By Lateef Dada, Osogbo
A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Osun State, Omooba Dotun Babayemi, has described an erstwhile helmsman of the state, Chief Bisi Akande, as one of the strongest pillars of democracy in Nigeria.
Babayemi lauded the Ila Orangun-born APC leader as an individual who deserves to be celebrated and, at the same time, immortalised by the government.
He gave this charge in his congratulatory message to Akande on his 86th birthday, as released by his media office and made available to the press on Wednesday.
“At the risk of sounding immodest, especially given the immeasurable contributions of Chief Bisi Akande to the development, growth, and sustenance of democracy being enjoyed by politicians and related stakeholders in Nigeria, he deserves to be celebrated and honoured by the government,” Babayemi said.
Babayemi, who insisted that honouring Akande was well-deserved owing to his contributions to making the nation and the state great, stressed that Akande’s achievements as governor of the state were still being referenced.
“We must start from somewhere; after all, ‘charity,’ they say, ‘begins at home.’ To this effect, I feel strongly we should immortalise this great man, starting from our state. Doing this should be beyond primordial political considerations.”
While praying that God grants him more healthy and celebrative years, Babayemi implored Akande not to relent in his quest to ensure that Nigeria and Osun are developed through his wise counsel.