Governors, National and state Assembly leaders and members as well as top politicians were among the dignitaries that gathered in Agege, Lagos on Tuesday for the eighth day Fidau prayer of Alhaji Sulaiman Atanda Obasa, father of Speaker of Lagos State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Mudashiru Ajayi Obasa.
Those who attended the prayer session included Governors Babajide Sanwo-Olu (Lagos State), Sheriff Oborevwori (Delta), Dapo Abiodun (Ogun); and Deputy Governors Obafemi Hamzat (Lagos) and Noimot Salako-Oyedele (Ogun).
Other dignitaries included Speakers of the Houses of Assembly of Oyo, Osun and Delta States, Rt. Hon. Adebo Ogundoyin, Rt. Hon. Adewale Egbedun, and Rt. Hon. Emomotimi Guwor respectively; Lagos State Chief Judge, Hon. Justice Kazeem Alogba; members of the state cabinet, the Governance Advisory Council (GAC) and religious leaders.
At the event, guests praised the exemplariness of the Speaker’s father, urging the children and grandchildren of the deceased to emulate his worthy life.
Sanwo-Olu prayed that God would give Obasa the strength and enablement to galvanise his siblings and further unite the family.
He said: “The gathering here shows that the Speaker has built bridges across the Niger and all around the country.
“I greet all those that have come to identify with the Obasa family and I thank you very much, our party faithful.
“Mudashiru Obasa is one of our best and I thank all that have come to honour him. We are thanking God for being with him and sustaining his family to give their father a befitting burial”.
Abiodun said the Speaker’s late father “lived a life of giving.
“Three or four years after this event, nobody will know what happened here. What people will remember is the legacy that Baba left behind”.
He tasked public office holders to follow the path of honour and service to humanity at all times.
Oborevwori described the demise of the Speaker’s father as shocking adding that despite differences in party affiliations, he remains close to Obasa.
“I could remember when Obasa told me that even though I belong to another party, his boss was contesting as President”, Oborevwori said, calling the Speaker a loyal political leader.
Ogundoyin, who doubles as chairman of the Conference of Speakers, appreciated Obasa for setting the standard upon which the association now thrives.
“All the Speakers in the country commiserate with you. God will be with you and your family, support you, comfort you and show you directions. We at the conference of Speakers will always be there and make sure that your legacies continue”, he said.
A grandchild of the deceased, Abdul-Ganiyu Obasa announced that the grandchildren would embark on water projects across locations in the state in honour of their grandfather.
Thanking the guests, the Speaker recalled how his father constantly guided him and his siblings throughout his lifetime.
“My father lived his life well and he was in charge of his home”, he said.
