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From ADAMA JOHN, Lokoja |
A REVERED icon, self-less and patriotic leader were the words with
which President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua yesterday described the late
chairman of Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) Chief Sunday B. Awoniyi
as his remains were being committed to earth in his country home in
Mopa in Kogi State.
Awoniyi died in a London hospital on November 26 from injuries he
sustained in an accident on Kaduna - Abuja road a week earlier.
The eulogy was contained in a letter the president sent from the
United States where he was on a state visit through Vice President
Goodluck Jonathan.
Awoniyi was “a revered icon, a selfless and patriotic leader in the
Nigerian public service,” the president’s condolence letter read.
According to Yar’Adua, the death of Awoniyi had robbed Nigeria of
“an invaluable asset.” He said “the man died at a time his services
were most needed.”
The president prayed for the peaceful repose of the soul of the
75-year-old Awoniyi and he asked that his family take solace in the
death of “a man loved by all Nigerians.”
Before the final interment, a funeral service was held at First
Baptist Church, Ilepeju, Mopa during which Pastor James Prophetic
Music from Kaduna provided music.
In a funeral sermon based on Hebrews 11:13-16, Rev. Ademola Ishola
described man as a “mere phantom that embraces death any time it
comes.”
Death, he said, was sure for every mortal but man could not
determine where and the mode of his exit from the world.
He said life was like a shadow or vapour but added that considering
Awoniyi’s enduring legacy, there was no doubt that the late ACF
chairman had immortalised his name by endearing himself to the
hearts of many Nigerians.
Awoniyi, he said, was a great man who caused many good things to
happen for Nigerians and would have done more but for his untimely
death.
“Chief Awoniyi worked for a better Nigeria and expected all
Nigerians to be gainfully employed. He contributed towards realising
his objectives through the establishment of a company, BOJA, in his
country home Mopa,” the cleric said.
Rev. Ademola observed that Awoniyi lived a selfless life and never
pretended that all was about living, saying it was what informed his
desire to render selfless service to humanity instead of embarking
on a rat race of embezzling public funds while he lived.
Personalities that graced the funeral ceremony included three former
presidents - Generals Ibrahim Babangida, Abdulsalami Abubakar and
Yakubu Gowon. Others were Vice President Goodluck Jonathan, Governor
Ibrahim Idris of Kogi State, former governor Abubakar Audu, EFCC
chairman Nuhu Ribadu and former Plateau State governor Chief Joshua
Dariye. Mopa receives its
own back Mopa is a serene, sleepy
town in Mopa-Amuro local government area of Kogi State. Only once in
a long while does it stir. The death of CHIEF SUNDAY AWONIYI, one of
its illustrious sons on November 28th has been one such rare
occasion which MOPA does come alive. ADAMA JOHN visited the town two
days to AWONIYI’s burial and spoke to CHIEF SILAS S.B. DANIYAN,
AWONIYI’s arch political opponent and the Chief of the town, the
Elulu of Mopa OBA JULIUS JOLEDO. MOPA had
retained its serenity three days to the burial of Chief S.B. Awoniyi
who died in a London hospital on November 28. When I visited the
town on December 13, two days to the final interment of Awoniyi I
noticed that there was virtually nothing to indicate that a great
son of the land had fallen. However, the absence of activity was not
an indication that Chief Awoniyi was not loved by his own. Certain
factors may have been responsible. One, Chief had lived in Abuja all
these years and died in a far away hospital in London after an auto
crash along Kaduna Abuja road. Another factor was that the Arewa
Consultative Forum (ACF) which Awoniyi helped to set up and the Kogi
State government had been in full charge of Awoniyi’s funeral
arrangement and had organized events in Abuja and Lokoja in honour
of him. What that meant was that the crowd that would have ended for
Mopa had had to go to Abuja and Lokoja instead. From there, people
would head for Mopa for the final burial rites. With the motorcade
and the wailing and the number of personalities who would pay their
last respect either for political, social, cultural or economic
reasons, the serenity of Mopa would have been disturbed greatly.
