Lagos State Governor, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu has commiserated with the family of the former military governor of the state, Brigadier Mobolaji Johnson (retd), who died on Wednesday at 83.
A statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Gboyega Akosile, described “the late Gen. Johnson as a complete gentleman and officer; a dedicated Lagosian.”
Johnson’s was the first Military Governor of Lagos State from May 1967 to July 1975.
The statement said: ‘‘Although General Mobolaji Johnson has gone to be with his Lord and Creator, the memories of great accomplishments he left behind will linger on forever.
One remembers how the late General Johnson’s administration worked with other seasoned professionals to establish five Government Colleges and Housing Estates, which were commissioned by the then Head of State, General Yakubu Gowon, within one year of his administration.
This, to me, is the hallmark of service and has remained a benchmark for successive administrations in the state.’’
Sanwo-Olu, who described the late Johnson as a man of vision with a mission to see a modern Lagos evolve, noted that the vision had started to manifest in what we see today as every successive administration strives to build on the developmental structure and foundation of good governance laid by late Gen Johnson.
He added, “We must ensure that the people enjoy the dividends of democracy. Development must touch the lives of the people directly. This is the best way to immortalise the late Mobolaji Johnson because this is virtue he lived for.
“On behalf of the Government and people of Lagos State, I want to express my sincere and heartfelt condolences to the family of late Brigadier General Mobolaji Johnson.’’
The father of four, died in a Lagos hospital on Wednesday. His son, Deji, who confirmed the death, said he fought a long battle.
He said, “I am afraid to break the news to you that we have lost our dad. He fought a long and hard battle; unfortunately he could not make it. He passed on this afternoon (Wednesday).
“We just want his legacy to outlive him and we want people to honour his memory in a way he would want to be honoured.”
The late Johnson served under a former Head of State, Maj. Gen. Thomas Aguiyi-Ironsi, and was appointed the military governor of Lagos State by Ironsi’s successor, Gen. Yakubu Gowon.
He was governor from May 28, 1967 to July 1975.
At the inception of the Gen. Murtala Mohammed administration in 1975, Johnson was one of the two state governors who was not found guilty of corruption by the three-man panel commissioned to investigate the various allegations of corruption among state governors.
He retired from the army in 1975 and went into private business.
Johnson, who lost his wife, Funmi, on Saturday, February 6, 2016, is survived by three sons and a daughter.
Punch
