…hails personalities as timeless icons

By Grateful Ogunjebe

Chairman of the Oodua Investment Company Limited, Bimbo Ashiru, has paid glowing tributes to Nigeria’s former President, Muhammadu Buhari, and the late Awujale of Ijebuland, Oba Sikiru Kayode Adetona, describing both men as iconic figures whose lives embodied discipline, service, and truth.

In a condolence statement released recently, Ashiru described President Buhari as a resilient leader whose commitment to national unity remained unwavering from his time in the military to his two-term civilian presidency

“President Buhari was a statesman whose life was marked by an unwavering commitment to the service of our great nation,” Ashiru stated. “From his days in the military to his tenure as a democratically elected president, he exemplified discipline, patriotism, and resilience.”

He added that Buhari’s legacy would inspire generations of Nigerians to pursue national development through selflessness and integrity.

Buhari, who died on July 13 at a medical facility in London, was Nigeria’s former military head of state from 1983 to 1985 and later served as a two-term democratic president between 2015 and 2023.

Ashiru also paid heartfelt tribute to Oba Adetona, who died the same day at the age of 91, referring to the monarch as a mentor and father figure who upheld truth, justice, and tradition throughout his 64-year reign.

“Personally, I have lost a father figure, a mentor, and an inspiration,” he said. “His words of encouragement, his firm belief in justice and fairness, and his commitment to the development of Ijebuland will forever remain with me.”

Ashiru praised the Awujale’s fearlessness, saying the traditional ruler’s voice of truth and moral courage left an indelible mark in Nigeria’s traditional institution.

He extended condolences to the royal family, the Ijebu traditional council, and all sons and daughters of Ijebuland, urging them to uphold the legacy of the revered monarch.

Both Buhari and Adetona were widely regarded as influential leaders whose impact spanned national governance and traditional leadership.