Furthermore, none of Awoniyi’s children lived in Mopa has only one
resident, a security man. The house however has been renovated to
host the owner for the very last time.
At about 6 pm Thursday when New Nigerian on Sunday visited Mopa to
see what preparation was being made for the burial. Few cars with
Lagos and Abuja registration numbers were seen in the compound.
A truck believed to contain food was also in the compound. A man
popularly called “Alhaji’’ said that the children had gone to Abuja.
About 20 cows donated by individuals were tethered to mango and
orange trees in the compound.
Elsewhere, young politician close to a brothel were shouting “I will
dig a borehole if I win. It started like a two-man argument but
before long the road was swarming with people. Some onlookers told
this correspondent that “this is what they (politicians) do because
they don’t have anything to do.’’ According to young man who was
explaining things, “the politicians they are fighting for won’t
remember us when they get to power.’’ In no time it became a
free-of-all fight. “Oga, that is what they do here everyday, a girl
offered another explanation. Car runners rushed off to remove their
vehicles from the scene while shop owners quickly shut down to
prevent their wares being looted.
Chief Silas Daniyan, the Ojomu of Mopa and the traditional ruler of
Mopoa the Elutu of Mopa, Julius Joledo held divergent views about
Chief Awoniyi.
Chief Daniyan said that Chief Awoniyi and he were “brothers and
friends and age mates.’’ He said that they were brought up together
and struck up a relationship that was difficult to forget. “His
mother and my were the best of friends. I do know that whenever my
mother brought things for me, she would buy the same for him,’’ he
said.
Chief Daniyan, however, admitted that they disagreed on certain
political issues, stressing that in some cases “we were on opposite
sides of the political divide.’’ Despite their political
differences, Chief Daniyan believed that the fact that they were
brought up together as brothers was enough to foster a good
relationship.
Asked what were the differences between them and whether they were
resolved before Awoniyi’s death, Chief Daniyan was unequivocal when
he said that “we settled everything.’’ He recalled how he (Daniyan)
found himself in All Nigeria People’s Party and Awoniyi in Peoples
Democratic Party even though the two started off as foundation
members of PDP in Lokoja. But before long I pulled out of the
party,’’ he said. However, he said he had to come back to the PDP
fold because “some elements insisted that I come back to the party
for them to follow suit.’’ At the decamping ceremony, Chief Awoniyi
was there to receive him. “So we were able to get over our
difference, we became more and more united. However, Chief Daniyan
seemed not to have achieved his cardinal goal. What Chief Daniyan
wanted was for Awoniyi to get community acknowledgment at home
rather than outside. “I have been talking to him for about a year
now to disengage from the Arewa Consultative Forum and come and help
at home.’’
He appreciated the role Awoniyi eventually played in ACF but said
that Mopa, considering its cultural heritage (Yoruba) did not
understand Awoniyi’s closeness to Arewa.
“You cannot fault his forthrightness. If he believed in something he
stood firm. For the I admired him,’’ said chief Daniyan. He said
that Awoniyi would say it if something was black or white. “If it’s
white he will say it is white. We don’t really have many such people
in the country. He said that Nigerians should emulate the sterling
qualities of honesty and forthrightness demonstrated by Awoniyi.
Chief Daniyan commended the late Saturday of Sokoto, Sir Ahmadu
Bello for demonstrating unparalleled love for the country. According
to him, the next person after God is the Sardauna of Sokoto. “In my
life, the next person I will call after God is the Sardauna of
Sokoto because he was the person who made me what I am today. He
never differentiated between a real northerner and peripheral
northerner and never discriminated on the basis of religion.’’
