Fasoranti
By Banji Ayoola
Afenifere chieftain and former Senator Remi Okunrinboye, has said that Nigeria has a lot to learn from the attributes of the departed leader of the pan-Yoruba group, Pa Reuben Famuyide Fasoranti.
The elderstaresman, who was the Finance commissioner in the Second Republic Governor Adekunle Ajasin administration in the old Ondo State, died on Tuesday peacefully at his Akure home five months after celebrating his 100th birthday.
Reacting to the death, Okunrinboye, who played a prominent role in the pro-democracy struggle as a chieftain of both the National Democratic Coalition, NADECO, and its arrowhead, Afenifere, said both Fasoranti and Ajasin were twin brothers in humility and total dedication to selfless service to the people.
He credited the landmark achievements recorded by the Ajasin administration especially the establishment of many industries, to the prudent manner Fasoranti handled the finances of the then Ondo State, now divided into Ondo and Ekiti.
Okunrinboye told The Radiance, “Nigeria would miss Baba Fasoranti’s service as a role model whose person will be difficult to come by.
“We will miss him. He and Baba Ajasin shared the same principles and discipline. We have imbibed their way of life where money has very little impact.”
He described Fasoranti’s death as the departure “of a titan, a man who cannot be easily replaced, a man who was wonderful, great and even greater in death.”
Recalling the pro-democracy struggle days, he said that despite the illness of his wife who later passed on, Fasoranti stood by Ajasin as the NADECO Leader.
He cited an instance when Ajasin and he Okunrinboye were detained at the police station on the order of the then Head of State, Gen Sani Abacha, when Fasoranti volunteered to join them in detention before they were released.
Okunrinboye said, “I congratulate the people of Ondo State for being blessed with such a man who lived for the people, who will forever be remembered as one who gave his all to the service of the people.
“He was an epitome of humility. We have taken after him and Baba Ajasin. We believe that service is what we must face.”
He believed that Ondo State Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa would ensure that Fasoranti is given a befitting burial “both for the image of our state and the role he played in the advancement of the Yoruba race and our country.”
Also he hoped that President Bola Tinubu would give Fasoranti the last respect by personally attending his burial, noting that Tinubu has taken example from the deceased’s attribute of total service to the people.
He said, “I sympathise with his family, my brother his in law, Akure people, the people of Ondo State and our Governor”
The Afenifere chieftain noted that even after his wife’s death, Fasoranti never looked back in serving the people selflessly.
Okunrinboye said that like Ajasin, Fasoranti wielded power with “huge humility”
Fasoranti: We are celebrating a life dedicated to selfless service – Aiyedatiwa
