Akande at 78 is quintessential politician –Ajimobi
Akande at 78 is quintessential politician – Ajimobi
NAN-H-125
Birthday
By Akeem Abas
Ibadan, Jan. 16, 2017 (NAN) Gov. Abiola Ajimobi of Oyo State has described Chief Bisi Akande, former Interim National Chairman, All Progressives Congress (APC), as a quintessential politician as he clocked 78.
Ajimobi said this in a statement by Mr Yomi Layinka, his Special Adviser on Communication and Strategy, in Ibadan on Monday.
The APC chieftain was born on Jan. 16, 1939 in Ila Orangun town of Osun State.
Akande was the deputy governor to the late Chief Bola Ige from 1979 to 1983 in the Old Oyo State, out of which the present Osun State was carved out.
He was also a former governor of Osun State from 1999 to 2003 and had held other political positions in the country.
Ajimobi commended Akande for weathering the political storm that culminated in the defeat of then ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
“At 78, Akande remained a quintessential politician whose main aim of venturing into politics was to advance the course of the poorest of the poor in the society.
“He has upheld this right from his days as a councillor for Isedo Ward I, in Ila Local Government Council in 1976,” he said.
The governor said that Akande would continue to be venerated for proving the bookmakers wrong by leading the APC to dislodge the PDP from the centre against all odds.
He said that Akande’s sagacity and frugal management of public resources was evident in the gigantic structures that dotted the Osun State landscape.
Ajimobi stated that some of the structure included the archetype expansive modern secretariat complex constructed during his tenure as governor of the state.
“To Baba Akande, whom we gleefully refer to as Baba awon omo keekeke, ostentatious and lavish lifestyle should be an anathema for public office holders.
“Little wonder that he embraced frugality in his public life right from his days as governor of Osun State.
“He has consistently preached and worked against prebendalism, a political system where elected officials and government workers feel they have a right to a share of government revenues and these used to feather the nest of their supporters and members of their ethnic group.
“He is an example in modesty, even in his dressing.
“Akande stands tall among leaders and would continue to be venerated by all of us in a society where those leading by example are few and far between,” the statement said.
The governor stated that the celebrant speaks the truth at all times without minding whose ox is gored and at the risk of his safety, liberty and well-being.
He said that Akande occupied a preeminent position among patriotic compatriots who fought for the entrenchment of democracy.
Ajimobi wished him healthier, longer and more fulfilling years ahead in service to God and humanity as he gradually inches towards the elite club of the octogenarians.
The governor congratulated Akande, his immediate family members and the APC family on the occasion of his 78th birthday. (NAN)
TAA/AOS/OFN
Edited by Bayo Sekoni//Felix Nwadioha