The paramount ruler of Mopa the Elulu of Mopa, Oba Julius Joledo,
however, said the misunderstanding over the location of Mopa was of
little consequences. He said he was educated in Lagos, Ibadan and
Kaduna and had come to the conclusion that he had been fairly
treated in the north where he enjoyed a scholarship unlike in the
south were student paid school fees. On politics, he said “Mopa has
benefited from the country through the north’’ and he personally
built enduring structures in Kaduna. On Awoniyi, he said “Awoniyi
was very thorough and careful in doing things and he was not
selfish.
He, like Awoniyi, believes people of Mopa are in the north. “How can
you be southerner when you are located up there? This where you
belong,’’ said the Elulu. “We are Yorubas but Yoruba northerners.
Final rites for Awoniyi
By SHU’AIBU GIMI | THE series of
well-attended events that were organized by the Kogi State
government, Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF), and the family of late
chief Sunday Awoniyi that culminated in his burial yesterday
December 15, 2007, were clearly indicative of the immense repute of
the man. Since the announcement of the death, both the government of
Kogi State which is Awoniyi’s home state and ACF of which he was the
chairman expressed the desire to join his family in organizing a
befitting burial for him.
Available reports showed that each party to the conduct of events
played prominent roles in ensuring that even in death Chief Awoniyi
was given the honour he deserved. While Kogi State government in
several media announcement expressed grief over the death with the
State Governor, Alhaji Ibrahim Idris, describing it as a national
loss, the ACF mourned the death in a special way by organizing what
it called” Day of Tribute” in Abuja on Thursday November 13, 2007.
The event which took place at the International Conference Centre,
Central Area, Garki – Abuja provided the ACF with the opportunity to
showcase the personality of Awoniyi. Both the quality and caliber of
people in attendance and their comments on the deceased could not be
more supportive of the conclusion of several Nigerians that Awoniyi
was truly a great patriot.
The presence of Vice President Goodluck Jonathan as representative
of President Umaru Musa Yar’adua and the country’s two former
leaders, Generals Yakubu Gowon and Muhammadu Buhari, former Vice
President Alex Ekwueme, former Chief Justices of Nigeria – Muhammad
Lawal Uwais and Alfa Belgore as well as many other notable Nigerians
made the congregation particularly thick and historic. What even
made the event more historic the sorrowful manner in which almost of
them paid glowing tribute to Awoniyi.
While Vice President Jonathan whose father also died a day earlier
said that the “nation can not forget’’ Chief Awoniyi because of his
unquantifiable contribution to its unity and development, General
Gowon who chaired the occasion stated that the deceased was quite
deserving of all the honour being accorded him. Even Ekwueme
described Awoniyi as a compatriot who was worthy of truest.
The Abuja event also provided Awoniyi’s schoolmates and
contemporaries in the civil service with the rare opportunity to set
eyes on one another. Professor B.D. Musa who is also the chairman of
Barewa Old boys Association and Alhaji Ahmed Joda, a former
permanent secretary who spoke on behalf of such other technocrats,
expressed shock over the death of one of them with the later
describing Awoniyi as a “fearless, selfless person who dedicated his
life to the service of the nation.’’
A lot of Nigerians either friends, classmates, colleagues or even
mere acquaintances of the deceased not only graced the occasion but
also showered encomiums on the deceased whom many people considered
as an elder statesman, unifier and strong pillar of the north.
On its part Kogi state government also lived up to its pledge by
organizing huge events in honour of Awoniyi. The event, just like
the one in Abuja, served as a forum at which Kogites of different
backgrounds paid tribute to an illustrious indigene of the state.
All those who spoke particularly the state governor said the death
of Awoniyi is a great loss to Kogi State, north and the country in
general.
Upon the completion of the activities at the Kogi State Government
House, Lokoja, the body of late Awoniyi was moved to his hometown,
Mopa, where he was prestigiously buried. The burial attracted what
many people in the town described as unprecedented crowd thereby
re-enforcing the belief that Awoniyi was, both within and outside
Mopa, indeed a great man. The Ojomu of Mopa and contemporary of the
deceased, Chief Silas Daniyan, confirmed this belief when he said
that, not many Awoniyis abound in Nigeria. |
