shame the fact that APC was sore losers in respect of its criticisms of Makinde’s policies and programmes.

It said: “The time is near when we will have no other option than to expose all atrocities committed by the APC in Oyo State in the last eight years.

“For now, they should thank their stars that they have in Engineer Seyi Makinde a calm personality who is not vindictive in any way,” he said.

Emphasising the need for the opposition to bury itself in shame, PDP wondered where APC derived its moral standing to cast a word of aspersion on the excellent performances of governor Makinde who it said, had been able to achieve within his first 100 days in office what APC could not achieve in eight years.

The ruling party specifically enjoined the leader of APC in Oyo State and former governor Abiola Ajimobi to come out clean and account for how Oyo State’s funds were spent during his eight year rule, saying: “We won’t allow things lie low for too long. In due time this party will officially file a petition to the EFCC and ICPC with details of how the APC deliberately plunged Oyo State into a debt of over 150 billion with absolutely nothing to show for it.

“APC is not a party to be taken seriously by anybody; their accusation of Makinde using Rivers construction prototype in Oyo State is laughable, they need not be reminded that Seyi Makinde is a world class engineer with a global brand, and as far as the masses are satisfied and happy with the PDP administration under Governor  Makinde, anything APC says is inconsequential, null and void.

“We know that they are intimidated by the growing political reputation of Makinde and that the rising profile has taken their peace and sleep away.”

The statement added: “As a ruling party we have done a thorough home work on how to bring lasting solution to the many APC-imposed sufferings on the people; that is why it was action from day one because we are focused and committed to right all the wrongs meted out to the good people of Oyo in the past eight years of the APC.

“The PDP, however, wishes to enjoin the good people of Oyo State to continue to give their full support to Governor Seyi Makinde in his quest to achieve his economic plan and developmental plans.””

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This is as the Engr. Seyi Makinde-led government  expressed its commitment to retrieving more of such vehicles.

The government made the disclosure while stating that Ajimobi misrepresented facts as regards the vehicles carted away by operatives of his government.

The former governor, had while speaking to newsmen on the occasion of this year’s Eid-el-Kabir celebration,  described the alarm raised by the incumbent government in Oyo as a “minor issue,”  adding that his aides paid for the vehicles they carted away.

But a statement by the Chief Press Secretary to Makinde, Mr. Taiwo Adisa, indicated that the former governor mixed up the facts of the matter.

“There should be no ambiguity about this issue of missing or stolen cars.

“The alarm raised by the government of Engineer Seyi Makinde on the unprecedented looting of official vehicles has nothing to do with cars that were legally sold or boarded to the different officials of the past administration.

“The vehicles we are concerned about are official cars carted away without legal instruments.

“Contrary to the statement of former Governor Ajimobi, many of the vehicles carted away illegally are new and in working conditions.

“You cannot possibly classify a vehicle procured in February of this year as an old car just a few months after it was purchased.”

The statement added that Oyo State government had no issue with vehicles properly boarded by past officials.

It indicated that issues were raised on vehicles given out by the past administration as “parting gifts.”

The statement further added that the illegally taken away vehicles were not paid for by those involved.

“That is why a number of the vehicles have so far been retrieved.

“We must put on record that taking away government property is really a sad development in the annals of  public accountability,” the statement read.

The statement added: “This government frowns at any attempt to justify illegality. The government has sworn to always do what is right and so cannot ignore such misrepresentations.

“The first thing to say is that many of the vehicles were not boarded by officials of the past administration, but were taken away without payment.

“There is nowhere in the public service that a governor is allowed to gift public property to cronies like a Santa Claus.

“If the former governor claims that it happens elsewhere, that cannot be a justification. This government is determined to ensure that every kobo of taxpayers will be accounted for.

“We also restate our commitment to ensuring that all the vehicles illegally taken away are recovered.

“So far, we are impressed by the work of the committee saddled with the recovery of the assets illegally taken.

“The committee will continue to have the full backing of government.”

The government expressed worries at another attempt by the former governor to brand civil servants as thieves, adding that such branding was unhelpful.

“We are not amused by the branding of our civil servants as “thieves” by the former governor, but we are much worried about what he did to reform the system while in power,” the statement reads further.

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The Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Oluseun Abimbola, disclosed that SGBV would serve as a first responder unit to address complaints arising from sexual and gender based violence.

At the inauguration of the SGBV team, Mr. Abimbola stated that the governor had earlier signed into law the Violence Against Women Prohibition law in Oyo State, to curb the increasing incidence of child defilement, domestic violence, and related offences.

He noted that the establishment of the SGBV team would give fire and bite to the enforcement mechanism for the law and other related laws against such offences in the state.

According to the Attorney General, “it has become clear that dealing with sexual based offences would require an intervention beyond the traditional structures to be able to provide counsel to victims, provide professional medical assistance to extract evidence timeously, offer legal services and a shelter where necessary for victims, among other things.

“The SGBV team will serve as a one-stop shop to deal with the multiple issues arising from such offences,” Mr. Abimbola said.

He charged the team to hit the ground running by immediately setting up a help line for quick alerts by complainants, open a sex offenders register to document and deter the heinous crimes and ultimately midwife the establishment of a Sexual Offences and Gender Based Violence Referral Center which would eventually house the unit and warehouse all the offered services.

Mr. Abimbola said that the team was a collaboration of ministries and agencies including Ministries of Justice, Women Affairs & Child Welfare, Health, the Nigerian Police, Legal Aid Council, Civil Society, NBA, and the Media, with representatives drawn from the agencies and MDAs on the team.

The Attorney General urged the team to shun traditional and cultural nuances that might hamper the work of the team, but to be decisive and courageous in implementing the laws on the subject matter in order to cure the mischief.

In her comments, the coordinator of the team, Mrs Modupe Awosemusi, thanked the governor for approving the establishment of the team, promising to discharge their responsibilities judiciously.

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The chairman of the committee, Mr Olalekan Alli, on Thursday in Ibadan announced the activities at a news conference.

He said that the series of activities, which began with the news conference, would end with a church thanksgiving service, on Sunday, June 2.

Alli, who is also the Secretary to the State Government, said that the activities were lined up to make the event memorable, promising that adequate security of lives and property had been made.

He said, “Prayers will be held at all mosques in the state for a peaceful transition on Friday, May 24 while same would be held in all churches across the state, on Sunday, May 26.

“There will be a state broadcast by the outgoing governor by 6 p.m. on Tuesday, May 28 followed by a send-off dinner at the Government House, Agodi, by 6.30 p.m. same day.

“There will be an inter-faith service on Thursday, May 30 at the governor’s office premises.  There is going to be special Jumat service and thanksgiving service on Friday, May 31 and June 2 respectively.’’

The transition committee added that the swearing-in ceremony of Makinde would hold at the Obafemi Awolowo Stadium, Oke Ado, on Wednesday, May 29 by 10 a.m., while a public reception would follow immediately.

He also said that the handing-over ceremony would hold at the Executive Council Chambers of the governor’s office on May 29, while a dinner party for the new governor would hold at the International Conference Centre, University of Ibadan.

Assuring the incoming government of a smooth takeover, he said that all ministries, departments and agencies had responded to an earlier circular issued by the committee requesting them to submit up-to-date situation report including assets and liabilities in their custody.

The committee chairman said that the collated reports would serve as annexure to the handing over note to be presented to the incoming governor.

He appealed to the public on behalf of the state government, incoming government and people to observe peace and be law abiding.

Alli added: “In the last eight years, the pride of the outgoing administration is peace, safety and security. Let me emphasis that nothing will be left undone to ensure that security of lives as well as property is sustained and consolidated.’’

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