From Femi Mustapha in Kaduna
The death of the National Leader of Afenifere, Pa Reuben Famuyide Fasoranti, is a celebration of life, not a loss to rue but one to pay tribute to, the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) has said.
The National Publicity Secretary of ACF, Prof. T. A. Muhammad-Baba, stated this in a press statement issued Wednesday in Kaduna while mourning the elder statesman.
Prof. Muhammad-Baba said ACF received with deep sadness the news of Pa Fasoranti’s death, which occurred two days ago and was announced by Ondo State Governor Mr. Lucky Aiyedatiwa.
He said Pa Fasoranti, who lived to be 100 years old, lived a life well lived, witnessing the best Nigeria had to offer even as he regretted the nation’s missed opportunities for greater achievements.
According to him, Pa Fasoranti was a well-known trailblazer, a quintessential nationalist and politician, a man of the people, and a deeply respected community leader who served Nigeria as an ardent advocate of progressive politics and good governance.
He noted that the late Afenifere leader dedicated almost his entire life to pursuing these ideals and retained a deep and admirable commitment to the struggle for a better Nigeria.
Muhammad-Baba said Pa Fasoranti remained visibly, trenchantly, and admirably focused on the search for excellence in the country and, to the end, remained an indefatigable fighter in the quest for a better deal for his people and Nigeria.
He said it remained a telling testimony to his worth as a go-to personality that he emerged as National Leader of Afenifere, the frontline Yoruba sociocultural organization.
The ACF spokesman described Pa Fasoranti as another happy exemplar among Nigeria’s principled and farsighted leaders, whose experience spanned the struggles for independence, the First Republic, the civil war years, military rule, and the democratic experiment.
He said Pa Fasoranti’s life, in shoes too big to fill, left behind a formidable record of excellence in service to the nation and his community.
Prof. Muhammad-Baba said ACF extended condolences to Pa Fasoranti’s immediate and extended family, friends, the Federal Government and the people of Nigeria, the entire Yoruba people, and the numerous people he mentored.
ACF prayed that Almighty God would grant him eternal peace.
